INTERNATIONAL www.VideoAge.org It is well understood that the TV game has changed and that rules are different these days. In the U.S., a linear brand used to mean overthe-air channels — the networks and independent stations around the country — but now, viewers can get them as part of a connection package for streamers. Along with what once were deemed cable channels — AMC, MTV, Animal Planet, TMC, etc. — they are now all part of a streaming conglomeration. Linear TV used to just mean those channels providing overthe-air delivery of TV content, which, in the U.S., meant the alphabet networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC), along with independent channels across the country all delivering content on a specific day and at a specific time. Now, linear means any outlet delivering content at a specific day According to the Latin American production managers of the world’s leading U.S. streamers, their commission levels will increase in 2025. This year, Netflix returned to being the leading commissioner in the LatAm region. In the secMy 2¢: TV trades are closing or going digital, not in LatAm MIP Cancun: A calm oasis amid a Central American storm MIPCOM: Hollywood returns to Cannes, with biz and glamour The future of AFM & ATF lies in numbers and exec ranks Page 26 Page 16 Page 10 Pages 4, 6 THE BUSINESS JOURNAL OF FILM, BROADCASTING, STREAMING, PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION November/December 2024 - VOL. 44 NO. 7 - $9.75 Survey Says, Who Said Linear Television is Dead? AI Reality Check: Emotions Over Lifeless Tech Production in LatAm Is Mainly SVoD TV Biz (Continued on Page 18) (Continued on Page 22) (Continued on Page 20) Two letters — AI — are generating all kinds of emotions in our industry: excitement and curiosity, of course, but also worry and even anger. People are feeling excitement because, if cost and timeline can be lowered, this will be a great benefit for the service providers. Additionally, AI can help in dubbing actors’ education with the analysis of prosody (i.e., the stress and intonation patterns of an utterance) and voice placement based on a huge amount of data.
MAIN OFFICES 216 EAST 75TH STREET NEW YORK, NY 10021 TEL: (212) 288-3933 WWW.VIDEOAGEINTERNATIONAL.COM WWW.VIDEOAGE.ORG VIALE ABRUZZI 30 20131 MILAN, ITALY EDITOR-in-CHIEF DOM SERAFINI EDITORIAL TEAM SARA ALESSI (NY) BILL BRIOUX (CANADA) ENZO CHIARULLO (ITALY) LEAH HOCHBAUM ROSNER (NY) SUSAN HORNIK (L.A.) CAROLINE INTERTAGLIA (FRANCE) OMAR MENDEZ (ARGENTINA) LUIS POLANCO (NY) MIKE REYNOLDS (L.A.) MARIA ZUPPELLO (BRAZIL) PUBLISHER MONICA GORGHETTO BUSINESS OFFICE LEN FINKEL LEGAL OFFICE STEVE SCHIFFMAN WEB MANAGER BRUNO MARRACINO DESIGN/LAYOUT CLAUDIO MATTIONI, CARMINE RASPAOLO VIDEO AGE INTERNATIONAL (ISSN 0278-5013 USPS 601-230) IS PUBLISHED SEVEN TIMES A YEAR,. PLUS DAILIES, BY TV TRADE MEDIA, INC. © TV TRADE MEDIA INC. 2024. THE ENTIRE CONTENTS OF VIDEO AGE INTERNATIONAL ARE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT IN THE U.S., U.K., AND ALL COUNTRIES SIGNATORY TO THE BERNE CONVENTIO AND THE PAN-AMERICAN CONVENTION. SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO VIDEO AGE INTERNATIONAL, 216 EAST 75TH STREET, SUITE 1W, NEW YORK, NY 10021, U.S.A. PURSUANT TO THE U.S. COPYRIGHTS ACT OF 1976, THE RIGHTS OF ALL CONTENT DONE ON ASSIGNMENT FOR ALL VIDEOAGE PUBLICATIONS ARE HELD BY THE PUBLISHER OF VIDEOAGE, WHICH COMMISSIONED THEM International TV trade publications are closing down in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. But in Latin America, they’re thriving. Page 26 Cover Stories News Survey says, who says linear television is dead? Long live linear HI (human intelligence) wins over AI. AI reality check: Emotions over lifeless technology Latin American TV production is mainly SVoD TV business now 4. World: AFM’s new Las Vegas venue is full of surprises 6. World: At 25, ATF is still looking for its role in South East Asia 16. MIP Cancun: A calm oasis amid a Central American tempest 8. Book Review: How new Hollywood reinvented its image 10. MIPCOM Review: Hollywood in Cannes, where the excesses are never enough 12. Market Report: MIPCOM has changed, but program buying and selling is still the same 22. Miami TV markets: The race is on. The competition actually started in 2023 24. Calendar & travel news: New York found to be the cause of U.S. air-traffic delays Features
4 (Continued on Page 6) 2024. This AFM was its firstever show in Las Vegas, since relocating from Santa Monica, California. This year, the AFM hosted its market activities in a single location at the Palms, including exhibit space, 200 screenings at the Palms’ Brenden Theaters, and the AFM Sessions. Physical exhibition space for the market sold out in September. Countries, including China, France, Germany, Italy, Romania, and Thailand, hosted dedicated umbrella stands. Exhibitor offices and meeting tables were located in AFM’s designated hub, Palms’ Fantasy Tower floors 8-17, 25, and 26, as well as in Nove (a floor that is just labeled Nove with no number designation). Guests take the express elevator that only accesses the Nove, View, and Moon spaces. For example, the Los Angelesbased Multicom Entertainment was exhibiting on the 14th floor in room 217, while the Romanian delegation took suite 223 on the 9th floor, plus space in the LocationExpo, which was located in the Palms Ballroom on the second floor, which also welcomed film commissions, government agencies, and production service companies from the U.S. and as far as Barbados, Italy, Japan, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, and Thailand. Alongside the sales and licensing activities, the LocationExpo, and the screenings, the seminar sessions presented 100 leaders, experts, and influencers on 30 panels and presentations across two stages: The Main Event Space, and the View Event Space. Among the sessions that ran from November 6 to November 9, there were: “Working with SAG-AFTRA as an Independent,” “Independent Film Financing in Today’s Financial Landscape,” “The Untold Realities of Global Film Sales: What’s Really Shaping Today’s Market?,” and “Casting for Low-Budget Films.” As per October 30, 2024, the American Film Market (AFM) declared that its 45th annual market would be opening with 286 sales, production, and distribution companies, along with international trade organizations, film commissions, national umbrella stands from 34 countries, and participants from 80 countries. The AFM ’24 ran over six days, November 5-10, 2024, at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Flamingo Road, which is located west of the Strip. It opened right when the historical presidential election was taking place, causing some buyers to stay away fearing disruptions over the election results. The move to Las Vegas was announced by the Los Angelesbased Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA) in March AFM’s New Las Vegas Venue is Full of Surprises VIDEOAGE November 2024 World 14 x 60’ 55 x 3’ Long form series In Development RAINFOREST REWILD 2 x 60’ | In Production From the producer behind the hit series, “Penguin Town” 16 x 30’ mediasales@bomanbridge.tv MEET US AT ATF! Stand FA - 08
