The Director of Distribution and Strategic Alliances of the Mexican giant spoke with ttvnews about their successful business model, what’s new in terms of programming and original production, the growth in the FAST sector, and their objectives for the remainder of the year.
Armed with a catalog of great productions, with brand new shows as well as returning seasons of proven hits, TV Azteca continues to extend its footprint, not only in Mexico but internationally as well.
In the following interview with ttvnews, Fernando Muñiz, Director of Distribution and Strategic Alliances at TV Azteca, reviews the growth of the Mexican group both in linear TV and in the world of streaming, and presents the great new content that it’s preparing for the upcoming months.
In a constantly evolving industry, how has TV Azteca adapted in terms of business models and marketing strategies?
We are open to all types of businesses. We are very flexible because we are very interested in co-producing, pre-selling productions, doing many things. Because we are a very dynamic company, we are constantly growing, innovative. The goal we are given from the general content directors, is to innovate and think of new ways to bring in income. We are very open to all types of alliances in which we can generate the most income for the company, and be able to generate fresh and new content.
What drives us to do it? What are the changes in the industry? There are so many possibilities now in the industry and so many ways to consume content and windows, that’s what drives us. Obviously the intention or core-business of the company is that the contents air first on broadcast TV and from there we exploit all the other available windows, but we are not tied to that either. It may also be that at some point we premiere something in a specific window and then it goes to broadcast TV.
One of the group’s big news for this year is a new installment of La Academia. What can you tell us about it?
La Academia is a 100% proven reality show with success not only in Mexico but also internationally, in the case of Central America it is a phenomenon and in some South American countries it also works very well. Not to mention the US, which is a natural market for La Academia. I am sure that this academy, with the new format that we are bringing, with shows during the week and additional ones with very strong surprises, is going to be a format that is going to work extremely well.
What else does the company have in store in terms of programming?
Once again, they are products that have already been successful on the market. The new seasons, for example that of La lotería del crimen, come with much more impressive things, with stronger action scenes, more substantial content. Dra. Lucia as well, those who enjoyed the first season saw the show was getting stronger and stronger to reach a climax with which we started the second season, which is very good. And Lo que callamos las mujeres, which is a standalone series, increasingly touches on more current topics for women and modern life. I think these formats are going to be very well received again because they are expected.
When it comes to fiction, we are focused on these formats and the library that we normally carry. In addition to that we bring La Academia. And definitely for the streaming and OTT distribution part we have the FAST channels, which are working very well especially for territories like the US and other places outside of LatAm. We are very happy about that.
Speaking of FAST channels, this is an area that has worked very well for the group. What is your strategy based on for this rapidly growing sector?
We have done very well in terms of FAST. As I have always said, we are pioneers in this market. Unlike other companies that take great care of their core-business, pay TV is not the core-business for us. Yes, we have a good pay TV business, however it is not the core business. That’s why we are much more aggressive on the FAST channels. We know that consumption has grown. There are 2,400 FAST channels that exist in the market today. Well, we must be disruptive and stand out. And it has worked well for us, because we are not looking to put filler content, or content that we have just stored in a library on these channels, because what we are not looking to do is be just another one in this universe of 2,400 available channels. We seek to be disruptive. And that is what we are going towards, it has worked very well for us to put very good quality content on these channels.
Definitely the position we have today in the Hispanic market outside of Mexico is very important. We are one of the most important providers of Spanish-language content in the world. Every time, with all this new content that we have, formats, reality shows that we can distribute, the FAST channels, we are making sure to be a provider that is not only important but relevant. That is what we are aiming for and that is how they are seeing us now.
A message you’d like to share with the industry?
We are a very practical, intelligent and innovative solution for all those whose budgets are currently limited. And if you want to buy good content, at a good price, without window or territory limitations, you can come to us.
