MUMBAI: The 2006 edition of Discop to be held from 22 to 24 June expects a good attendance due to the strong recovery of the world television programming markets and the awakening of Central Europe and Eastern Europe to production projects in addition to sales of finished product.

To be hosted at the Sofitel Atrium Hotel in Budapest, Hungary, there will be 1,300 participants from less than 400 participants four years ago.

Discop is a programming market focused especially on Central and Eastern Europe and it is attended by small- and medium-sized buyers that do not usually go to MIPTV and Mipcom. The highlights are:
* For the first time, there will be regional production presence, with a good number of local, regional and independent producing companies.
* Larger buyers will attend, including some from Western Europe.
* New players are emerging including regional distributors, new pan-regional pay TV channels and also broadcasters, from Czech Republic, Bulgaria and smaller nations.
* Several ancillary business developers will also attend, covering home video, licensing, mobile telephony and Internet. This did not happen in the past.
On the sellers side, there will be larger participation, too:
* Western Europe will be more represented than earlier.
* Latin America will be participating at full, not only with telenovelas but also offering other types of finished product and formats, cashing on the new bonanza of telenovelas and general "Latin" product in Europe.
* The countries within the region are starting to market their own product.
* More participants from the U.S. are expected, since NATPE purchased the show from Reed-Midem.