Distributors from around the world are lining up to showcase their new content to buyers from Latin America at the inaugural Content Americas. Andy Fry looks at what’s on offer.

The news that SVoD platform Netflix doubled its Spanish-language output in 2022 is a potent indicator of how hungry the Latin American and US Hispanic (USH) market is for content right now.

Combined with a production boom in Portuguese-speaking Brazil and growing demand for shows from pan-regional pay channels, local free-to-air (FTA) broadcasters and a rapidly expanding AVoD ecosystem, it’s evidently a great time for distributors to be gathering at Content Americas in Miami.

Beatriz Campos, senior VP of global sales and production financing at StudioCanal, says: “The ever-widening offer of platforms in Latin America means strong content is in demand more than ever.”

While ample attention has been paid to the Lat Am SVoD market in recent times, Campos believes “the economic realities of the region make it perfect for AVoD.”

As for new titles for Miami, she says: “We are bringing two drama series: Django and The Night Logan Woke Up. The Crash, which enjoyed exceptional performance in Europe, will also be available, as will Paris Police 1905.”

While distinctive drama is a priority for buyers, Campos says premium documentary series sell well. In Miami, StudioCanal will introduce Wonders of Europe and Air Cocaine, which focuses on drug smuggling between Latin America and France. “Our animated slate, led by Smarty Pants, will also play a part in our conversations.”

Sheila Aguirre, Fremantle’s exec VP of content distribution and format sales for Lat Am and USH, says Lat Am “is a big focus for our growth strategy, with USH, Mexico and Brazil of interest. The time spent streaming by Hispanics in the US is more than for Anglo audiences.”

Aguirre cites “appetite among FTA channels for formats, particularly proven, family-oriented shows. We’ve renewed or signed licenses for Got Talent, Family Feud and Password in several countries, and are in advanced conversations with countries where they have never sold.”

Aguirre says SVoDs need “quality content that draws in and keeps viewers engaged” but she also sees growth in AVoD/FAST: “There has been a lot of activity with firms like ViX, Pluto, Roku and Samsung building offerings. We have had success with series like Baywatch.”

Aguirre anticipates “a modified form of the traditional windowing model will make its way back in the same way bundling and ad-supported content are coming back. The only way to maximise return on investment is further exploitation, which is why windowing will again become key.”

Content-wise, Aguirre says there is “an insatiable appetite for true crime, and demand for local content shows no sign of slowing down.” As for Fremantle’s Content Americas headliners, she singles out upcoming film Adolfo. “We will also present Sisters, a comedy-drama about two women who discover they are half-sisters.”

Other scripted titles include thriller Bay of Fires, French-language drama Ouija and Totally Completely Fine, a comedy copro between Sundance Now and Aussie streamer Stan, produced by Fremantle Australia. On the non-scripted side are The Murdochs: Empire of Influence and Made of Money with Brian Cox.

José Miguel Riedel, international sales manager for Latin America at Germany’s Beta Film, says: “For us, all Lat Am territories are very interesting, but Brazil and USH are our key territories. Our clients are generally interested in high-quality drama, with strong characters and storylines.”

Riedel confirms that “competition in the region is good for doing business right now. Streaming provides great opportunities.”

To date, Beta Film’s top performer in Latin America is Hudson & Rex, “our hit canine cop procedural,” says Riedel. Originally a German show, the English-language adaptation has been sold to clients including Telemundo, Belleville Group and Channel 12 in Uruguay.

As for Beta’s priorities at Content Americas, Riedel says: “We will present environmental thriller The Swarm. There are also new seasons of shows like The Sea Beyond, which set records in Italy, and Spanish thriller La Unidad.”

Over at Nordic studio Viaplay, Vanda Rapti, exec VP for North America and Viaplay Select content distribution, says: “Interest in our storytelling is growing rapidly in Lat Am. Streamers and broadcasters need to differentiate themselves, while audiences are hungry for fresh, edgy content.”

Rapti believes the battle between global VoD platforms creates an opportunity for agile companies like Viaplay. “There’s one aspect of the studios’ direct-to-consumer shift that’s often overlooked: the space it creates for alternative partnership models. A great example is our own Viaplay Select branded content concept. We’ve announced Viaplay Select deals in 19 countries, including DMD’s Cindie service in Lat Am.”