6 Since the full name of the event is Asia TV Forum and Market, the forum portion traditionally takes precedence over the market, and this year’s conferences include 24 sessions over a three-day period. Various celebrations for the 25th anniversary of ATF are also taking place. Conferences span the full range of the Media and Entertainment (M&E) business and includes sessions like “The Changing Landscape of China’s M&E Industry” and “Changes in the Korean Content Game.” To underline the importance of the Asian TV market, in August, Netflix announced the launch of the Netflix Fund for Creative Equity in Taiwan, in partnership with the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA). Maya Huang, head of Chinese Language Content at Netflix, explained that: “Chinese-language content has been flourishing in recent years, and Netflix is committed to exploring the opportunities within this industry.” According to Homme Tsai, chairman of TAICCA, through this partnership with Netflix, TAICCA “hopes to strengthen its understanding of the global industry and enhance the commercial viability of Taiwanese content on the international stage.” Last year’s edition of ATF showed a disconnect between the executive level of exhibitors and buyers, with the latter (especially top-level Japanese TV acquisition executives) unofficially complaining that they felt uncomfortable speaking with the junior personnel representing distributors at the market, clearly indicating that ATF has to make an effort to attract top executives, even among distribution companies. Pictured above: the Bomanbridge team at ATF 2023 The beginning of December means it’s time for Singapore’s annual Asia TV Forum (ATF), the premier TV market for the Southeastern Asian territories. But this time around, with its opening on December 3 — at its traditional Marina Bay Sands Convention Center — the ATF market starts just 11 days after the conclusion of MIP Cancun in Mexico, causing problems for small distribution companies that rely on only a few sales executives to cover both events. Nonetheless, Sonia Fleck, CEO of Bomanbridge Media, commented that, “ATF in Singapore, Bomanbridge’s home territory, always proves to be an important end of year event with deals closing and a time to set up the stage for our program launches in the first quarter of 2025. There are deeper initiatives we are exploring in Asia for 2025, and ATF is a good time to set those plans in stone.” At 25, ATF Is Still Looking for Its Role in SEA (Continued From Page 4) VIDEOAGE November 2024 World Miami Bound? One Monthly and one Daily will cover both Content Americas and NATPE Global. Unique, valuable, e cient and e ective services from the major league publication. A bounty awaits for you with VideoAge
8 Film scholar Peter Stanfield looks at a generation of new filmmakers who came up during the 1960s and 1970s and told stories about gritty, dirty, hard-working, and sometimes corrupt characters who tried to make it big amidst the glitz and glamour of Old Hollywood. How New Hollywood Reinvented Its Image By Turning to the Grimy Past By Luis Polanco As a book reviewer, I much prefer to read an assigned book with a physical book instead of a PDF on a screen. Screens are exhausting — not to mention any of the depressing effects of screens on our bodies and mental health, according to some studies. TV screens, phone screens, monitor screens, touchscreens at grocery stores, convenience stores, and pharmacies. Screens are so prevalent in every arena of our daily lives, whether for business, entertainment, or socializing, that when I sit down — or in reality, lie down in bed — to read a book, I want to hold the weight of the book in my hands (light and limp or heavy yet hollow), feel the texture of the pages on my fingertips (grainy or smooth), smell the scent of the pages (woody or chemical), and I want to make the cerebral act of reading into a bodily pleasure. So it’s to my dismay that I must review this book using a PDF instead of a physical advance reader copy, as was the case when I received Dirty Real: Exile on Hollywood and Vine with the Gin Mill Cowboys (344 pgs., Reaktion Books, 2024, $25), a new book by the author and film scholar Peter Stanfield, whose previous books, A Band with Built-In Hate: The Who from Pop Art to Punk and Pin-Ups 1972: Third Generation Rock ’n’ Roll, cover pop culture and music. Of course, reviewing a book doesn’t change the process of required planning and preparing to write a review. The content of the book will always be the same whether in a PDF format or a material book. And most PDF-viewing applications allow you to highlight text and add notes, as you might with a physical book in your hands. Much of that stays the same, but at least with a physical advance reader copy, my eyes get a break. Perhaps some of the subjects of Stanfield’s book might appreciate this light-hearted sermon on the analog pleasures of reading a physical book. In Dirty Real, Stanfield is interested in the transition period from Old Hollywood to New Hollywood, and how out of the latter came a coterie of filmmakers and artists who took to playing city cowboys, Harley-riding hippies, blue-collar workers, desert outlaws, and high school bad boys, all varieties of anti-heroes to represent a gritty authenticity. Stanfield’s deep dive into the genre of the dirty real centers on a specific set of movies from the era: Peter Fonda’s The Hired Hand (1971), Dennis Hopper’s The Last Movie (1971), Peter Bogdanovich’s The Last Picture Show (1971), Bob Rafelson’s Five Easy Pieces (1970), Daryl Duke’s Payday (1973), Bill L. Norton’s Cisco Pike (1972), Stan Dragoti’s Dirty Little Billy (1972), Robert Altman’s McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971), Sam Peckinpah’s Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973), Monte Hellman’s The Shooting (1966), Ride in the Whirlwind (1966), and TwoLane Blacktop (1971) — most of which riff on the American Western, and nearly half of which feature either Jack Nicholson or