LA Virtual Screenings has had a good start at its Day 1: almost 800 participants, 400 buyers, 1200 video views, +70 countries (image 1). Though the physical events are back, there are space for virtual shows when they provide extra value. This is the case of Virtual Screenings saga, already in its 5th edition. It allows worldwide buyers to make content non-stop ‘binge watching’ from multiple suppliers, in a very friendly way.

Comparing to last September VS edition, LAVS 22 is a bit behind in volume but ahead in consumption: more spending time, viewed pages and screenings per user (image 2). This means buyers enjoy the VS experience, dedicating at every edition more time to screenings and VS sections, many now through their cell phones (the main growth). This LAVS, also, is more worldwide than others, with Asia and even Africa having good share of participants (image 3).

Third tip: there are many screenings coming from VS Sections, outside the booths (image 1 again) confirming platform usage: VS Billboard, with recommended products, VS Figures, with daily rankings of top products, VS News, with daily newsletters, and VS Browser, for automated searches. The last engine is VS Next, which is providing again a top program of conferences and testimonials -Image 4, and please see below the complementary articles.

Product tips? Watching the Top 15 rankings (image 5) we see that buyers, though long fictions are predominant, like also other options, as unscripted formats, lids & teens and docs & factual. As it is usual in the spring VS shows, the American providers lead the rankings, but now they have strong competence from Turkish and European suppliers.

Another typical tip of VS events is present again: though buyers first visit big brands, then they look for new options. If we compare the two Top 15 rankings with previous VS events, we see more variety than usual in providers & products: buyers this time are choosing sole contents, more than booths, to spend their screenings time.

Let’s see what happens in the whole event, but one thing is for sure: it is not true that virtual events don’t work for content market. It is all about making focus on what is advantageous in digital (screenings, global access, automated services, intelligent tools) and leave for the real world what is not: spontaneous networking, meeting scheduling, etc. After the pandemic, we have to join the best of the two worlds, physical and online.

Nicolás Smirnoff

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