CANNES – U.S. television broadcasters can take solace in the fact that it’s not just their world that is being upended by digital distribution. The same thing is happening in Latin America.
“Everybody’s trying to reinvent themselves in one way or another,” says Renato de Paula, CEO of MEC Latin America. “We are experiencing video on demand, we have OTT all over the region as well. There’s a lot of growth.”
There are parallels for brands as well, as TV “continues to be massively important, particularly when it comes to categories like fast-moving consumer goods,” de Paula says in this interview with Beet.TV at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity.
As in the States, LATAM channels have been improving the quality of their programming along with their audience targets, with more “content-related programs that actually speak with niches,” he adds.
This is due in large part to shifting consumer viewing habits that impact traditional broadcast ratings. “Every year there is a small decline. It varies by country and network, because of digital and because of everything that’s going on.”
Mexico has had a unique TV marketplace because two dominant players, Televisa and TV Azteca, “have been there forever,” says de Paula. “They are incredibly strong.”
In the past two years, two new networks—Grupo Radio Centro and Cadena Tres—have added to the competition, as Variety reports.
“They are fighting for space knowing that the market is tough, knowing that clients are looking for accountability, looking for ROI.”
Mexico and Brazil are probably the most advanced TV markets in LATAM, according to de Paula.
Asked for his reflections on the Cannes Lions, he says he’s impressed by “the brain level of the youngsters nowadays.” He recalls hearing presentations by two CEO’s, one 22 the other 24, and was impressed by their “level of eloquency.”
What also caught his attention is “the conversation about women leadership, which is a very important, serious topic that we should all pay very close attention.”
This video is part of Beet.TV’s Coverage of Cannes Lions 2017. For more from the series, please visit this page.