Kris Kristofferson. According to Stanfield, there are a few precursors to the dirty real figure of the cowboy, the vagrant, the reckless country singer, the teenage runaway, and so on. Singer-songwriter Bob Dylan symbolized the poetic bad boy. Across his filmography, actor Humphrey Bogart played characters known for their unapologetic image of masculinity and authenticity, especially in his role as Fred C. Dobbs, the tough roughneck adrift in John Huston’s 1948 Western The Treasure of Sierra Madre. In popular music of the time, rock ‘n’ roll musicians like The Rolling Stones fulfilled the desire for role models known for their hard living and a penchant for sex and drugs. And yet, as Stanfield points out, underneath the dirty realist’s no-nonsense macho facade of grit and dirt was a schoolboy with a prim and proper middle-class background. “The middle-class dropout resurfacing as a bohemian artist, poet, painter, troubadour or film-maker is the shadow figure who flits through the following pages of Dirty Real, both as a protagonist in the films and as a persona adopted by the film-makers themselves,” writes Stanfield of his subjects. Despite New Hollywood’s disapproval of the phoniness and distracting glamour of Old Hollywood, the dirty realism of the new generation of filmmakers adopted their own mask as downand-out troublemakers, agitators, and loners. Of the films and filmmakers Stanfield writes about in his book, he says, “The films’ characters, as with the actors, writers and directors, were costumed in the pitch that showed too an acute nostalgia for the gutter none had known at first hand.” With Dirty Real, Stanfield has written a fascinating study of how Hollywood filmmakers in the late 1960s and 1970s revamped their style to become grittier, dirtier, and gutsier. There are a few precursors to the dirty real figure of the cowboy, the vagrant, the reckless country singer, the teenage runaway, and so on. VIDEOAGE November 2024 Book Review
PABLO MANCUSO | PABLO@CONDISTA.COM | +52 55-6791-5497 DESCUBRE MÁS SOBRE LAS SOLUCIONES INNOVADORAS DE CONDISTA Condista Internacional continúa adaptándose al cambiante panorama de la distribución de contenidos en América Latina. A través de asociaciones sólidas e innovadoras, impulsamos iniciativas como la nueva aplicación de RCN y los paquetes de contenido premium de RAI, combinando ofertas lineales y no lineales para brindar experiencias atractivas. Mientras nos expandimos en mercados clave como México y exploramos los canales FAST, Condista Labs sigue optimizando el procesamiento de video, asegurando calidad y eficiencia en la entrega de contenido en una industria que sigue evolucionando. CONTENIDOS EN LATAM INNOVANDO LA DISTRIBUCIÓN DE CONTENIDOS EN LATAM
10 MIPCOM: Hollywood in Cannes, Where the Excesses Are Never Enough So, what about MIPCOM 2024 has changed since pre-pandemic days? Well, this time around the C exhibition area — outdoor, along the Croisette — was not carpeted. And these days there were fewer participants. In addition, some of the tents that were historically located along the Palais (like that of Fremantle) are now missing. And a few spaces on the P-1 level (aka “the bunker”) were now empty (although part of it was taken over by the Innovation Lab Stage, which held standing-room only conferences). Other than that, the market was an allaround success, with the recreational portion on par with the pre-COVID period, which is fitting since MIPCOM remains the world’s largest content market for international television business. It was back to Hollywood in Cannes, with the excesses that only Hollywood traditionally offers: a large number of parties; invites to (often overlapping) breakfast, lunch, and dinner meetings; top-level executives making presentations; premier screening showcases; and a post-pandemic record number of exhibitors and content buyers. To Verdiana Bixio of Italy’s Publispei, this MIPCOM “was surprisingly nice. I saw a very proactive market,” she said. Iginio Straffi, CEO of Italy-based animation company Rainbow, said that he did not see the buyers he was hoping to meet with at the preceding MIPJUNIOR children’s TV market, but he was still bullish on MIPCOM. Straffi, who recently acquired Viacom’s (now Paramount’s) shares of Rainbow, was in Cannes with Colorado Films, the Italian film company that also owns The Movement, a Hollywood-based talent agency. “We are in Cannes with a Colorado team,” explained Straffi, “and with a Rainbow team, ready to buy IP rights and to sell our content.” He also added that, “since 2022 Rainbow is 100 percent Italian.” Miami-based Loni Farhi was at MIPCOM to introduce CosmoBlue Media, a company he co-founded last October after selling SPI. “MIPCOM is extremely important to us,” stated Farhi, who was also there to acquire content for YouTube channels and other OTT platforms. “We’re also announcing a collaboration with FZ Sports, a Miami-based media company for distribution of LatAm football (soccer) games to the Americas.” CosmoBlue recently acquired Da Vinci, a U.K. education and entertainment production and distribution company, and it is on the lookout for other acquisitions. Istanbulbased Berk Uziyel, CosmoBlue’s co-founder and CEO, added that the company was at MIPCOM with three divisions, including Cosmo’s telenovela linear and SVoD channels. At a luncheon for arts program buyers, held on Sunday, the day prior to MIPCOM’s opening day, Reiner Moritz, president of U.K.- based Poorhouse International, declared that he was expecting this MIPCOM to be successful. This was a view shared by all his guests, including Jesper Petersson of Sweden’s SVT, Kaye Warren of Australia’s SBS, Heike Connolly of Poorhouse, and Rita Lombardi of Italy’s RaiCom. Sean Cohan, president of the Toronto-based Bell Media, was back at MIPCOM after a sixyear absence. Cohan expected it to be a good market even though he said that the industry “is under pressure,” and that he was in Cannes with six associates, all of whom were buying and selling. As usual, this year’s MIPCOM was dominated by Turkish companies, whose presence was felt inside and outside the Palais, starting on Sunday with a special Global Agency event in Saint-Tropez for new format Celebrity Dreams. On Monday, Calinos held an elaborate press luncheon followed by a spectacular party to celebrate its 25th anniversary with the stars, producer, and director of new drama series Hidden Garden. Tuesday saw cocktails hosted by Inter Medya, attended by the producers of Valley of the Hearts and Loveberry. Plus, Global Agency held a party at its stand, and multiple press events were