TelevisaUnivision, the ultimate Hispanic American giant, currently licenses content to more than 130 countries, with a catalog of more than 1,000 telenovelas, and with more than 50,000 hours distributed.
Currently TelevisaUnivision is considered the most relevant Hispanic-American media conglomerate in the international market.
Its numbers are overwhelming at the moment: a catalog of more than 1,000 telenovelas, licenses in more than 130 countries, and with more than 50,000 hours distributed; which includes the contents from Televisa in Mexico and its SVOD platform, ViX, with more than 70 originals, including series, series, movies and unscripted titles.
In dialogue with ttvnews, Guillermo Borensztein, SVP of Global Content Licensing at TelevisaUnivision; spoke about the company’s strategic plans for the internationalization of its content portfolio.
What is the international aspiration and strategy for TelevisaUnivision?
We have an ambitious plan to take TelevisaUnivision’s Content Licensing business to the next level. This implies, on the one hand, consolidating our position as global leaders in the production and distribution of content in Spanish, and on the other, reaching the more than 500 million people who speak Spanish and who are underrepresented –in terms of content– in the majority of platforms. So, in a scenario where we reach more than 130 countries with our licenses, with a catalog of more than 1000 telenovelas, and with more than 50,000 hours distributed, we have the mandate to continue the track record with Televisa’s content, and the challenge of replicating the success story with the ViX originals.
Which international territories does TelevisaUnivision operate in currently?
We have historical and unique leadership at an international level with Televisa as an iconic brand recognized globally, and with results sustained over time, which allow us to currently reach more than 130 countries. In relative terms, we have a leading position in distribution for linear platforms in Latin America, Europe, CEE, CIS and Africa. In absolute terms, we have the opportunity to improve our presence in the Middle East and APAC to achieve incremental growth. In the same way with non-linear players for the ViX originals, from the flexibility that being owners of the content and defining the windowing and monetization cycles gives us.
What relevance does Latin America have within TelevisaUnivison’s strategy?
In Latin America we have a dominant position associated with the success of the Televisa brand and historical relationships with local partners throughout the region. Not only is it a key region in terms of licensing and sales, but also for the positioning of our content on the main open television networks. This is complementary to our platform, ViX. We work from exclusive partnerships, volume agreements, or content acquisitions, with historical relationships that fortunately allow us to have a long-term strategic vision.
In the first quarter of the year TelevisaUnivision announced appointments for the markets of Europe, Asia and Africa. What opportunities does TelevisaUnivision’s content find in these markets?
What are the most demanded contents in these markets? We currently have a team of experienced executives who have responsibility for licensing Televisa and ViX content, in EMEA and Asia. It is a single team that distributes both catalogs, strategically located in key cities such as New York, Miami and Madrid, taking advantage of its solid knowledge and relationships in the different territories.
We have consolidated our positioning in territories such as Spain, Romania, Hungary, etc. achieving agreements on both traditional linear and streaming platforms. Also in Africa, we have a strong presence across the continent through traditional FTV/PTV agreements as well as through our bilingual English/Portuguese channel in 48 sub-Saharan countries across the continent with a subscriber base that continues to grow.
Having content from Televisa and ViX gives us a tremendous advantage and allows us to expand our reach when providing a comprehensive offer for traditional clients, as well as the great increase in local platforms in different markets.
Although TelevisaUnivision is recognized worldwide for the creation and export of its telenovelas, the company’s portfolio of content to be licensed now includes original content produced for ViX, the company’s streaming platform. What type of content has been incorporated into the catalog in this sense?
Televisa content already reached more than 130 countries before the launch of ViX. We clearly have recognition for the success of our telenovelas globally. The interesting thing is that all of ViX’s original production has been growing to the average of 12 telenovelas per year that are produced sustainably in Mexico and exported around the world.
The more than 70 originals between series, movies, unscripted, etc; have been additional, complementary and incremental to the Televisa catalog. Mostly content produced in Mexico, but also with co-productions and originals in Spain, Colombia, Argentina, etc.
In addition to being leading screens in Mexico and US Hispanic, we are the main producer and distributor of Spanish-language content globally. Telenovelas as synonymous with our brand, but now we also license premium series, series, movies and unscripted on a scale.
What opportunities has the new ViX content found in the international market?
The ViX Originals have allowed us to expand and complement the historical catalog of Televisa Internacional. We continue to produce Televisa’s successful telenovelas at scale, with the original 70 from the first year of ViX being incremental. With this, our commitment to the production of content in Spanish is reinforced and allows us to reach more places and other platforms.
We have announced important agreements with Globoplay in Brazil, with Amazon Prime Video in Spain, with Movistar Plus in Spain, etc. In less than a year, we also managed to close deals for original ViX content in Portugal, Poland, Romania, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, CIS, Angola, Mozambique, etc. We are in the process of building a relevant Latin American content distribution cycle beyond the success of telenovelas and movies.
Are classic telenovelas still in demand on the international market?
Clearly, yes. Classic telenovelas, always crossed by melodrama, with defined and relatable characters, with current and aspirational stories, etc. They continue to be at the top of demand and consumption of linear and non-linear clients. It’s our DNA. It is also how the world sees us, and what is reflected in such diverse societies united by a genre. Our content aims to connect with stories, with its characters, and with what they feel. We are the drama, and we cannot lose that. Furthermore, the consumption of classic telenovelas maintains a sustained and growing demand.
