Something for Everyone

January 2008

Children around the globe are becoming more media savvy, and youngsters in Latin America are no exception. While cable and satellite penetration and Internet connections may be lower in some Latin American countries than in more developed markets in North America and Europe, kids from Mexico to Argentina and from Chile to Brazil are being served up a vast variety of programs targeting all age groups.

There is no doubt that the Latin American children’s market has become more sophisticated and more competitive. Following the same pattern as other media markets, pan-regional dedicated children’s channels across Latin America are taking over the kids’ business. They consistently rank among the most-watched cable channels across the region. Consequently, distributors tend to want to place their shows on the likes of Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Jetix and Discovery Kids before knocking on the doors of terrestrial broadcasters.

MarVista Entertainment has a large slate of movies for the entire family, a popular genre in a region that places a high value on the extended family, whose members very often watch TV together. “Traditionally, when we devise a strategy for selling into Latin America, we look to do something with the pay-TV platforms or, depending on the property, with the pan-regional cable channels, and in parallel, start having conversations with the terrestrials, but [we won’t give them] the start date for a while, unless they really need the programming,” says Fernando Szew, the CEO of MarVista Entertainment.

“For the most part, I’ve found Latin America to be more in tune with windowing and later start dates than some other territories, and I believe that is because cable penetration is fairly significant for the size of the territory,” adds Szew.

“We aim for our programming to be distributed across all platforms including, pan-regional cable channels and terrestrial broadcasters,” says Olivia King Canter, the director of sales for Canada and Latin America at Entertainment Rights. “The traditional distribution model has been to go from the narrowest audience to the broadest audience, so the pattern has been premium pay TV, pay TV, basic cable and free TV. Digital media is now being brought into the mix, often as a first window of exposure.”

Flavio Medeiros, the senior sales executive for Latin America at Granada International (GI), agrees. “In the majority of cases, we target the pay cable channels first and after a six- to nine-month window we would be able to place the shows on free TV,” he says. “This window structure follows standard market practices and enables us not to burn the property and to exploit the shows properly.”

Companies that operate channels in the region and also have program-distribution businesses, (for instance, Turner Broadcasting System with Cartoon Network and Boomerang, MTV Networks with Nickelodeon, and The Walt Disney Company with Disney Channel and Jetix), find that even though their programming first airs on the channels they own, in order to give their properties the best exposure, they must also air on terrestrial broadcasters.

“The success of Cartoon Network’s Cartoon Cartoons is due to the fact that they are made popular through viewing at many levels,” says Cindy Kerr, the VP of content, acquisitions and syndication for Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) Latin America. “And in order to really shape the market in Latin America, you have to be on free TV. We reach 23 million households with Cartoon Network and 17 million with Boomerang; that’s a huge audience with our cable and satellite distribution. But free TV is tremendous.”

WORKING THE WINDOWS

This view is shared by Adeline Delgado, the VP of international program sales at MTV Networks International (MTVNI) Latin America. “All the programming produced by Nickelodeon gets a first window on the Nickelodeon channel—?that is our primary base, our priority, and we support it 100 percent.” But usually six months after a program airs on Nick, Delgado makes it available to terrestrial broadcasters. “We respect that window for our Nick audience, but we look at free TV as a complement and giving viewers another opportunity to look at our properties in a different time slot and on a different day.”

MTVNI’s traditional broadcast partners have included Televisa in Mexico and TV Globo in Brazil. “Such has been the success of our programming in Colombia that we have opened up our relationship with the two top broadcasters, RCN and Caracol,” explains Delgado. “In Venezuela we had a very strong, long-lasting relationship with RCTV. [But the government’s] shutdown of the station in May of last year really caused our programming strategy to change. Luckily, we did close a deal with Venevisi󮬠who is a leader in the market now. They have most of our Nickelodeon shows and will start premiering them this year.”

Disney-ABC International Television (DAIT) has enjoyed huge success with its tween-targeted programs and movies. “Hannah Montana continues to be a huge hit with tweens, and, of course, High School Musical (HSM) and High School Musical 2 continue to deliver unprecedented audience numbers throughout the age group in the region,” says Henri Ringel, the VP of sales at DAIT Latin America.

The success of HSM in the region has been so huge that Disney is producing local versions of the movie in Argentina, Mexico and Brazil. In Argen?tina, Disney and Canal 13 co-produced Disney High School Musical: La Selecci󮦬t;/i>, a TV talent competition that selected the eight finalists that will star in the film. “The script [for the movie itself] is being polished. It is not a remake of HSM or HSM 2; it is a stand-alone film that will include original music and choreographies,” says Gustavo Branger, the director of programming for Disney Channel and Jetix Latin America. “Preproduction started at the beginning of December, shooting is set to start at the end of this month and the film is scheduled to be released in July.” For the Mexican and Brazilian versions of HSM, preproduction, shooting and release of the movies are scheduled for this year.

