Amid fluctuating economies, tighter budgets, and new trends in content consumption and production driven by continuous technological evolution, the international audiovisual industry is seeking -now more than ever- partnerships and production models that foster collaboration and the pursuit of shared objectives.

In this landscape, Latin America stands out as a region rich in business opportunities; with linear television remaining robust and the OTT sector continuing to expand, the blend of new generations and traditional audiences creates a scenario with immense potential for content creators and distributors alike.

“Latin America is one of the most exciting growth opportunities in global media and entertainment”, summarized María Rúa Aguete, Head of Media and Entertainment at Omdia, during her presentation at the most recent edition of Mipcom Cannes. “The region is growing by 15.4% this year, but what makes it particularly interesting is that television remains incredibly popular while streaming still has significant room to expand. The opportunity is enormous, but success will depend on affordability, connectivity, local content and partnerships.”

The consulting firm revealed that the Latin American media and entertainment market will generate US$62 billion by 2026, with a projected growth rate of 15.4%. It also anticipates that online video subscriptions -which will reach 190.7 million this year- will grow to 208 million by 2027 and 243 million by 2031.

From the event in France, ttvnews spoke with leading executives from distributors, production companies, service and localization firms, consultancies, and other audiovisual industry experts, to gain firsthand insight into their experiences working in Latin America, their perspectives on the current state of the market, and the opportunities they are pursuing to continue investing and growing alongside key players in the region.

With hundreds of channels and platforms present across various Latin American markets, there are numerous windows and opportunities available for new international content, a context in which cultural and linguistic similarities, such as those shared with Spanish productions, serve as a distinct advantage.

“In the case of Latin America, linguistic ties and connections are of the utmost importance,” explained Silvia Cotino, Director of Sales, Distribution and Fiction at Mediterráneo Mediaset. “We have strong partners in the region, particularly in the pay-TV sector. Historically, we have worked extensively with DirecTV; currently, we work with Flow; and we recently secured an agreement with HBO Max for the broadcast of La Favorita. Consequently, for these titles, we are currently in the ‘first window’ phase, and we hope to reach ‘second-window’ agreements for free-to-air television markets.”

Along the same lines, Rebeca Aguilar, Head of International Distribution at Movistar Plus, stated: “The relationship with Latin America has always been extremely positive. Movistar is a well-established brand, and our content travels very well there. There are many recognizable faces across both regions, and our pipeline includes highly significant stories that resonate strongly with Latin American audiences.”

Also based in Spain, Atresmedia Internacional enjoys almost a home-field advantage in Latin America, where its content has achieved notable success across several countries, with markets that readily recognize the quality associated with the Atresmedia brand. “We are extremely pleased with the results from this past year. We are continuing to roll out major new releases, including new scripted series. The Atresmedia factory never stops,” affirmed Miguel García Sánchez, the company’s Director of International Sales.

Another genre that has dominated Latin American television in recent years is Turkish drama; and despite economic fluctuations, this content continues to find its place.

“Due to budgetary constraints and the many changes we are currently experiencing, demand has dipped, though the interest of the Latin American audience remains. That is what makes this market so dynamic. We need to explore strategies that allow us to reach agreements that are flexible for everyone,” explained Mikaela Pérez, International Sales Executive at OGM Universe. “We have titles such as Six of Us, Broken Destiny, Lost in Love, and The Fall of the King airing in many countries, and that makes us very proud of the work we do as a team.”

“Both for our factual catalog and also for our Turkish dramas, sales have been ongoing in the region”, added Elif Turna, Sales & Business Development Manager at MediaHub. “Therefore we always go to the Latin American market to update our clients.”

For Kanal D International, the key lies in having titles with a proven track record in their local market, which helps attract Latin American broadcasters. “In Latin America, they like the assurance that a series’ first season has been successful. This is especially important for both free-to-air and pay TV. Many clients prefer to wait for a full season to be available, ensuring they have enough content for their programming schedules,” said Duda Perman, Sales Executive for Latin America at Kanal D International. “Last year at Mipcom, we were presenting Sins & Roses to clients with only five episodes, and now we are finalizing those sales.”

Speaking of successful productions, Cristina Duffy, Sales Executive for Latin America at Calinos Entertainment, highlighted the potential of Salted Love and Love in the Ashes for the region: “Calinos is always looking for top-tier content, and we work with production companies known for delivering just that. These two series are excellent examples: they are very well developed, feature a stellar cast, and, in the case of Love in the Ashes, showcase a location -Cappadocia- that is highly appealing to Latin American audiences.”

In the same vein, Müge Akar, Group Head of Sales & Distribution at ATV Distribution, continues to celebrate the success of the dramas Land of the Sun and Different Lives, both of which captured the attention of buyers at the market in France. “Different Lives is produced by NTC Medya, the team behind series such as Orphan Flowers, which was very popular in Latin America, and Love and Hate, which also enjoyed a successful run. Different Lives is a heartwarming neighborhood story that truly resonates with younger audiences,” noted Akar.

