Emilio Azcárraga on Emotional Storytelling, U.S. Hispanic Market

CANNES: Emilio Azcárraga Jean, the chairman and CEO of Televisa, discussed the company’s gift for producing emotional storytelling and its initiatives in the U.S. market in his MIPCOM keynote today, which was followed by a Q&A with Anna Carugati, World Screen’s group editorial director.

Azcárraga, this year’s MIPCOM Personality of the Year, noted that the company’s success “starts with strong emotions and dramas.” Televisa has been producing novelas for more than 50 years and has exported them across the globe. Today, it produces 80,000 hours of content annually, targeting viewers who are “yearning for truly emotional entertainment.”

Foreign co-productions are a top priority for the company, Azcárraga said, with Televisa fine-tuning its engaging formats to local needs and tastes. “We’ve improved our knack for sharing our stories.”

Unlike feature films or weekly series, novelas have to deliver compelling stories over 100 days, Azcárraga noted. “Stories have to keep viewers asking what will happen next.” The genre, he says, is the only one that has never decreased in ratings.

The U.S. Hispanic market, where Televisa’s content fills 70 percent of Univision’s prime-time schedule, “has been a great sounding board,” he said. “They’ve kept us on our toes. U.S. Hispanics have pushed us to adapt, grow and evolve. The partnership with Univision gives us a powerful window into that sought-after market.” And that alliance with the leading U.S. Hispanic broadcaster is a “partnership made in heaven.”

Also in the U.S., Televisa is working with Lionsgate to produce feature films, under the Pantelion Films label. It also co-produced its first English-language show, Hollywood Heights on Nickelodeon.

The company will remain focused on generating “the best, most emotional, universal content.” It is also diversifying, with Azcárraga mentioning the huge potential for growth in the pay-TV market.

He also discussed the investment in Iusacell, a strategic acquisition that positions Televisa as Mexico’s main provider of quadruple-play services.

“Our content is embracing the new multiplatform and transmedia era,” he continued. “We were a multimedia company before the concept even existed. We want to stay at the frontlines of the entertainment business and be the best possible partner.”

“I am excited about this new era of global television,” he concluded, and Televisa will continue creating “stories for the heart and from the heart.”