The weekend “Testimonials of the Industry” offered a variety of topics that are being discussed in the global content industry. On one side, the AVOD/FAST business, which is growing and diversifying; and on the other the new business models for programming, and genres thathave adapted better to the pandemic times.
Eduardo Lebrija, EVP Chief Commercial Officer, ViacomCBS Americas, highlighted the moment of Pluto TV in Latin America and worldwide: ‘We are the one-of-a-kind and first AVOD platform in Latin America. Launched in March 2020 with 24 channels, today we have +84 on different demos and genres. In Brazil we have 35 channels. We have 43 million active users around the world, and growing more. We have the Android, web and connected devices’.
And he completed about the programming offering: ‘Content providers include more than 170 distributors and studios, independent and major, while we produce original content. We have +60 advertisers working with us and the list is growing: we offer a good option to them, who wants to growth in the mix of media and do something different in the digital world (spot, branded-content, sponsorship’.
On the same line, Samsung Electronics is actively expanding its FAST (Free Ad-Supported Television) services across the world: Samsung TV Plus is available in 19 countries, with two in Latin America: Mexico and Brazil,with new territories launching this year. ‘Our service is available in +100 million Samsung devices worldwide’, underlined Aline Jabbour, director of business development and content acquisitions.
And she continued: ‘It is truly free television: no subscription, no credit cards. This combined with great content from the world most important providers: movies, series, sports, music. In only three years of operation we have reached the highest adoption in consumption. Summarizing, through us, consumer get easy access to great content for free; channels increase monetization, advertisers get to audience that love to stream’.
India is one of the largest TV markets in the world and there, the discussion around what type of platform will take the lead in this digital context, has intensified in the last years. Mansi Darbar, network VP, Strategy and Development, IN10 Media (India) explain: ‘For some time, there has been a debate if linear TV will survive or not. According to a report from BARC, there has been an increase of 6.9% in the number of Indian households owning a television: 210 million vs. 187 million in 2018. This is a considerable increase’.
Darbar also points out on digitalization, which has allowed a growing number of channels to the actual 800. Dentsu Digital Trend Report shows that TV takes 41% of the ad pie in India: ‘How can we say linear TV is extinct in our country? As for the data we have, it’s clear that TV is part of the digital booming that is taking the world by storm. Both, linear and digital TV are part of the same expanding ecosystem, remaining relevant and creating great content for the world’, she concluded.
The kids market is also movingand diversifying.Migdalis Silva, VP Programming & Acquisitions, Nickelodeon Latin America, explained: ‘We aim to deliver shows with great characters, great storylines that kids can enjoy and relate to whatever they are. For us, diversity is key. In 2021 we are looking at different formats to file our pipeline: production, coproductions or acquisition. We have more than 20 new series: preschool, animation, live action and our local production with Club 57 S2 and the first original movie Kally’s Mashup ¡Un cumpleañosmuyKally!’.
Moreover, the executive is seeing a strong trend: short content consumption, reflected on the new shows such as Make Me Glam, PlanetaBala and, for the little ones at home, Garden Academy. ‘There is never enough content, so we are always looking for new ideas to keep our audience entertained, and opened to find new partnership to fulfil our lineup at Nickelodeon Latin America’, concluded Silva.
