Exclusive Interview: TV Globo’s Octavio Florisbal

August 8, 2012 World Screen Top Stories

PREMIUM: As viewers across the globe are still caught up in Olympic fever watching the games in London, TV Globo’s CEO, Octavio Florisbal, talks to World Screen Newsflash about how Brazil and his network are gearing up for the upcoming FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympics.

 

WS: How is Globo preparing for the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016? How important are these two events for the Brazilian market and for Globo in particular?
FLORISBAL: What we are experiencing here is a rebirth of the Brazilian miracle. Despite several lingering problems such as a series of structural reforms that the government seems incapable of doing anything about, productivity in agribusiness has grown enormously. As a result we are producing more food and the world needs food. There have been some important discoveries of oil and natural gas and we will produce a lot of oil due to pre-salt reserves [off the coast of Brazil] in the coming years. We have also been investing in infrastructure, ports, steel mills, railroads, renovating roads and basic sanitation. Huge investments in the coming years have been scheduled and that will ensure employment and better wages. The economy as a whole will grow significantly through 2020 and on top of that, as you mentioned, there will be the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016. These are two very important events for the country, not only in terms of investment and advertising dollars but also as an opportunity for “Brazilianness,” of integration. We are already working very seriously on this. Just to give you an idea, we will cover the World Cup in 2014 with 12 headquarters: five from Globo: São Paulo, Rio, Brasília, Belo Horizonte and Recife, and the other seven headquarters of our affiliates. We have been preparing for over a year with special teams in journalism, sports, engineering and marketing. We have a very close partnership with FIFA (International Federation of Association Football). FIFA has already installed a branch here in Rio and we have a very close relationship with them regarding the events that will take place during the tournament.
 
After that there will be the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. I don’t know if you have been here recently but Rio looks like a construction site. The Rio of the Olympics will be a different city. It’s fantastic. All this will bring many opportunities and we are in it too. In addition to all of our teams, all the investment, we are building the Botanical Garden Complex. We already have four buildings. We are building three more buildings. And we are doubling our capacity for studios and newsrooms to meet the needs of sports journalism in preparation for the World Cup and the Olympics. We have been investing a lot and we are very confident that these two events will bring great business opportunities to the advertising market, to Globo and to its affiliates. Not only for network TV but also pay TV, Internet, mobile, out-of-home events, Fun Fests, which we are also helping FIFA organize, and a number of other things. These are great opportunities that we want to take advantage of.
 
WS: Will Brazil win the World Cup?
FLORISBAL: Look, I can assure you of this: on one hand, it is a shame that we Brazilians leave everything to the last minute. We would be much further along if we had started work back in 2007 or 2008 when we won the right to host the World Cup from FIFA. Most of the construction would have been ready by now and we would have more time for other projects. Some of the infrastructure work, in traffic and transportation for instance, may not be fully ready. We could certainly be better equipped at this point. But on the other hand, one thing Brazilians have is our joy of living, our pursuit of happiness, just like the people in Southern Italy, for example. What I can guarantee is that the World Cup in Brazil will be the happiest, most cheerful and most exciting of all time. Whether or not the Brazilian team wins it will depend on what it does when face to face with these great teams that you see at the European Cup, plus Argentina, our next-door neighbor, which has an excellent soccer team.