V I D E O • A G E Ja n u a r y 2 0 1 1 25 By Lorena Sánchez The Colombian TV sector consists of three private national networks: Caracol, RCN and Canal 3 Television, which is owned by Editorial El Tiempo and was launched last October. There are also two national public networks (the educational and cultural Señal Colombia and Señal Institucional for government programs); one national public network (Canal Uno), which is commercially operated by four programming companies, and eight regional channels, each of which covers one or more provinces. Plus, CityTV in Bogotá, 710 local TV stations and communitynon-profit channels.Modelled after Canada’s CityTV, the Bogotá station has the nation’s third largest viewership. The country is served by 62 cable-TV companies that operate 510 systems carrying a total of 440 channels. Cable subscribers number over 4.5 million out of 10.6 million TVHH, representing a 42 percent penetration. According to an analysis by Argentinabased media and entertainment consultant Business Bureau, Colombian subscribers account for 11.41 percent of total subscribers and 6.69 percent of revenue in the whole of Latin America. Advertising investment during the first halfof2010wasU.S.$287,852,861onfree over-the-air TV and U.S.$33,018,839 in cable-TV. The National Association of Advertisers of Colombia (Andacol) projects that total investment in 2010 will grow 24 percent compared to the previous year. In 2009, advertisers had invested U.S.$464,278,809 on free-TV and U.S.$53,256,191 on cable-TV. Colombian TV In Facts & Figures Q&A With Paulo Laserna VideoAge: As a journalist, a TV host and a TV executive, what is the one job that you enjoy the most? Paulo Laserna: What I enjoy the most is journalism. I was trained as a journalist from the very start in the television medium and I feel really good doing journalism. I really regret that my administrative and managing occupations keep me from dedicating more time to that. VA: About your programming, do you go with your instinct or rely mainly on your executives? PL: It’s a combination of both, which varies according to facts and circumstances. Obviously you have to trust [your] executives because they study, they delve deep and know all of the details, the pros and cons of a given decision. But I also believe in experience, and that only comes with time. Time is a great teacher and not heeding its advice can be very costly sometimes. VA: In your view, which foreign TV network does Caracol’s schedule and/or looks resemble? PL: Caracol does not seek to be like or imitate anyone in particular. We have built a television network to be the image and likeness of our midst, our people, and our culture. Of course, we learned from others, as others may have learned from us. VA: Of all the TV trade shows you attend, which one is your favorite? PL: They are all important and each one has its own magic. The ones in Cannes are very interesting because they are attended by executives from all over the world and it is fascinating to see all of those cultures gathered in the same place. NATPE and L.A. Screenings are key for our business, for buying as well as for selling. What I enjoy most in these shows is the contact with people from the industry, to get together and exchange ideas, new tendencies, experiences… it is very important to keep your eyes open to the world in order to understand how other markets work. VA: In addition to other over-the-air TV networks, what is your other major competitor? PL: For us, anyone who makes television is our competition and as such, they must be respected as competitors. VA: Is your local production also aimed at the export market? PL: Of course. Our television has progressed enormously in the last few years and our products are more and more sought after and respected in the world. The better the product we make, the more market there will be for it. National private networks Caracol TV RCN TV Canal 3 TV National public networks Canal Uno Señal Colombia Señal Institucional Regional channels Teleantioquia Telepacífico Telecaribe Telecafé TeleIslas Canal Capital Canal TRO Canal 13 Local private channel CityTV (Bogotá) Major U.S. cable-TV channels Discovery TNT Animal Planet Fox Discovery Kids Fox Sports Discovery Channel Cartoon Network National Geographic Cinema ESPN Domestic cable-TV channels Caracol TV Internacional TV Colombia (RCN) Nuestra Tele Noticias (NTN24) Body Channel Humor Channel Main Content Producers Caracol TV Producciones RCN RTI Producciones (40 percent Telemundo) Colombiana de TV Fox Telecolombia (51 percent Fox Int’l) Teleset (50 percent Sony Pictures) Jorge Barón MSOs Subscribers Telmex 1,959,778 UNE 718,256 Cable Unión de 395,354 Occidente S.A (in process of liquidation) DIRECTV 302,946 Telefonica 152,671 Cablevista S.A. 84,127 Others 923,892 TOTAL 4,537,024 The main TV groups are: Santo Domingo Group (Caracol-TV; El Espectador newspaper; GenTV, a broadcast TV channel in Miami, Florida). Ardila Lülle Group (RCN-TV; NTN24, a cable TV channel; RCN Radio). Casa Editorial El Tiempo (in partnership with Spain’s Planeta Group): CityTV; ET, a cable-TV channel; El Tiempo newspaper and Canal 3 Televisíon de Colombia. Telmex (Mexico’s América Móvil): acquired cable-TV systems Superview, Cablecentro and Satelcaribe y Cablepacifico in 2008. Key TV executives Caracol Televisión: Chairman, Paulo Laserna Phillips RCN TV: Chairman, Gabriel Reyes RTI Producciones: Chairman, Patricio Wills CityTV: General Manager, Lorencita Santamaría Body Channel: Marketing and Sales Manager, Jennifer Betancourt Jorge Barón Televisión: Chairman, Jorge Barón FOX Telecolombia: Chairman, Samuel Duque Televideo: Chairman, Francisco Muñoz Calle Teleset: Chairman, José Antonio de Brigard Colombian TV at a Glance
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