hosted by Kanal D International — at its stand and at the Majestic hotel — in the presence of the stars of series Secrets of Pearls and My Mother’s Tale. On Wednesday, ATV gave an elegant dinner for its new series The Nightfall with the drama’s stars in attendance. On the buying side, FilmRise’s head of Content, Jonitha Keymoore, was there to look for scripted and unscripted content — especially from the U.S., U.K., and Canada, for digital and possibly for all rights. “Even though the U.S. is our primary target, we’re also focusing on Canada,” said Keymoore, adding that, “we were looking for not widely distributed content,” including sports. At the MIP London presentation held on October 23, the market’s third day, at the Producers’ Hub — on the waterfront outside the Palais — Lucy Smith of RX France, director of both MIPCOM and MIP London, gave details about the cost to exhibit at the inaugural British event. A table is £3,500 (U.S. $4,550), which includes a registration badge; while £250 (U.S. $325) is the cost for a preregistered participant badge. Smith also said that over 200 companies from 36 countries have already registered. At MIP London “we believe in unscripted” explained Smith, who was backed by a monitor behind the podium that declared: “The biggest week in unscripted is now in London.” She also added that the goal of MIP London is to offer a centralized organization for executives who wish to attend the London Screenings, which this year attracted 750 buyers, and combine those with the buyers who participated at MIPTV (now discontinued) in Cannes. Smith also announced that MIP London’s opening party is set to take place on Sunday, February 23, 2025. The market dates are February 24-27, 2025. Finally, a few official MIPCOM figures: There were 10,500 total participants from 110 countries. Of these, 3,200 were content buyers. The number of stands was 347, including an unusually large number of dubbing studios and AI technology companies. The calendar dates for next year’s edition of MIPCOM Cannes are October 13-16. MIPCOM celebrated its 40th anniversary with fireworks at the opening night party VIDEOAGE November 2024 Market Review
12 Market Has Changed, But Buying and Selling is Still the Same as in 1994 In last month’s issue of VideoAge I reminisced about my MIPCOM experiences of 30 years ago, in the early 1990s before email, cell phones and digital video would make all our lives easier and more efficient. Recently, some 29 years after my last visit to Cannes, I returned to walk the floors once more and take in the MIPCOM experience anew, with wide eyes and a keen sense about how the business has changed, and how it has stayed the same. I’d hoped to meet some of the friends and coworkers I’d seen here so long ago but found that to be quite a challenge. I told myself it’s become a “young person’s business” before realizing that the average age of those here was likely the same as it was 30 years ago, and that it was I who had gotten older. The business has been taken over by a new generation. I walked the floor, talking to people, taking in panels and presentations, screenings, and social events. In one sense I felt as if time hadn’t passed at all, but I realized that aspects of our business have changed substantially since MIPCOM’s early years. Innovation Lab? What the heck is that? Where are the VHS tapes I stacked on the shelves of my Genesis International stand in the smoky Palais basement three decades ago? Aside from the technical differences (which I imagine 30 years from now will make even today’s methods seem antiquated), the business of buying and selling television and film product has not substantially changed. Sure, streaming, OTT, and other methods of delivery are different, but even as was stated in Roku’s Innovation Lab discussion on the second day of MIPCOM, the old methods of viewing won’t be disappearing entirely (streaming is currently 40 percent of TV viewing, and Roku is the portal for half of all operating systems in the U.S.). With all the changes taking place at such a rapid pace, Lucy Smith, Entertainment Division director, RX, reminded us that the industry is resilient and regenerative. “The demand for entertainment is not going away, but we have to figure it out,” Smith said, pointing to the fact that 3,200 buyers attended this year’s conference. From the distributors’ side, there are always challenges. New opportunities arise while others fade away. At one time, when many countries had only one or two broadcast networks (mostly government-controlled), with restrictions regarding how many of their programs could come from outside of their territories, it was tough for the distributors with less clout to close deals. When new channels were created with cable and satellite in the 1990s, there were many more opportunities to sell, and producers of all sizes were thriving. Now, with many companies merging into global powerhouses, it’s tougher again to be able to close deals as many of their programming commitments go to their multinational production partners. Another challenge today compared to 30 years ago is that “buyers” at the international conferences aren’t necessarily buyers. “Many program acquisition people aren’t buyers now,” one distribution executive told me. “They’re ‘information collectors’ (i.e., junior level employees tasked with seeing what’s out there and available), who can’t make deals. In the past, program directors could make deals, now we don’t even screen shows at our stand. We pitch, send the video to someone who screens it back at their office (many times someone other than the person who took the pitch), and you’re lucky if you can close a deal in a few weeks. Many times it’s months or even a year before a deal is made. At least one benefit of the process taking time is that we can update the potential buyer on our progress, with additional sales points, including ratings success stories and additional video to share.” One interesting aspect of the television scene in the United States is that subtitled programs are no longer the pariah they were 30 years ago. Sheila Morris of Morris Marketing shared with me her views: “International programming in general is accepted and embraced. Many of the most popular shows on Netflix and other streamers are now viewed with subtitles,” she said. Morris also shed light on a number of the differences press and public relations professionals dealt with between the early 1990s and today: “We’d have to ship boxes with press releases and photos, spend hours placing them in pigeon holes (slots for each of the gathered