In uncharted waters, the industry remains committed to quality content, and while series and telenovelas continue to shine, it is unscripted content that stands as the safest bet for most buyers.

*By Luis Cabrera and Fernando Moreno, from Los Angeles, California

Just as it was during the pandemic in 2020-2021, or the actors and writers strikes of 2023, unscripted content always remains a solid option for buyers, no matter the storm of the moment.

Today, with a change in the business scheme, with the reduction of investment in production and acquisitions by streaming platforms, once again, non-scripted content rises in the esteem of buyers, even if telenovelas, premium movies and series maintain all their credentials.

Companies such as Banijay Rights, 360 Powwow, Red Arrow International or, within the Japanese delegation, MBC Americas, are at Los Angeles Screenings Independents 2024 – which is taking place these days at the Fairmont Century Plaza – presenting the latest news from their powerful catalogs of formats.

For MBC Americas, creator of the successful The Masked Singer, it is Song Stealer: “It is a singing competition format, a shiny floor format. It is a competition between the original singer and another singer who does a cover. We believe it is one of the best formats to adapt today,” highlighted Rachel Kim, Manager, International Distribution & Content Strategy at MBC America.

In the case of Red Arrow International, its CEO, Zasha Robles, highlighted the success of Married at First Sight in Mexico: “We had a preconception for almost 10 years that we were not going to find people who wanted to find love, and who loved each other, got married on the first day and then see if they could continue and create a couple. That preconception was proven wrong,” the executive highlighted.

“For a few months we have been working on That’s my Jam, a successful format that we are sure we will soon see in Latin America and very soon we will share with you the next territory for Let’s Make a Deal, the historic format that is a guarantee of success,” said Alejandro Pimentel, director of Content Development and Production at 360 Powwow.

Other booming genres

True crime, police content and documentaries or docuseries – which often include the previously mentioned elements – also have a great presence in the industry.

Record TV, for example, has successfully relaunched its factual content area with titles such as El Hospital, Doc Investigation and the award-winning La Bestia.

In a similar way, the American distributor Multicom Entertainment, present at LASI with an important delegation led by the renowned Irv Holender, also brings, within its vast library, titles from the most sought after genres, always maintaining that love for Hollywood that characterizes the company and the specialist in remastering old titles: “An example of that is one of the first films that Reese Witherspoon made called Freeway. We now have this beautiful 4K restoration of that film. Another is The Lost World, a classic television series that we have just restored thanks to AI technology,” explained Niloo Badie, Director of Sales and Distribution at Multicom Entertainment Group.

Speaking of innovation, OnceLoops has done the same with its shift towards musical content: “We are happy with what we have achieved this year,” said María Eugenia Muci, Content Director of Onceloops. “We have managed to get more into the music business, in content in which we never thought of participating. The musical projection is increasingly broader.”

Premium maintains its value

Of course, premium dramas and series continue to be protagonists of markets such as LASI 2024. As an example, Globo held a lunch where it presented its main novelties, which include titles such as Justice: Mala Conducta, among many others.

Another distributor of top-of-the-line titles is Onza Distribution, which arrived in Los Angeles with new releases such as Cacao and Galerías Cisne Dorado.

EO Media, for its part, shared the news of its next series, Punta Blanca, to be produced together with the Uruguayan company El Camino Films, and starring the Uruguayan celebrity Natalia Oreiro.

Regarding the always attractive Turkish telenovelas, Madd announced the sale of Blooming Lady to Telemundo, while OGM Universe did the same, announcing two agreements with Paraguay’s Telefuturo: for Broken Destiny and Lost in Love.

Mistco celebrated that Secrets of Angel will premiere “very soon” in Ecuador; while Global Agency enjoys the news that Red Roses, one of its main titles, will have a second season after its success in Turkey, on the screen of NOW (formerly FOX).

Somos Distribution, meanwhile, brought to the market Bahar, Mistco’s first co-production, and the youth series Gina Yei and Lucy es el 7.

TRT Sales is also present in Los Angeles with its latest historical titles, as well as with all the power of its Tabii platform, which will soon begin its international tour.

ATV, meanwhile, is presenting a lineup of Turkish hits, led by Safir, Street Birds, The Father and The Ottoman.

The event will end tomorrow, Friday 17th.