Disney High School Musical: La Selección> offers a good example of the type of windowing DAIT has been able to carve out with Disney Channel. “Generally speaking, Disney Channel has a first window against free TV, but exceptionally we may opt differently if we believe it is the best programming strategy for the particular product or franchise,” continues Branger. “A clear example is the strategy in Argentina with Disney High School Musical: La Selección, which had the weekly show premiere on Canal 13 and then repeated on Disney Channel the following day.”

Nine- to 14-year-olds in Latin America are quite similar to their counterparts in other countries. Tweens are aspirational, very into new trends and fashions, hate to be considered children, and soak up programming that reflects their thoughts, tastes and dreams. Not surprisingly, a wealth of tween-targeted programming is proving very popular in Latin America. So much so that Boomerang re-branded itself in order to appeal to this savvy age group.

“We’ve got novelas, music videos, behind-the-scenes, concerts—we are hip!” says Turner’s Kerr. “It’s a fantastic channel and it’s really come into its own. We launched in April 2006 and it’s probably one of the more active channels we have for new programming and new development. We are really bringing a new audience to one of our Turner channels.”

This growing tween segment is an illustration of the shift occurring in lifestyle and viewing habits in the region. “Talk about changing the face of Latin America,” continues Kerr. “When we first launched the channel we learned from focus groups that the family unit was so strong. But over time this has changed. Mothers have started working. The family unit is starting to be more like the one in the U.S. Our teenagers start at the young age of 12. It really is a demanding market and we are doing our very best to keep up with it and we think we’ve got the programming that will make us a real contender for the tween audience.”

And that new programming is coming from a lot of sources. One is Granada International. The British producer and distributor has sold three live-action series to Boomerang: Darcy’s Wild Life, Bel’s Boys and My Parents Are Aliens.

Nickelodeon’s live-action shows also cater to tweens. Dan Schneider, the creator of two hit tween series, Zoey 101 and Drake & Josh, has a new show, iCarly, the first scripted series to incorporate kid-created original content into a live-action show, which Delgado is introducing to buyers.

CARTOONY FUN

For the younger, 6-to-11 set, animation is very popular. Anime has a strong following in Latin America, and Televix Entertainment keeps its buyers happy. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fast Forward has been licensed to Jetix Latin America, and the new Dinosaur King is being introduced in the region. Pokémon, the granddaddy of TV anime, is now in its tenth season. “We have already discussed the new season with Cartoon Network, who has aired all the seasons, and they are continuing with it,” says Hugo Rose, the CEO of Televix. “And Pokémon  is still airing on terrestrial broadcasters in 12 countries. Season 10 has new characters and a new worldwide licensing effort—toys, video games and promotions—and they are helping the property. You always have new kids coming up, and the show, the trading cards and video games all work together.”

Action has always appealed to children, and Entertainment Rights (ER) is rolling out a show that it is confident will get youngsters excited. Transformers Animated, the next generation of the popular saga of the struggle between the Autobots and the Decepticons, is executive produced by Sam Register, who was also involved in Ben 10, Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi and Teen Titans. ER has secured the Latin American rights to this 2-D half-hour series plus a 70-minute special episode.

Cookie Jar Entertainment has placed its popular action-adventure show Johnny Test on Cartoon Network and Boomerang. In addition, “78 half hours of Johnny Test will be available to terrestrial broadcasters,” says Jean-Michel Ciszewski, Cookie Jar Entertainment’s senior VP of international sales and co-productions. “Magi-Nation, Cookie Jar’s new action-?adventure show and multiplatform property, will be offered as well.”

ER’s King Canter will also offer buyers George of the Jungle, a new animated series that premiered on Cartoon Network in the U.S. earlier this month. And Casper’s Scare School, a co-production with MoonScoop and DQ Entertainment, will air on Cartoon Network Latin America. “Entertainment Rights is a one-stop shop for kids and family programming, and we are excited that our presence in Latin America is growing,” says King Canter.

In keeping with the fascination that children have for dinosaurs, DIC Entertainment is offering the animated series Dino Squad. “Boys always like dinosaurs, and there is a lot of play value attached to the show,” says Dan Waite, the VP and regional manager for Latin America and Spanish-speaking U.S. at DIC Entertainment. “Kids can growl and fight—all the things that boys like to do.”

Also within the dinosaur and animal theme are Dinosapien and Animalia, from BBC Worldwide. “We sold these to Animal Planet and we’ve done some terrestrial deals as well,” says Helen Jurado, the manager of Latin American sales at BBC Worldwide.