press) in the press room, and when there were updates on sales success stories, it was done on typewriters, and you were lucky if you were able to get photographs duplicated and distributed quickly.” “Before the era of cell phones, emails and texts,” another distributor told me, “the only way to get ahold of someone to change a meeting was to call their hotel and leave a message, hoping against hope that they’d get it in time.” On the flip side of that, though, recalled Morris, executives weren’t tied to their computers and cell phones, so they could get away to long lunches or dinners without interruption. “MIP was six days, MIPCOM was five,” she told me. “The Martinez Hotel bar was the place to go after a long day of business, where even more business could be done.” What struck me this year, after an absence of almost 30, is that other than MIPCOM’s official opening party at the Majestic Hotel, there was no buzz on the floor each day about which big party to attend each evening. Not every exhibitor was inside the Palais as they were so long ago; tents outside this year housed some of the larger companies like Paramount and Lionsgate. Consequently, the battle for prime floor space in the Palais, which used to be brutal for small companies like those I worked for, now allows every exhibitor a chance to maximize their space and exposure. Finally, I must say that one thing which hasn’t changed is the enthusiasm and drive that I see in the people on the market floor. It’s the same business, but at its heart with industry changes coming at the speed of light, I’m impressed at how this generation of television and film executives is wearing the mantle and carrying us into the future of television and digital entertainment. *Douglas Friedman has spent 40 years as a television marketing executive for networks, stations, and distributors. He is now a freelance writer based in San Diego, California. By Douglas Friedman* VIDEOAGE November 2024 MIPCOM Report
16 MIP Cancun: A Calm Oasis Amid a Central American Tempest TV executives are happy to go to MIP Cancun. But they’re even happier to leave the financial and social turmoil in their Central American countries behind… for a few days, at least. And, if they’re buyers, they can enjoy an all-expenses-paid (read: free) trip to the Moon Palace resort in Cancun, courtesy of RX, the organizers of MIP Cancun, now in its 11th year. For those who are not buyers, but exhibitors with tables at the Moon Palace Convention Center, the cost is U.S.$5,720, which includes registration for one delegate, three nights at the resort, and meals. For a package as a participant without a table, but with the same benefits (excluding pre-assigned meetings with buyers), the cost is $2,200. Unfortunately, Central America struggles with corruption, violence, and emigration, although the unique financial successes of Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic offer lessons in development. Indeed, the economic situation is challenging. Historically, Central American economies have been dependent on commodity exports, making them vulnerable not only to the vagaries of international markets but also to natural disasters. Panama is different due to its interoceanic canal, and it is also something of a success story. Central America is also torn between the U.S. and China. Central America’s pivot toward China is evident, with Costa Rica signing the region’s first free trade agreement with Beijing in 2010. El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama have followed suit. Meanwhile the U.S. has promised $4.2 billion in private-sector commitments to Central America in an attempt to address the causes of violence and migration. Foreign direct investment in the region has also risen post-pandemic and U.S. President Joe Biden has encouraged U.S. companies to bring production there. In terms of economic rankings, the general assessment puts the Dominican Republic on top of the list, followed (in descending order) by Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. That’s not to say that the North American portion of the LatAm TV sector is in better financial shape, with some Mexican acquisition TV executives expected to be up front during their meetings with content providers about their reduced acquisition budgets or already-depleted funds. That’s why some sales executives try to select the pre-arranged meetings with new buyers that are offered by MIP Cancun’s organizers as part of their table fees. They hope to establish new business relationships. Known clients or potential clients can be cornered for a chat or can be asked to attend private meetings during the market’s many events, like conferences and parties. MIP Cancun’s four-day event begins on November 19, with the market portion starting on November 20. Delmar Andrade, International Sales director of Record TV, quite possibly Brazil’s most marketing-oriented content distributor, reported that in terms of costs, the market, like “all international markets, is very expensive.” But, he explained that “MIP Cancun is very important for LatAm because it offers opportunities for more clients to learn and appreciate our content. Besides,” he added, “the fact that [MIP Cancun] is held in the same hotel where the market takes place makes things easier for both buyers and distributors.” On the buyers’ side, Patricia Daujotas, Content director at Uruguay’s Canal 10, commented: “In my opinion, the main strength of MIP Cancun is a well-organized time to meet distributors and producers. Their system for moving from one meeting to the next gives [buyers] enough time to meet with companies that maybe do not attend the other markets. “At MIPCOM, I can meet with companies from regions that are not in any of the LatAm markets, so I feel that is the best way to know what they are producing. As for the Miami shows, they are different among themselves: Content Americas is more focused on LatAm and is a very good follow up from MIP Cancun, while NATPE is mostly for the U.S. market. They are all good opportunities to search for content and meet people, but with different perspectives.” While at MIPCOM, VideoAge met with Maria Perez-Belliere, MIP Cancun’s director, who reported that the market will have over 200 buyers, the participation of all the key Hollywood studios, and a great conference line-up, with the focus on how to monetize FAST and AVoD channels, and will feature brands that will explain what the advertisers want. The conference comes as research shows Latin America boasting one of the world’s highest shares of premium video advertising across FAST and AVoD, and predicting that Brazil will become the third largest FAST market globally (after only the U.S. and U.K.) by 2029. As far as the cost to exhibit — a recurrent issue, as indicated by Record TV’s Andrade — Perez-Belliere explained that the price increase will be minimal, despite the fact that “Mexico is now becoming very expensive,” she said. Maria Perez-Belliere, MIP Cancun’s director Record TV’s Delmar Andrade with Grace Andrade and Thiago Castro Patricia Daujotas, Content director at Uruguay’s Canal 10 VIDEOAGE November 2024 LatAm Television
