CONTENTS / EVENTS
The independents opened the event with ‘Producers Summit’ on Monday, and continued all week until last Friday with activities that shed positive data according to testimonials from JP Bommel, CEO of Natpe to TVMAS that is present at this event as Media Partner.
Ambiente de la fiesta de OLYMPUSAT
Blanca Ponce, Liliam Hernandez y Kamela Gil
Aron Castellanos, Alejandra Madrid y Alessandra Epstein de BBC LATAM & US.
Silvana Dangelo, presidente Glowstar.
Leonardo Aranguibel, director de producción de Disney Media Networks LATAM.
Eddy Ruiz, presidente de programación de A+E Networks LATAM con Isabel Quintero de Adquisiciones de contenido..
Liliam Hernández presidente de Universal Cinergia y Cecilia Gómez de la Torre gerente TONDERO Distribución en fiesta de Caracol Internacional.
Juan Pablo Santos de IMAGINA y Diego Ramirez de Dynamo.
El actor Guy Ecker y su esposa Estela Sainz.
Celebracion de Caracol.
Juan Alberto Rojas director ejecutivo y Hans Cáceres gerente de producción Red Uno de Bolivia
Silvana Dangelo y Kiki Melendez.
Guy Ecker actor con su esposa Estela Sainz
Lisette Osorio, Vicepresidente de Ventas Internacionales de Caracol.
“The participation and quality of buyers, the intensity of meetings both in the lobby and on the floors of the Intercontinental Hotel have left us very contented” said JP Bommel, CEO of Natpe and who partnered with TM Events chaired by Isabella Marquez and current organizer of the event.
The ‘Producers Summit’, was attended by 100 people from important companies such as A + E, Endemol Shine, Keshet, CCTV of China, etc. 25 people from the PGA participated, Producers Guild of America. The lunch, the panels, the focus on co-productions turned out to be a good initiative.
About the registration cost of USD $50 said that “It is not obligatory, but serves to identify itself and remain in the database. The intention of Natpe is that the L. A. Screenings remain free for both buyers and distributors with suite, monetizing our action with the sponsorships of the panels and the events that add to the activity,” explained Bommel.
He also said that in previous years, the first day had no more than 20% of buyers from Latin America and this year rose to 35%, including executives from platforms such as Amazon Video, Apple, Viacom/Telefe and Turner.
“This presence is important because it was an unknown how the buyers would react to the new format of the majors Screenings, without the presentation of Fox on Thursday and the shortening of Disney and Sony on Tuesday. The good news is that with more and more vendors/buyers, the independent market gains weight. What plays against are the mergers, because for example, the large community of buyers of Fox has been under Disney, and is something that holds everyone in suspense.
Mergers have disrupted the market. Disney-Fox is now featured on the hotel’s graphics with its new name, ‘Walt Disney Direct to Consumer & International’, which anticipates the new era of OTTs. Meanwhile the majors’ screenings take place, as CBS with CBS All Access and Warner Media has taken the distribution of Turner and HBO. For now, the new OTTs that have launched have already announced in Latin America Disney +, for November; Viacom’s Paramount + – already underway since this month – and Apple + in March.
The CEO of Natpe also said that for NATPE Budapest they are organizing a pro-Latino panel for CEE buyers. This is in addition to the Mipcom strategies that prepare the ‘Latino Day’ and for Natpe Miami 2020, a ’round table’ is being coordinated with non scripted buyers from the American domestic market. “There is nothing concrete but already about 15 Latin companies participate in the group.” Speaking of 15 companies in the LATAM market is a very low number, which means a downturn in these traditional events that will have to be reversed so that emerging producers and distributors who are the future attend, participate and do business. Because traditional channels are falling down or merging or transforming into OTTs.
Those who shined were: Olympusat who repeated its success this year with the party starring Cuban artist Jencarlos Canela for the benefit of children in Venezuela with the presentation of Tom Mohler, CEO who said, “To our traditional channel platform, we are adding a strong content business, we are OTT and we nurture the OTTs with a large volume of material focusing on what is missing: fiction series.”
Globo presented its new content and announced an agreement with Sony Pictures Television (SPT) to develop and produce two dramatic series in English, with the foresight of a third project. The producer Floresta, a joint venture with the SPT, will sign the co-production of the new projects in partnership with the Globo Studios. The first two projects under development, ‘The Angel of Hamburg’ and ‘Rio Connection’, are based on real Brazilian stories that portray the incredible legacy of heroism and scandal in the international sphere. SPT will be responsible for the distribution rights outside of Brazil, and under Globo’s responsibility, the broadcast on open TV in Brazil and its exhibition on other platforms of Grupo Globo.
Caracol Internacional closed on Thursday, with more than 300 attendees celebrating the festivity on a high note of its 50th year with renowned artist Carlos Vives, who also described on stage ‘Pescaíto’, a novela about Santa Marta, his hometown. They also delighted us with ‘Amar & Vivir’, ‘El Hijo del Cacique’, ‘Los Briceño’, ‘La Reina del Flow 2’ and ‘La Reina de Indias’, a super historical production. Caracol Internacional closed with a flourish, headed by Lisette Osorio, her staff and the participation of important creatives of the company.
Viacom International Studios (VIS) Americas, with more than 250 executives from the industry, according to the figures of the organizing group, had the screening done at the Intercontinental Hotel, in Century City, on the last day, on Friday. They presented the new content and gave details of the agreements of the company, including the “First Look Deal” with one of the most important filmmakers in Latin America, the Argentinean Juan José Campanella.
The conclusion is that all the buyers interviewed by TVMAS said they have a focus on local content, be it fiction or entertainment, as well as platforms such as Amazon and traditional channels. Local content but with universal criteria so that they can be exported. The event ran from Monday to Friday with a notable absence of companies and executives of traditional TV and few buyers as expressed by distributors/exhibitors.