In terms of genres, Rapti reports interest in everything from drama to documentaries, along with tried and tested Nordic Noir crime. “Miami highlights include our biopics The Dreamer – Becoming Karen Blixen and Munch, about the artist behind The Scream. We also have thriller End of Summer and Ronja the Robber’s Daughter, our fantasy series based on Astrid Lindgren’s classic story, scripted by Hans Rosenfeldt [The Bridge].”

Viaplay’s doc slate is growing fast, adds Rapti. “We’re showcasing the heart-breaking Natascha Kampusch – A Lifetime in Prison; Human to Human, with portraits from Ukraine; and sports docs like Wozniacki & Lee. If anyone wants to dream themselves away to the Arctic, there is The Most Remote Restaurant in the World, about a restaurant setting up in Greenland.”

Daniel Rodriguez, Cineflix Rights’ sales consultant for Latin America, says: “On the scripted side, we’re seeing demand for thrillers, and crime- or action-based dramas and young adult content, but also movies and series that provide family co-viewing potential. In non-scripted, buyers are keen on long-running, volume series that have a proven history of retaining audiences, especially in the US.”

Rodriguez says Cineflix Rights scored a big Lat Am scripted deal with AMC Networks International for the first season of Reginald the Vampire, alongside four seasons of Wynonna Earp and both seasons of narco-thriller Pure.

“HBO/Warner Media Lat Am also acquired Israeli police drama Manayek, while DirecTV Lat Am and Sky Brazil bought Rebecca, the crime drama set in Paris, and A&E Lat Am took two of our movies. On the factual side, we sold The Story of Late Night to HBO/WarnerMedia and Voices of the Dead and Secret Nazi Expeditions to History Channel Lat Am.”

The Cineflix exec says the company’s content “is perfect for pan-regional channels and platforms, and our first window is often on their screens in the region.” He agrees that Lat Am “is becoming one of the fastest growing regions for AVoD.”

Heading to Content Americas, the scripted slate is led by Last King of The Cross, starring Tim Roth and Lincoln Younes. “We are also launching season two of Irvine Welsh’s Crime and feature-length thrillers Sugar and Jodi Arias: Bad Behind Bars.”

Cineflix always has a varied non-scripted slate on offer, and its Content Americas line-up is no exception. “We have innovative natural history series Patrick Aryee’s Wild World, Holiday Homes in the Sun, Cult Justice and O.J. Simpson: Blood, Lies & Murder. The latter is a two-parter revealing new evidence that points straight to the killer.”

Turkish content has a particularly strong record in the region. This dates back decades and shows no sign of abating. In mid-2022, Parrot Analytics released data that showed demand for Turkish scripted series has more than doubled in Lat Am since 2020.

Özlem Özsümbül, head of sales at Madd Entertainment, a joint venture between Turkish producers Medyapim and Ay Yapim, says: “We had a lot of success in the region with series like My Little Girl, A Miracle and A Woman Scorned. After those hits, Flames of Fate, All About Marriage and Love is in The Air have also proved popular.”

In Miami, Özsümbül is packing new titles including Family Secrets, Twisted Affairs, Hidden Truth, One More Chance, Our Father, A Big Deal and Little Big Heart.”

Özsümbül says Madd has “a wide range of FTA partners in Lat Am, because this has historically been the main target for Turkish drama. But our company has worked with digital platforms for several years. There has been an increase in demand from streamers recently but that hasn’t changed our strategy because we have been working with platforms like with HBO Max in Lat Am for some time.”

Rick Barker, head of sales at UK-based DCD Rights, says drama, factual and music are popular in Lat Am. “Highlights include the sale of Love Me to Paramount+ and a music package to Globosat in Brazil that contains concerts and documentary series Great Songwriters.”

Barker adds: “Our non-scripted content sells well into the pan-regional platforms and gives us options to place content into specific territories after the initial holdback period. A recent cookery package for local territories shows we are well-placed to meet local needs.”

At Content Americas, DCD Rights will introduce The Pact, “a scripted show that opens up conversations around euthanasia,” says Barker. Other priorities include the relaunch of the Catherine Cookson library and Wedding Valley, a UKTV series about wedding businesses.