(Continued From Cover) 18 and time, via any available delivery possibility (such as HBO). As an aside, when this reporter worked at HBO, Cinemax seemed to be the bastard child — hardly mentioned except every now and again when, say, a music special was on the imminent horizon. Now, Cinemax has become Max and HBO has been relegated to number two — but is still putting out great content. Marc Berman, editor-in-chief of the online daily Programming Insider, who also contributes to various publications, including Forbes.com, and is an in-demand speaker on the subject of TV, suggested, “Don’t write off linear, it’s not going to go any time soon — or ever.” He then added: “If you’re an advertiser you’re not going to abandon (traditional) linear, because it’s still the best arena to get the most eyeballs. And the problem with streaming is we don’t know who is watching, we don’t have the data — it’s speculation. That’s not to say streaming is not a hot ticket because it is.” But with that said, Berman wondered, “How are [streamers] making money out of this? They’re not exactly bringing in the big bucks [though] they’re bringing in a lot of critical accolades.” Obviously, the arrival of streaming outlets changed the viewing landscape by allowing viewers to see what they want when they want. Not surprisingly, the “original linear channels” are facing some difficult times. As an example of viewer drop-off, Berman pointed out that, “at one time, shows such as NCIS were drawing 20 million viewers a week. Now they’re lucky to get nine million.” This, in turn, has led to an advertising decline and more lost revenue, meaning channel costs have to be cut. Because of this, scripted content, in the main, has seen its primetime domination usurped, replaced by differing unscripted material, even including documentaries. This reduction in scripted also means a loss in revenues from the attractive U.S. domestic sales they used to get for syndicated reruns of hit shows to local TV stations, as well as being financially rewarded from global sales. However, scripted content isn’t the only genre taking a hit. Daily talk shows in the U.S., with their highly paid hosts, could soon find some of those faces missing from the studio chairs. And it’s likely that Rachel Maddow, as good as she may be, but who receives around $20 million a year for one show a week on MSNBC, will almost certainly be amongst those hit. Late-night talk shows are also under the financial microscope. The late-night shows, in some instances, have already been reduced from five to four nights, or have lost the house band, as the audiences they once commanded aren’t there anymore. Little wonder that some are asking the question, “What’s left for the traditional channels?” Should there be salary cutbacks offered to these hosts, will they refuse the pay cuts and leave, or bite their tongues and stay? Should they depart, Berman wondered, “Will the audience revolt and turn off” because the stars are not on display? Would it be more expensive to keep on-air talent, or cut their salaries, thus, lose the talent and probably more in audience, as well as ad revenue? There’s an estimate that between 75 and 80 percent of scripted content on the linear networks in the U.S. is now being funded by foreign companies that buy American shows. Nothing demonstrates the European love for American procedurals, for instance, than German TV outfit ProSieben, which recently bought about 1,000 episodes of the NCIS family of series (the original, New Orleans, Hawaii, and L.A. spin-offs). During his keynote speech at last month’s MIPCOM, as reported by VideoAge Daily, Tony Vinciquerra, the outgoing Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO, suggested that the television industry is, “going to be very chaotic, there are going to be mergers, consolidation, sales, bankruptcies, potentially,” and he expects, “a big shakeout,” within the next two years. Meanwhile FAST channels seem to be benefitting from the U.S. linear audience exodus, as they proliferate — and as the recent MIPCOM market demonstrated, their rise is also becoming very apparent elsewhere in the world — in Europe the FAST pick-up is even greater than in the U.S. Pluto, Roku and Tubi are expanding in Europe and adding Africa and the Middle East as well. Sony actually recently debuted some 54 FAST channels in Europe. While younger audiences have seemingly turned away from traditional linear in the U.S., there’s a rise in their viewing habits to AVoD and FAST in parts of Europe. In fact, there’s so much FAST action in Europe it’s now showing greater growth than in the U.S. Even Africa and the Middle East have opened up to FAST and AVoD. Thanks to a significant increase in popularity among 15-to-34-year-olds, big AVoD and FAST services are nearing, or topping, the 15 percent mark of monthly users among the entire French population, with Pluto TV taking 26 percent of that pie. So, just what does the future mean for all of the TV channels operating in the traditional over-the-air term of linear? In addition to the traditional linear outlets (the alphabet nets and local channels around the country and including those now airing on a streaming service), the local linear TV availability in Los Angeles, for example, comprises an impressive list of 62 TV channels, including COZI, American Crimes, Oxygen True Crime, MeTV, HSN, Fox Weather, Court TV, TBN, and Scripps News. All of which begs the question “Who says linear TV is dead?” (By Mike Reynolds) “The television industry is going to be very chaotic, there are going to be mergers, consolidation, sales, bankruptcies, potentially… a big shakeout.” — Tony Vinciquerra, Sony Pictures Entertainment Mark Berman of Programming Insider VIDEOAGE November 2024 Linear Television