LAUGH OUT LOUD

Kids also love to laugh, and Granada International has sold the animated series Supernormal, a wacky and hilarious new animation series for 8- to 12-year-olds that follows four friends at a school for children with extraordinary powers, to Jetix Latin America. “It’s an edgy, quirky humor-oriented show, very fast-paced, which we invested a lot in,” says Medeiros. “We’ve had very good response worldwide.”

MTVNI is offering Back at the Barnyard, an animated comedy that takes an offbeat look at what animals really do when humans aren’t looking. The series is based on a feature film. “We’ll be launching that in Latin America this year and also Tak and the Power of Juju, which is CGI animation born from a video game, and it’s really fun, with beautiful animation,” says MTVNI’s Delgado.

Even the littlest viewers have quite a bit to choose from in Latin America, especially on the cable and satellite channels. Disney Channel has a preschool block, as do Nickelodeon and Boomerang, and Discovery Kids has gone to an all-?preschool schedule. Terrestrial broadcasters, on the other hand, don’t have as many slots for preschool programming. “Traditionally, preschool blocks have been a little more challenging in a free-TV environment due to the limited commercial viability,” explains DAIT’s Ringel. “Due to the nature of our content at Disney, however, we’ve been able to secure blocks and work with free-TV partners in establishing and maintaining healthy segments. On basic [cable], for example, preschool blocks can thrive if programmed properly—and there will continue to be high demand. In the end, inevitably, content will determine success provided it’s delivered strategically.”

“Preschoolers nowadays are more media savvy than ever before, which is bringing this age group into the spotlight,” says Cookie Jar’s Ciszewski. “Cookie Jar has had success with shows targeted at younger kids, like The Doodlebops and Caillou. Some of our new preschool properties, like Hurray for Huckle!, based on the classic books by Richard Scarry, are sharp, and bound to be successful and in high demand among preschoolers.”

ER is offering Guess with Jess, a co-production with Corus Entertainment in Canada and the BBC. “It has an element of interactivity, it’s animal friendly and it’s beautifully done. The website guesswithjess.com completes the multi-sensory, educational, 360-degree offering,” says King Canter.

DIC Entertainment has also been very successful in the preschool genre. “Our stellar title is Strawberry Shortcake, and she’s very popular all [over] the region, but particularly in Brazil and Mexico,” says DIC’s Waite. “Those are very good markets for us, but so are Chile, Colombia and Venezuela, and she does very well in consumer products all over the continent.”

STAYING TOGETHER

Movies that have the ability to bring young and old together are popular on TV in Latin America. MarVista Entertainment has recently closed its first deal with Brazil’s Globosat and Telecine Networks. Globosat Network acquired the movie Dead Silence. Telecine Network picked up Rockin’ the House, Treasure Hunt: The Legend of the Tillamook Gold and The Sasquatch Dumpling Gang.

Another genre that brings the whole family together is classic cartoons. Cartoon Network still has a loyal audience for Tom and Jerry. “I cannot—as much as I’ve tried—take Tom and Jerry off Cartoon Network!,” says Turner’s Kerr. “You would think that the brand-new best of original Cartoon Cartoons that we have airing would be enough, but Tom and Jerry is still in demand, so we supply demand.”

ER is seeing a similar appetite for classics. “We are having tremendous success with our classic animation because broadcasters want to appeal to the broadest audience possible,” says King Canter. “So when a broadcaster buys Casper or Mr. Magoo or Rocky and Bullwinkle or He-Man, it means that they are not only going to get a new children’s audience, but they are likely to bring their parents or uncles or cousins as well.”

All distributors who sell into the region will agree that for the last three years Latin American countries have enjoyed a period of economic stability.

“I think it’s a fair statement—and I can speak first-hand because I am Latino—compared to the instability we are all accustomed to, having three years of quasi-stability gives us the perception that everything is stable, but there is always something brewing,” says MarVista’s Szew. “But truth be told, we are actually doing more business in Latin America. This was our busiest and best year in Latin America, and it has to do a bit with the growth and the stability, absolutely, and as in everything else, it’s timing. We have the right programs that those channels want, and we have great relationships with them.”

DAIT’s Ringel holds the same view. “It’s true, the region has enjoyed a period of economic stability,” he notes. “We’re always watchful, but we are thriving with it. Pricing in general has experienced poised increases. Once again, high demand for compelling content such as ours will continue to generate higher values. This is good for all, for those who produce, distribute and exhibit, and most importantly, for all our audiences.”

One thing is sure: as the region continues to develop and as Internet and broadband penetration increases and portable devices become more widespread, children in the region will want content on various platforms. In fact, they are already starting to.

“An important [element of Nickelodeon’s success] has to do with our 360-degree programming platform,” says MTVNI’s Delgado. “We create programming content that is customized for all different media outlets. We are where the kids are, so wherever they turn on a TV or a phone or a computer, or go to the store, we are there. And that is really important.”