HBO Latin America’s Focus: Innovation in Content

Xavier Aristimuño, VP of licensing for HBO Latin America, talks to TV Drama about the international pay-TV programmer’s ongoing innovation and its impressive slate of original productions in the region.

HBO is often cited as the first international pay-TV programmer to produce high-quality original series in Latin America. In its more than 15 years of original productions in the region, the strategy has remained the same: “to deliver the best content, to be innovative and to create new content that has the HBO seal of quality to follow that brand and the evolution of the industry,” says Xavier Aristimuño, VP of licensing for HBO Latin America. “We continue to concentrate on innovation in our content, taking risks, exploring new formats and, more than anything, finding new voices in order to generate relevant content that can attract viewers from all over the Latin American region but also audiences from all around the world.”

Aristimuño points to “originality, relevance and unique talent” as important elements behind HBO content. “With originality, we have new stories and fresh takes for series, miniseries, documentaries and films. The relevance is in the fact that these are universal stories. The narratives connect with a global audience. We always explore social issues and historical narratives.” He adds, “We are always working with talent that comes from different areas—from the movie industry, the television industry—who have an extraordinary background or who are up-and-coming new talent.”

HBO Latin America continues betting on the growth of its original production, while hits such as Sr. Ávila, Magnífica 70, Psi and The Business completed their final seasons last year. To fill the void that the end of these established classics leaves, there are new productions to be launched, such as Joint Venture (Pico da Neblina), or returning successes like the second seasons of The Bronze Garden, which Aristimuño says “has a Hitchcock film noir” feel to it, and The Secret Life of Couples.

“We are always working on new productions that continue to maintain our unique storytelling,” Aristimuño says. For example, Mil Colmillos is the first fiction series for HBO Latin America produced in Colombia. “It’s action and horror. It’s filmed in the Amazon with a high level of production.”

“Pico da Neblina is going to be a big event,” says Aristimuño. The story centers on social changes through a fictional situation about the legalization of marijuana in Brazil.

With a historical perspective, HBO Latin America is prepping Santos-Dumont, a miniseries based on the story of the father of aviation. “This is a good example of what we do at HBO,” says Aristimuño. “It is a miniseries that is being produced 60 to 70 percent in French and the rest in Portuguese and English,” as Alberto Santos-Dumont was an aristocrat from Brazil who moved to Paris and lived there most of his life.

Another series that brings a historical narrative is The American Guest, based on the true story of Theodore Roosevelt’s expedition to Brazil to explore the rivers in the Amazon.

“From historical to social issues to horror, we will have many more productions coming in the next two years,” Aristimuño says. While the stories are diversified, the aim, he says, is to “maintain the essence of Latin America through storytelling that interests everybody—with local relevance and global resonance. For 16 years, we’ve been delivering a mix of high-quality, exclusive original content that has not only captivated audiences in Latin America but also all around the world. Everybody enjoys our content, and what they value the most is that we are always at the forefront of the television industry.”