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20 (Continued from Cover) ond half of this year, Netflix has been commissioning more productions in key markets. In August, in Argentina, for example, Netflix announced its most robust line-up of productions in that country: Nine series and 10 movies. Ninety-five percent of all titles will be ready to premiere or are in production for the 20242025 season. In September, Netflix production managers met with some of Argentina’s producers, directors, actors, and screenwriters to define more projects for the 2026-2027 season. In Colombia, in September, Netflix formalized the production of an additional season of hit Perfil Falso, and a documentary on the football player James Rodríguez. All are scheduled to reach TV screens in 2025. In July, Netflix secured a third season for the series La primera vez, making it the first Colombian original to reach a third season on its streaming service. In Mexico, the series Pedro Páramo and El secreto del río debuted in October. Earlier, in September, it premiered the movie Technoboys. In Brazil, Netflix confirmed a November premiere of the miniseries Senna, which will tell the story of Ayrton Senna, one of the greatest local historical idols and an icon of world motorsports. In Chile, El lugar de la otra, the first fiction feature film from Maite Alberdi, premiered in September. At the Walt Disney Company, the Latin American strategy of merging Star+ into a single offering, Disney+, has led the company to revive its production plans. Following the merger, the month of June saw on Disney+ the premiere of the reboot of the Colombian hit Pedro el escamoso, a third season of the Argentine series El encargado, and the fifth season of the Brazilian drama series Impuros. The remainder of the year will see the second season of the reality series Los Montaner, and several Argentine projects such as the drama series Camaleón, el pasado no cambia, the docuseries Argentina ‘78, the psychological thriller La voz ausente, and the comedy-drama series El mejor infarto de mi vida. Opening the list of 2025 productions, the Argentine series Lost Girl stands out, with a return to acting for singer Tini Stoessel. In Brazil, in the second half of the year, Disney+ premiered projects entirely made in that country, such as the drama series Vidas Bandidas, the musical series O Som e a Sílaba, and the documentary series Guga por Kuerten, about the most famous Brazilian tennis player, and the documentary series Volta Priscila, about the much-publicized disappearance of Priscila Belfort. More recently, the company presented the romantic comedy Amor da minha vida, scheduled for release at the end of the year. After its exceptional Latin American commissions in the second half of 2023, Amazon Prime Video has scaled back its year-to-date in the region. Amazon’s Spanish-language bet was based on a record first half of the year for the original series Reina Roja, and the reality show Operación Triunfo. In July, at the “Prime Video Presents” event held in Madrid, it presented seven new projects to increase its Originals catalog, including the film Zeta, the scripted series Cochinas, three unscripted titles: Cómo cazar a un monstruo, Medina: El estafador de famosos, and Infiltrada en el búnker. Plus, the documentary La Joia: Bad Gyal, and the series Punto Nemo. Also in July, Amazon Prime Video premiered the Colombian Betty La Fea, The Story Continues, sequel to the most famous telenovela in history, produced by RCN in Colombia. In the same month, Amazon commissioned the production of a new original series in Chile, The House of the Spirits, based on the popular novel by Isabel Allende. The series will be filmed entirely in Spanish, set in Chile, and produced by FilmNation. In September, the streamer launched the second season of the Argentine comedy series Porno y Helado. In Mexico, the series El Gato, commissioned by Prime Video in February, is already in full production. The creation, based on the comic book series El Gato Negro, will debut in 2025. November will see the premiere of another Amazon Original, the Mexican series Every Minute Counts, co-produced by Amazon Studios and Traziende Films, about the earthquake that affected Mexico in 1985. Warner Bros. Discovery’s situation is different than that of Netflix, Disney, and Amazon. According to a projection from Parrot Analytics, more spending cuts are to be expected in the short and medium term. Parrot predicted that without top-tier live sports from the U.S. (it lost the NBA rights), Warner’s Max will focus on its “bread and butter”: premium scripted content and the development of intellectual property inherited from Discovery. The reduction of its commissioning in Latin America is not encouraging: orders are few today and will probably remain so in the short term. Bonus fact: the few productions commissioned were hits on the Max platform. In the second half of the year, in August, the steaming service premiered the HBO Original miniseries City of God: The Fight Doesn’t Stop, produced by Brazil’s O2 Filmes, a sequel to the popular film. In September, it debuted the third season of the reality series Divina Comedia Mexico, produced entirely in Mexico. September also saw the spin-off of Floricienta, and the series Margarita, Cris Morena’s new modern fairy tale that premiered in Argentina. The 40 episodes have been exceeding all expectations in terms of audience. With its parent company involved in the largest industry M&A in recent years, Paramount Global has frozen its commissioning in the region for its Paramount+ platform. Maintaining its content portfolio in Argentina and Chile for the time being (and its two most successful broadcasters in each of those countries), its overall strategy would be to move away from localized international content. The sale to Skydance Media raises many questions for 2025 that are currently unanswered. Apple TV is ready to celebrate its fifth year of Apple TV+, which saw little action in Latin America in 2024. In the second half of the year, the streamer has premiered two productions commissioned in Mexico City, the medical drama Midnight Family, based on the award-winning documentary Familia de Medianoche, and the new crime drama, Women in Blue (Las Azules). In June, Apple TV+ premiered the third season of the bilingual comedy series Acapulco, produced in Puerto Vallarta. This series has already confirmed a fourth season that will premiere in 2025. As reported by Parrot Analytics when sifting through the last part of Apple TV+’s year, the platform is more interested in licensing programming from other studios, revising its compensation structure to better monetize its programming and having internal conversations about the level of advertising on the platform. TelevisaUnivision, the world’s leading Spanish-language television producer, has opted to focus almost all of its production for the U.S. Hispanic TV market, and for its streamer ViX abroad. It has stopped producing the vast majority of its titles in the United States, transferring these resources to Mexico, including unscripted content. The high costs of creating content in the United States opened up opportunities for the market with the largest Spanish-speaking viewers in the world. Telemundo, the other leading player among U.S. Hispanic TV viewers, has also concentrated almost all of its productions in Mexico. (By Omar Mendez, editor in chief of The Daily Television) Netflix premiered miniseries Senna in Brazil in November VIDEOAGE November 2024 LatAm Production
