Videoage International - 2020: A Year in Review

26 January 2021 V I D E O A G E NATPE Virtual Miami Reviewed By Execs T o preview the upcoming NATPE Miami market — set to take place virtually January 19-29, 2021 — VideoAge contacted eight Miami-based TV executives for their observations. Even though the mart won’t be in their “backyard” this year, but online, these executives are better attuned to the peculiarities of the LATAM region and the appeal of NATPE Miami, which, since it moved from Las Vegas to Miami in 2010, focuses mostly on LATAM. Asked if he was mentally prepared to start 2021 with another virtual market, Tom Devlin , president, International Television Sales and Marketing, for Entertainment Studios, answered with a definite, “Yes.” “Absolutely,” agreed Jorge E. Fiterre , founder and president of Condista. “Yes, we are ready to keep connecting with global buyers at this next virtual NATPE market,” said Esperanza Garay , CEO of Mega Global Entertainment. Roxana Rotundo , CEO of VIP 2000 TV, elaborated: “I will be mentally prepared, [but] the virtual meetings will never be the same as in- person events.” Similarly, Julio Neri , president of Cinemania Network, said that he is prepared for a virtual NATPE Miami. “However,” he added, “70 percent of results come of live conversations. You can’t do that virtually.” Vivian Reinoso , head of Worldwide Acqui- sition and Distribution for J2911 Media, said that she is prepared for virtual success “as long as the market offers a good ROI.” Melanie Torres of GRB Studios expressed some disappointment: “We were hoping that by now COVID would have been under control. It would have been nice to see our industry colleagues in person. [But] we are grateful for the [NATPE] virtual market, as it gives us a chance to connect nonetheless.” Elisa Aquino , VP, Sales and Marketing at Universal Cinergía Dubbing, is resigned to the inevitable: “There is no other choice,” she replied. MIP Cancun: A First- Hand Buyer’s Report T o get a first-hand buyer’s perspective of the recently concluded virtual MIP Cancun TV market, VideoAge contacted V. John Baghdassarian, VP, Content Acquisitions and Strategy, for the Los Angeles-based Olympusat. “For me,” he said, “the market evolved as more companies participated because it was a virtual conference. As it was a virtual market, more companies participated, as they limited their expenses. However, this caused virtual market fatigue as MIP Cancun was one of the last markets of the year. It was difficult to stay fresh for four to eight hours a day, staring at the computer screen. Even though in person I used to have eight to 10 meetings a day, staring at a screen for that long of a period was mentally tiring.” Baghdassarian added that fortunately, “MIP Cancun’s platform was quite easy to use, easier than its larger sibling’s platform, MIPCOM Plus.” He found that the most useful feature was that “the system recognized the time zone of the participant, and the ability to block certain parts of the day, so you were not scheduled a meeting. Lastly, the chat feature during the meeting to send info in real time [was also quite useful.]” ATF Moves to AI With Room to Catch Up F or the past 20 years, the western inter- national TV contingent was somewhat happy to travel across the globe to Singapore in December for the annual Asia TV Forum (ATF). For some ATF participants the trip included stop- overs in Japan and South Korea, among some other Asian countries (and even Australia and New Zealand), while appointments with smaller Southeast Asian TV buyers were arranged on the ATF floor. Since its inception, the market has walked a tightrope: Sales were not always as expected for many exhibitors, and the event’s insisting on a big number of conferences (to show a large number of participants) took buyers away from the floor. Nonetheless, the ATF was thought to be a good way to end the international TVmarkets’ calendar year (for film production there is still Focus, December 15-17 in London), and it was considered one that should not be missed even though, over the years, many exhibitors, especially those from Latin America, reduced their contingents. (Turkish companies, meanwhile, had increased their presence in recent years.) The pandemic has forced this 21st edition of the ATF, set to take place December 1-4, to become a virtual market, which will continue as a “catch- up” (meaning participants can return to it) event until February 28, 2021. Netflix Goes Linear W hile linear channels are fast moving to FAST and AVoD, last month Netflix, the king of SVoD, started “Direct,” an experimental linear channel in France, which for now is only available to Netflix subscribers. It broadcasts French and international feature films and TV series that are available on its streaming service. Direct could reportedly be for Netflix a way to retain subscribers who may feel fatigued after having binge-watched the titles that were recommended to them through the service’s algorithm. However, it could also be a way to enter FAST, which is a form of linear AVoD. Indeed, no matter how linear TV can be viewed — be it online or FTA — it represents a safer bet for brands to advertise. The proliferation of streaming platforms has created unsafe environments for some brands that don’t want to be associated with services that don’t align with their brand values. Direct is Netflix’s first foray into real-time, scheduled programming. It chose France to test its first linear channel due to the high consumption of traditional TV in France, which remains very popular with people who just want a chill experience where they don’t have to choose the shows they watch. Direct, which will be more broadly available early this month in France, may also appeal to older demographics that make up a significant portion of households in France. The Incredible Joe Wallach Story J oe Wallach is featured in the December 2020 Issue of VideoAge as the newest inductee into the publication’s Hall of Fame. Few people would drive from Los Angeles to the south of Utah at the “ripe” old age of 97 in the middle of a pandemic. Then again, Joe isn’t your average former TV executive. After fighting in the European theater in WWII, he moved to Brazil to take care of Globo TV’s finances and help it become one of the world’s largest TV networks. In the process, he helped keepmilitary dictators and revolutionaries fighting against the regime at bay. After Globo TV he tackled Spanish-language TV services in the U.S. by helping create Telemundo against all odds. He then went to Italy as a consultant for Globo TV and got tangled up in a complex political net when the Brazilian firm acquired Tele Monte Carlo. Dealing with Brazil’s military dictators paled in comparison to Italy’s complex web of politics. Wallach’s next challenge was to help create and manage GloboSat, the first pay-TV service in Brazil. That was his last big chore before retiring in 1995. He returned to California, but remained active by presiding over college lectures and book-writing (he wrote an autobiography that was published in 2011). In addition, he has not given up traveling to Brazil (his last visit was in November 2019). December 2020 Review