Executives from HBO Latin America, Globo, Caracol Televisi\u00f3n, Televisa Internacional and Mega Global Entertainment discussed the evolution of Latin American content in a session this afternoon at NATPE Budapest.<\/p>\n
HBO Latin America has been producing original content for more than 16 years and has long had a focus on \u201cpremium series\u201d with production values that are in line with what the HBO brand represents globally, said Xavier Aristimu\u00f1o, VP of licensing. \u201cRecently we\u2019ve started to do new miniseries and a lot of documentaries,\u201d he added. \u201cThe change is that everything is more global. There is an acceptance of series from any part of the world, without any limitations\u2014no limitation in the language or the stories.\u201d Aristimu\u00f1o said that HBO Latin America has four rules when producing: \u201cOne is that the creativity must be there. We also have to touch on social topics that are relevant to everybody all around the world; the reflection of what\u2019s going on in society is important for us. We have a mix of actors and directors, in the sense that some are well known and some are newcomers. And, in the end, it must be for premium television.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mega in Chile is credited as one of the pioneers in bringing Turkish programming to Latin America and has helped to break down boundaries even further by evolving its content output, said Esperanza Garay, the CEO of Mega Global Entertainment (MGE). \u201cThe Latin American content that was available for exportation, in the beginning, was telenovelas,\u201d but now it\u2019s become so much more. \u201cMega is a new generation of production in Latin America. We started to produce this new content five years ago. We started with Turkish content in Latin America and we are open to this production because our territory is an expert in that kind of content\u2014the writers, the actors, we have great knowledge of that kind of format.\u201d She said that Mega is working very closely with Turkish partners to generate a new style of content. Recently, Mega signed a deal with Turkish production powerhouse Ay Yapim to co-produce a new drama coming in 2020. \u201cWe are living in a new stage of business. We are prepared because we have the experience, we have the writers, we have the talent and we have the clients for this new business model\u201d to co-produce and co-develop with other markets.<\/p>\n
Innovation in content is also top of mind for Caracol Televisi\u00f3n, said Paloma Garc\u00eda, international sales director for Europe and Asia. \u201cCaracol started with controversial [shows] like Sin Tetas No Hay Para\u00edso<\/em> and new [genres] within Latin American content like narco novelas, with Pablo Escobar, The Drug Lord<\/em>. This year, we offer a new evolution of the narco novelas, with comedy narco novelas, and biographies based on our popular culture. Our stories are also very much focused on strong women, about women surviving against all odds or fighting for their dreams.\u201d Caracol has also embraced multiplatform programming, she added, working with platforms like Netflix to supply its shows to the streaming catalog as well as with original content. Garc\u00eda emphasized Caracol\u2019s production capabilities. \u201cWe want to be seen as a co-producer.\u201d<\/p>\n Globo has undertaken a new priority to learn more about its audience, to have a deeper understanding of who its viewers are across platforms and what they want to watch. \u201cBased on that, with all that data, we are giving our productions a different look,\u201d said Junior Volpato, market manager for Rede Globo. \u201cWe produced telenovelas for many years, and for some years now we have been producing series, of eight or ten episodes, that are serialized.\u201d Globo has gathered data, from within LatAm and in other markets, and is tapping into its group of writers and producers to create new content based on its findings. \u201cIt\u2019s leading us to a different business model,\u201d Volpato said. \u201cIt\u2019s like there are no barriers anymore between digital, pay TV, free TV. We\u2019re trying to unite Globo as a one-unit business. Wherever the consumer wants to watch us, we are offering the right content for that window.\u201d<\/p>\n Televisa, too, has made some changes in the last few years, said Claudia Sahab, director for Europe at Televisa Internacional. \u201cWe have changed our model of production. Instead of making these big melodramas that are 120 or 150 episodes, we are now reducing the number of episodes. We are making our telenovelas shorter, more dynamic, more modern, the storytelling is faster. We have lightened up the drama, which makes it easier to watch, funnier and less melodramatic.\u201d There\u2019s a greater breadth of genres, with comedy, thrillers, super series and more. \u201cRegarding co-productions, we\u2019re totally open!\u201d Sahab said, highlighting a recent co-pro alliance with Mediapro in Spain. \u201cBetween Europe and Latin America, in general, there are thousands of years of stories and history in common that we can find stories that could fit both sides and be interesting for both audiences.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Executives from HBO Latin America, Globo, Caracol Televisi\u00f3n, Televisa Internacional and Mega Global Entertainment discussed the evolution of Latin American content in a session this afternoon at NATPE Budapest.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":350,"featured_media":3875,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[113,103,653,744,654,298],"class_list":["post-3874","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-top-stories","tag-caracol-television","tag-hbo-latin-america","tag-mega-global-entertainment","tag-natpe-budapest-2019","tag-natpe-budapest-international","tag-televisa-internacional"],"yoast_head":"\n