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(Continued From Cover) 22 They’re feeling curiosity, too, as the vast majority of people don’t really understand what AI is. It is just a big toolbox with various tools (generative AI, translation, cloning, morphing, TTS, etc.), and we cannot talk about AI without knowing which tool will be used for a specific task. Folks are worried since we are still awaiting regulations in this realm. As regulation always comes after innovation, the E.U. is working on the AI Act (ETA 2025). This is a first step to having a true regulatory framework that will control the use of AI tools. And finally, there’s been lots of anger directed at AI, as actors and writers are not happy about unauthorized use of their voices without compensation. Besides the legal framework that is put in place, the absence of a true code of ethics underlines the incapacity to determine the real source of voices. Beyond these emotions, the real question is: What will the impact be on the business environment in an industry where AI will largely be used and what is the future for the world of localization (i.e., adapting content to another language using either subtitling or dubbing)? It seems obvious that technology will be a growing driver in our business, so, are the actors right to be so anxious? Acting is a creative skill. We act with our entire body and a huge array of emotions. As of today, no technology will replace a good actor delivering a multi-emotional performance in front of a microphone. Should we really worry about our business? History shows that technological advancements have been responsible for many processes and society changes. Past generations will remember these battles: tape vs. cassette, vinyl vs. CD, 35mm film vs. digital, violins vs. synthesizers, drums vs. drum machines, and so on. What happened in all these cases? Ease of use always won over quality. The same thing could happen with localization processes becoming shorter and simpler. AI can beat the world chess champion because it can quickly calculate all the possibilities after a play; but dubbing is not a suite of possibilities, it’s an interpretation. In fact, the technology tries to make our lives simpler and better, but vinyl is back, big movie directors continue to use film, and musicians still play and record. So, what is this telling us? Do we want a human-less localization process? We need to step away from this debate. Technology is a double-edged sword. It may put some actors out of work, but it could also help produce content that would never have been localized otherwise. It will also create new jobs as we all know that AI will not be able to handle a project by itself. As we have seen in past years, the emergence of post editors in machine translation (i.e., the computer programs that can automatically translate based on a large data collection), we’ll most likely see the need for reviewers and linguists in the AI process to refine its output. Well, the future is in our hands. As a dubbing enthusiast in love with great performances, I believe actors will still be dubbing and delivering amazing performances with the help of technology. It won’t replace them. (By Jacques Barreau) Jacques Barreau is VP, Media & Interactive Entertainment, at the Barcelona, Spain-based TransPerfect, an American provider of language and AI solutions for global business. Jacques Barreau, holding VideoAge Daily at MIPCOM, with VideoAge’s Dom Serafini Technology is a double-edged sword. It may put some actors out of work but it could also help produce content that would never have been localized otherwise. Miami TV Markets: The Race is on. It Actually Started in 2023 The word from the NATPE Global camp is that they’re not really competing with Content Americas since the Miami market is meant to be a global one, while Content focuses on Latin America. Meanwhile, the folks at Content Americas seem to believe that NATPE is simply a nuisance. Nonetheless, the two TV markets and conferences will be staged back to back — with Content taking place January 2023, 2025, and NATPE just after, February 5-7 — forcing many exhibitors and buyers to attend both events. The 11-day gap between the two markets will not be a problem for Miami-based companies, and will only be a minor problem for those in Mexico, Canada, and the Northeastern U.S. states (since they can fly back home at a lower cost than a hotel stay), but it could be a major problem for participants from Europe, Asia, Central, and South America. The fact that NATPE has added the popular Realscreen Summit to next year’s event could make the market more appealing. This year, the Summit, which is described as an unscripted and nonfiction conference, was held in New Orleans January 28-February 1. This, however, is causing some confusion since the Summit is now scheduled for February 3-5, and NATPE for February 5-7, but some participants (like WAWA, the Worldwide Audiovisual Women’s Association, and VideoAge, for example) are planning to treat it as one five-day market stretching from February 3 to February 7. As for the location, Content will take place at its traditional Hilton Miami Downtown, and NATPE/Realscreen at the InterContinental Miami. Both organizers — English publisher C21 for Content, and Canadian publisher Brunico for NATPE/Realscreen — have staying power and neither one is blinking, so it is difficult to predict which one will ultimately survive. Another unknown is how the slow elevator problem at Content Americas’ Hilton hotel will be solved since the success of the market’s first edition caused the floor traffic of its second edition to increase, creating long delays in reaching the exhibition suites. As for VideoAge, it will publish a monthly edition and one Daily for distribution at all three markets. VIDEOAGE November 2024 AI Reality Check
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