David Jenkinson Talks Market Trends for Content Americas

Content Americas is gearing up for a new edition to be held from January 23 to 25 at the Hilton Miami Downtown. The market aims to continue connecting the content business in Latin America and North America with the rest of the world. The inaugural event drew 1,600 content executives, and for the upcoming edition, meeting and exhibition space has been expanded to accommodate the growing demand.

“When NATPE filed for Chapter 11, it left a void in the events space in Miami in January and in Eastern and Central Europe in June,” explains David Jenkinson, editor-in-chief and managing director at C21Media. “That’s when we decided to step in and fill that void because it was a particularly crucial time for the Hispanic community in Miami.”

Jenkinson comments that the event has always been about business in Latin America, which was the decisive factor in venturing into Content Americas. “Our ambition and main mission are to connect the Hispanic community with the world,” he states. “What we discovered at Content Americas in 2023 was that we really wanted to serve that audience, so we knew we would come back with the 2024 edition in a bigger and more meaningful way.”

New for the 2024 edition is the inaugural Rose d’Or Latinos, which will feature veteran content industry executive Marcos Santana as the jury president. The event will be awarding productions in various categories, including drama series, comedy or dramedy series, telenovela, documentary and TV movie or streaming film, among others.

“We received almost 300 submissions from all the major players in Latin America,” Jenkinson says. “We have 170 jury members, and we are confident that it will be a great gala celebrating Hispanic programming. It will be a significant step that will determine where we go next.”

Another highlight for the 2024 edition of Content Americas will be the CV100 Reception, bringing together 100 television executives from the Latin American, Spanish, Portuguese and U.S. Hispanic markets. “We want to celebrate the work they are doing, particularly as they connect the emerging market with the international community,” he says.

Going forward, Jenkinson comments that AI will play a significant role in content development. “I believe it’s going to be one of the things that will have a real impact on the business. In certain markets like Europe and the U.S., AI has seen significant development. In Latin America, it has been a bit slower, but I think it will grow rapidly, so we will be focusing on this during the market.”

Jenkinson adds, “The maturity of the work of the content communities in Latin America has significantly changed their position in the world. Additionally, it has become an important co-production partner for international players. So, what we want to do is facilitate global partnerships that revolve around brands that don’t necessarily live in a single country or territory.”

For more information about Content Americas, click here.