For the Content Americas market, TV Azteca presented three major scripted titles set to premiere in 2026: Lotería del Crimen, Un Día para Vivir, and Doctora Lucía.
Produced by Luis Cabrera and Ana Paula Carreira, from Miami
TV Azteca is a major powerhouse in Mexican content production, widely recognized for developing successful scripted series. Today, the company also acknowledges the growing strength of reality shows, which deeply connect with audiences and have become key pillars in strengthening its expanding digital ecosystem.
This was shared with ttvnews by Jesica Stescobich, Director of Distribution and Strategic Partnerships at TV Azteca Internacional. “At TV Azteca we do fiction, and that’s what we know how to do — we know how to tell stories. However, as a broadcast network with a strong digital impact, which is also what we’re aiming for, we’ve realized that reality shows are the content that really sets us apart and gives us much more variety to work across all kinds of genres, like Exatlón, which has been a long-running success for us and that we continue to produce,” she said.
Stescobich noted that this year they wrapped La Granja VIP, a Fremantle format that broke records. “It was impressive, from the digital audience to the linear broadcast audience, and even the audience we reached through a streamer. We obviously have many projects lined up for 2026, including a new season of La Granja. And we also have original formats, so it’s very likely we’ll continue developing more reality shows,” she added.
The executive also highlighted MasterChef as another format that performs extremely well. “Always working hand in hand with partners who bring us proven successful formats, or with our own IPs, reality is content that connects with audiences in different ways. That’s what we’re looking for: impact both on linear TV and on digital platforms,” she said.
What’s new in scripted content
For the Content Americas market, TV Azteca is bringing three scripted titles. “These are the ones that will be on air this year. They are new seasons of Lotería del Crimen, Un Día para Vivir, and Doctora Lucía. Doctora Lucía is season three and will premiere later on, but those are the three major scripted titles of the year,” the executive explained.
In addition, this offering is complemented by interviews with celebrities, athletes, and personalities of general interest, which are leveraged across their channels in podcast and video podcast formats.
A large part of TV Azteca’s success lies in its expertise in multi-window distribution. “From a distribution standpoint, what we do is amplify content and get the most out of every window. So if a piece of content is made for broadcast TV, that’s obviously its first window, but then we look at either a simultaneous or a later distribution window. That’s something we do at TV Azteca Internacional as part of a more traditional distribution strategy,” Stescobich explained.
FAST, microdramas, and new developments
On the digital front, the company has been focused on creating linear pay-TV, digital linear, and FAST channels. “We’ve learned a lot—there’s definitely a learning curve. We already have 10 FAST channels, and we’ve realized that local content resonates most. We’re launching an Exatlón channel; we’ve been producing this show for 10 years now, and we’re going to use the entire library to create an exclusive channel around it,” the executive said.
Stescobich added that microdramas are another area they continue to explore. “We already have a slate, but not so much with a distribution-first goal. Obviously, distribution is part of it, but it’s more about testing the audience, seeing if we’re ready or not. We already have one original microdrama completed, called El Sabor de la Venganza. It’s not yet on our platform, but we’re already offering it here for distribution. We also want to develop some original IPs and see how they perform.”
Regarding the use of artificial intelligence, she noted that it remains a major topic of discussion. “We already use it quite a bit in image promotion. Our promo department relies on it heavily because it speeds up timelines and creates new opportunities. We believe AI should be used as an ally, but we don’t agree with it replacing people. We’re also currently analyzing its use for subtitling our channels, so we can reach non-Spanish-speaking territories and improve the performance of our channels,” Stescobich concluded.
