Academy Day in Rio

Brazil is a vast and diverse country, geographically, socioeconomically and culturally. The biggest country in Latin America, Brazil boasts the largest economy in the region. It is also beset by difficult and enduring problems such as income inequality.

But Brazilians are known for their happy-go-lucky attitude toward life; their national passion—soccer, or futebol, which is more akin to a religion than a sport; samba; bossa nova; those wickedly delicious caipirinhas; their love of telenovelas and so much more.

A focal point for Brazilian society is undoubtedly the leading national broadcaster, Globo. Those of us who attended the Academy Day in Rio, June 24 to 27, and organized jointly with the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, were given an in-depth look at Globo, and how, since 1965, it has been serving its audience through entertainment, news and sports. We also met with government leaders, learned about pressing issues facing Brazilian society, saw a game of futebol at Maracanã—the world’s largest soccer stadium, with a capacity of some 80,000 spectators (so cool!)—and toured the Olympic Village now in construction for next year’s Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro (super cool!).

This is the second time Globo hosted an Academy Day. The first one was in 2008. I asked CEO Carlos Henrique Schroder why Academy Day is important for Globo.

“First of all, because it gives us the opportunity to gather together the most important television companies in the world to discuss what is really relevant in what is happening in today’s media landscape,” he explained. “Secondly, to look at the future. We all have ongoing concerns about the transformation in the media industry and [we want] to see what is happening, analyze [it] and find paths that would lead us to solutions for the short term.”

He added, “This transformation of the media industry is very strong and very rapid because of technology. We have to be very aware and connected to what is happening in the world so we can anticipate the changes before we are too late.”

Bruce Paisner, the president and CEO of the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, has always been a firm believer in the concept of sharing and comparing viewpoints.

During Academy Day, we were able to examine the media business against the backdrop of Rio, a geographic beauty that is home to some 6.35 million people who range from the very rich to the very poor. Serving Rio and Brazil’s diverse population has always been Globo’s biggest responsibility, ever since it was founded by Roberto Marinho in 1965. But it has met the challenge by crafting telenovelas with high production values and relevant story lines that have captivated broad audiences decade after decade. Even today, when free TV is no longer the only game in town (pay TV in Brazil has reached about 30 percent penetration), Globo’s prime-time lineup still beats out all the competition. Globo airs three novelas each night and garners audience shares that range from around 30 percent to 50 percent. For a number of years now, Globo has been using its late-night time slots after 10 p.m. to air edgier series and miniseries, largely in an effort to attract younger viewers who, as in many other countries, have so many entertainment options besides television.

I learned a lot about TV production in Brazil from a panel discussion I moderated at Projac, Globo’s mammoth production center, with Silvio de Abreu, the head of drama at Globo, and Cláudio Torres, the founding partner of the independent production company Conspiração Filmes. Indie production is starting to develop in Brazil: a law was passed that requires the international channels that beam their signals into Brazil to air locally produced shows.

Torres’ mother, Fernanda Montenegro, is Brazil’s most famous actress. She and other legendary Brazilian actors participated in a presentation on the history of television in Brazil, which highlighted Globo’s many contributions, not only in keeping abreast of the latest technologies, but in providing quality entertainment, news and sports coverage. Globo frequently weaves important socioeconomic themes into its novelas, for example, about organ donation or domestic violence, in what the network calls “social merchandising,” in an effort to create awareness of pressing issues facing Brazilian society.

Projac, by the way, is the largest production center in Latin America. It’s actually a small city, where more than 6,000 people work daily and produce some 2,500 hours of entertainment per year—that, I’m told, is the equivalent of three feature films per day.

The world’s eyes were on Brazil last year during the FIFA World Cup, and Globo explained the technological advances it implemented in covering the matches, what it learned, and how it plans to cover next year’s Olympic Games.

In another session, unquestionably the most emotional, we heard from former Brazilian sports champions who are giving back to the community and helping underprivileged children find dignity, discipline and self-assurance through sports. We heard of a young boy from a favela who learned judo from Flávio Canto, today a Globo sports commentator and winner of a bronze medal in judo at the Athens Summer Olympic Games in 2004. Through Canto’s mentoring and influence, the young boy got accepted at a prestigious school and is now studying law. He came out and addressed us in fluent English. There was not a dry eye in the house.

Staying with the sports theme, we toured the Olympic Village, which is still in construction, though Mayor Eduardo Paes told us that 55 percent of the facilities are ready. I got the chance to interview Mayor Paes and the head of construction of the Olympic Park, as they call it. I will share that information with you in August, when it will be one year from the start of the games, which will run from August 5 to 21, 2016.

Academy Day was an enriching experience, not only for the people we heard from and the sights we saw, but because it provided a unique opportunity to meet other people in the television industry—there were executives from Latin America, the U.S., Germany, Scandinavia, Israel and more. We were able to share views and experiences in a relaxed atmosphere. It’s true, isn’t it, that there is so much to learn when we break out of our daily routines and see our industry from different perspectives.

One last note: a huge thanks to Globo’s Duda Pereira and the International Academy’s Camille Bidermann-Roizen. These two women are superstars! They and their teams made Academy Day an event to remember for a long, long time.