The first edition of LatAm Content Meeting, a new event focused on Latin America’s unscripted sector, wrapped up on Wednesday in Rio de Janeiro. These were the key takeaways from the event.

The inaugural LatAm Content Meeting in Brazil

Launched last June as a joint initiative by Brazilian producers Grifa Filmes and Stay and Fly Docs alongside French documentary event Sunny Side of the Doc, LatAm Content Meeting set out to fill a gap in the region for an event highlighting Latin America’s unscripted sector.

It also aimed to give Brazil’s industry a much-needed B2B space following the transformation of the former Rio Content Market into the current Ri2C, now a pop culture mega-event.

The three-day gathering delivered positive results, with 650 attendees, hundreds of meetings and packed conference rooms.

However, one area for improvement in future editions may be attracting more than the 75 international executives who attended this first outing and solidifying the event as a truly pan-Latin American market.

Here are five key takeaways from an event:

Coproduction is the word of the moment
Whether in panel discussions, informal conversations or interviews, one term came up time and again: coproduction.

With the unscripted industry facing a financial crunch, many agree that international coproduction is the key to keeping projects moving forward.

Aurelie Reman

“We see international coproduction models as the main solution to help us navigate this crisis. That’s why we’re here,” said Aurelie Reman, managing director of Sunny Side of the Doc.

“Of course, coproduction has always existed in unscripted, but what used to be done with two partners now requires at least six,” she added.

This may be why the Global Doc Alliance – a coalition of 10 international broadcasters that co-commissions unscripted content – is looking for new members in Latin America.

“We’d love to add a broadcaster from Brazil or Latin America because we believe it’s essential to have representation from all continents,” said Caroline Behar, head of international coproductions and documentary acquisitions at France Télévisions.

“The key to coproduction is sharing financial risks and creative rewards. It adds value to your project and expands its audience. And it’s not just about the money – your partners are not your banks. What matters is creative alignment,” she added.

The BBC, represented by newly appointed interim chief content officer Kate Philips, also revealed plans to seek international partners for factual entertainment co-commissions, following the success of The Traitors with NBCUniversal.

“Production costs keep rising, and audience expectations are growing, so we’re keen to work with other broadcasters to co-develop and co-finance productions,” Philips explained.

Latin America wants in – and is willing to invest
Amid the budget squeeze, Latin America is positioning itself as a potential partner for European and North American players.

“The crisis isn’t just affecting Europe or the US. We’re feeling it here too. Money seems to have vanished, so we need to get creative and focus on international coproductions,” said Kiko Ribeiro, executive director of Grifa Filmes and director of programming for Latam Content Meeting.

Kate Philips

But unlike Europe, he added, Brazil and Latin America are still seeing growth in streaming subscriptions and content consumption, while governments continue to roll out new funding initiatives.

“It’s crucial for Europeans to understand that there’s money down here too. It’s not just them footing the bill – we can pay for what they can’t anymore, and we can split the costs,” he said.

“Latin America can still be a land of opportunity,” he added.

Valentín Romero, managing director of Spanish-German distributor 3Box Media, agrees that Latin American funding can create synergies and help drive international productions. However, he warns that these funds must go to content with global appeal.

“If it’s for the international TV market, from the start, it must be designed to reach beyond Latin American festivals and be relevant in Japan, Europe or anywhere. That’s where coproduction synergies between Latin America and Europe can happen,” Romero said, noting that natural history content is an untapped opportunity for Latin America.

He also highlighted the instability of public broadcasters’ acquisitions teams in the region, often vulnerable to political shifts, as a challenge when working with Latin America.

YouTube can no longer be ignored
As seen at recent industry events, YouTube was a key topic of discussion in Rio, where Channel 4’s head of documentaries, Shaminder Nahal, shared insights on the British broadcaster’s successful strategy on the platform.

Kiko Ribeiro

“Everyone knows the viewing figures for YouTube, TikTok and even Snapchat – they’ve become the primary way many people consume content. So we’re putting our content where the viewers are and building new audiences. We see it as complementary to our linear channel and streaming platform. Consumption habits are changing fast. We all need to adapt quickly and be creative,” she said.

Aurelie Reman agreed, stating that YouTube “can no longer be ignored”.

“There are opportunities beyond TV that we can’t keep ignoring. We need to create a new ecosystem around creators, who no longer need broadcasters to reach their audiences. And that’s a risk for our industry,” she warned.

“We must find ways to work with them – but not with the old rules. We need to create new ones together,” she added.

Digital content creation and the creator economy will, in fact, be a key focus of the next edition of Sunny Side of the Doc in La Rochelle, France.

“If you’re looking to save your company, you need to diversify, and the creator economy could be a solution. And that doesn’t mean losing impact – quite the opposite,” she added.

Distributors are more important than ever
The challenges of financing projects and securing co-production deals are making distributors essential players.

“Securing truly international projects with strong sales potential means getting involved earlier,” said Valentín Romero of 3Box Media.

“It’s crucial to define the best international cut or act as a bridge between broadcasters and producers to create coproductions or pre-sales. This is happening more and more, and it’s an increasingly complex process,” he said.

“The most valuable aspect of getting in early is the feedback loop between distributors and producers. This ensures what’s being developed aligns with market demand – something producers often don’t fully grasp,” he added.

Tony Patterson

Aurelie Reman noted that many producers still fail to plan their distribution strategy from the outset.

“Focusing on storytelling is great, but if you don’t have a strong vision and strategy for distribution, all that work is worthless. It’s hard to say, but true,” she said.

Incentives could tip the scales for unscripted – but Brazil is missing out
Production incentives play a vital role in unscripted and entertainment content, but not all countries include them.

“At Prime Video, we’re looking for formats that can be produced from a hub for multiple territories. Incentives are key to that decision,” said Tony Patterson, head of international production for Latin America and Canada at Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios.

Brazil, the host country of Latam Content Meeting, currently does not offer tax or cash rebates for entertainment production.

Patterson revealed that Prime Video is in fact in talks with Brazilian authorities to highlight the importance of incentives.

“Colombia, for example, offers a 34% rebate, making it an attractive hub. We’re considering it for Temptation Island and other formats. Uruguay also has strong incentives. But Brazil doesn’t. We’ve had discussions with local authorities, and they’ve been receptive,” he said.

Rosangela Wicher, executive director of operations at Floresta Produções, Sony Pictures Television’s Brazilian production arm, confirmed that discussions are underway to push for an entertainment rebate.

“Today, Brazil lacks unscripted-focused funds, and we’re losing opportunities to Colombia and Uruguay, which have well-structured incentives that make all the difference,” she said.

Floresta has already shot two seasons of De Férias com o Ex Brasil (Brazil’s version of Ex on the Beach) in Colombia.

“We’re exporting our expertise instead of attracting international productions here,” Wicher said, adding that Floresta has a pre-agreement with a platform to establish a hub in Brazil if incentives are approved.