Yari Torres, All3Media International’s VP sales for Lat Am and USH, says Latin America “is a top priority. Every month we focus on one or two countries, so we can be sure we are touching base with all our clients. We will be having our 2023 Upfronts in Miami later in the first quarter.”

Torres says Lat Am buyers want content “that makes them stand apart in a crowded market. They are looking for amazing dramas, like The Ex-Wife and Black Snow; unbelievable true crime, like The Thief, His Wife & The Canoe; and entertainment like Gordon Ramsay’s Future Food Stars.”

All3Media headliners at Content Americas include 72 Films’ The Real Crown: Inside the House of Windsor, Optomen celebrity doc series The Kardashians: Billion Dollar Dynasty and Roast Beef Productions’ Spacey Unmasked, available for pre-sale. The latter is a two-part doc exploring the disgraced actor’s alleged crimes.

As for scripted, All3Media is in Miami with Stan original Black Snow, a 6×60’ drama set in Australia’s North Queensland. The Confessions of Frannie Langton, The Catch and The Ex-Wife round out the scripted slate. It is also shopping The Traitors, a “psychological adventure format” commissioned in 11 territories so far.

A+E Networks has a long relationship with Lat Am, says Helen Jurado, VP of global content sales, Latin America and USH. “Our focus is to grow the relationships we’ve developed over the years by providing clients with great shows and movies across a wide range of genres.”

Jurado is carrying a slate with 240 hours of new content. “One commonality across Lat Am and USH is buyers looking for family-friendly and co-viewing content,” she says. “Here we have An Animal Saved My Life, which features acts of heroism from animals; Top Dog, a canine competition format; and Alone, the US-originated survival format.”

Other priorities, says Jurado, include “growing our reputation in TV movies. One highlight is the VC Andrews Cinematic Collection. The newest four-part series, Flowers in the Attic: The Origin, was a success on Lifetime across Lat Am – particularly in Brazil and Mexico – and we have the five-part Dawn Cutler series coming down the pipeline.”

In factual, there are new seasons of mega-franchises like Pawn Stars and Storage Wars, historical docs like Colosseum, and a slate of new true-crime series including Interrogation Raw and Phrogging: Hider in My House. “We’re also growing our scripted copros division,” says Jurado. “We have new seasons of Miss Scarlet & the Duke, as well as our latest scripted series, North Sea Connection.”

Scripted is also a priority for Karina Etchison, Keshet International’s sales manager for Lat Am, Iberia, the Middle East and Africa. “I’m finding dramas are still in high demand across the region so I’m looking forward to showcasing Cuba Libre, a vibrant drama set against the political backdrop of the Cuban missile crisis.”

Keshet is also making Israeli factual film Kidnapped in Mexico available to buyers. “It is a one-off documentary that follows two girls involved in a bitter custody battle between their Mexican mother and Israeli father.”

Unscripted formats are always popular, says Etchison: “I’m excited about Israeli format Family Dinner Date because us Hispanics share so many family values with Israelis. It’s important to us that our relatives approve of our chosen life partners. Plus, we enjoy any opportunity to get insider access to celebrities, and this format offers both.”

Keshet is looking to exploit AVoD and FAST opportunities in Lat Am to maximise its Spanish-language tape sales. “Multiple seasons of Boom! have been produced in Spain, Mexico and Colombia, alongside Rising Star Argentina and The Search Uruguay, so we have thousands of hours.”

It seems there’s plenty of new content on offer at Content Americas to cater to that burgeoning regional demand.

Distributors from around the world are lining up to showcase their new content to buyers from Latin America at the inaugural Content Americas. Andy Fry looks at what’s on offer.

The news that SVoD platform Netflix doubled its Spanish-language output in 2022 is a potent indicator of how hungry the Latin American and US Hispanic (USH) market is for content right now.

Combined with a production boom in Portuguese-speaking Brazil and growing demand for shows from pan-regional pay channels, local free-to-air (FTA) broadcasters and a rapidly expanding AVoD ecosystem, it’s evidently a great time for distributors to be gathering at Content Americas in Miami.

Beatriz Campos, senior VP of global sales and production financing at StudioCanal, says: “The ever-widening offer of platforms in Latin America means strong content is in demand more than ever.”
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