The Turkish distributor boosted the potential of both titles by bringing their lead actors to the market in Cannes, who also shared a few words for their Latin American fans. “When I choose a project, I always focus on love, and especially on impossible love. I know how much Latin American viewers appreciate this theme of impossible love and how strongly it resonates with them. That’s also why I value these kinds of stories when choosing a project. They’re the kind of stories that connect with audiences in those countries,” Burak Özçivit, the lead actor of Land of the Sun, told ttvnews.

Also hailing from Turkey, Global Agency has established a strong presence in Latin America through its successful formats, which have seen various adaptations across the region. The group arrived in Cannes with newest title: the singing competition The Greatest Duo, which has already secured its first sale to Italy, and the company expects it to reach more countries very soon, including in Latin America. “I have been creating formats for the last twenty years, and I can confidently say that this is the best one I’ve developed so far. My expectations are extremely high,” noted İzzet Pinto, founder and CEO of Global Agency.

Another distributor who arrived with a new title that already closed its first sale was Eccho Rights. The company presented the drama The Hatmaker, which was sold to MBC Group even before production began; and they anticipate it will reach the Latin American region following its premiere. “We are in talks with several other clients who might commit to the series before it even begins airing in January. Securing additional pre-sales would be a major success and remains one of our primary objectives,” explained Barbora Suster, Head of Latin America and Iberia at Eccho Rights.

Meanwhile, GoQuest Media, which has established a production model focused on the international distribution of its Turkish dramas, is now looking to expand this model globally, with Latin America playing a prominent role in its strategy. “The United States and Latin America, along with the Middle East, are the two major regions that contribute the most to overall traffic,” explained Vivek Lath, founder of GoQuest Media.

And when it comes to successful models, Just For Laughs Distribution has managed to win over audiences in Latin America through its catalog of non-dialogue content. “The strength of our catalogue is non-verbal content that travels very well internationally, doesn’t need to be dubbed or localized,” said Nicolas Holst-Roy, Sales Manager, International Distribution & Domestic Sales at JFL Distribution. “I think this content resonates very well all over the world and we had great success in Latin America with our FAST channels. And About Antoine is available on Netflix in LatAm and we are very proud about that too.”

ORF-Enterprise, for its part, has managed to reach the region through factual content -its flagship productions- which succeed in attracting audiences with their focus on science, nature, and current affairs. “I think it’s worth for every part of the world to look into other cultures of storytelling and to make shows travel. I sincerely hope that also there we will have a bigger footprint in the market,” said Armin Luttenberger, Head of Content Sales International at ORF-Enterprise.

Banijay Entertainment, a media company with extensive experience in the co-production and local adaptation of formats, is currently presenting a renewed strategy for Latin America, led by its new CEO for the region, Laurens Drillich.

“We do this because business in Latin America is doing really well, it has been growing,” he explained to ttvnews. “This was the moment to say ‘we are really independent and as important as any European region or the US’. I think we have more possibilities there now, because we have the All3Media formats, and there is the interest and the enthusiasm at Banijay Group to see how we can further grow.”

On that same note, another major contributor to Latin America’s growing production economy is Dori Media Group, a company that’s been betting on coproducing content in the region for many years, with notable results. “I believe that we’ve invested a lot in Latin America, especially in Argentina,” said Nadav Palti, CEO of Dori Media. “But not only there, because we also produce in Mexico, in Peru, and other places. And I think the secret is that we are there since 2002 and we didn’t leave; we didn’t even leave in the tough times.”

When it comes to giants, few represent the Latin American region quite like Globo, which has been producing and exporting content from Brazil for over 50 years. “At the core of Globo’s DNA are stories, their power and narrative strength, which is something we have been cultivating for decades,” noted Pablo Ghiglione, Head of International Sales and Coproductions for the Americas and Asia-Pacific at Globo. “For the better part of those 50 years, this was achieved through stories told in Brazil; however, once we made the decision to license our scripts for local adaptation, it opened up entirely new horizons.”

During the event, Globo also announced a new strategic partnership with Endemol Shine Brasil -part of Banijay Latin America- to co-create original Brazilian formats with the potential to become international franchises. Additionally, the company unveiled several local adaptations of its formats, including a version of Avenida Brasil in Portugal, a country that has long embraced Globo’s titles, further demonstrating the potential for Latin American content in Europe.

The Portuguese adaptation of Avenida Brasil, titled Avenida Portugal, will begin filming in November and is scheduled to premiere in March 2027, when it will take the place of Páginas da Vida on the SIC network. “We are very happy. The main cast has already been announced, and we couldn’t have chosen better actors. It will feature a phenomenal lead couple, and we are all very excited,” stated Carlota Vieira, Manager of SIC International Distribution, during the event.

From Mexico, TV Azteca is looking to expand its content catalog in collaboration with local partners across the region, with the goal of continuing its growth in Latin America and the international market. “We have solid deals in Latin America,” explained Karina Montoya, Director of Distribution and Strategic Alliances at TV Azteca. “We are also refreshing our catalog, bringing in new content to achieve greater market penetration there. We have agreements with pay TV channels, as well as an AVOD platform that carries our content.”

TV Azteca is a partner of Acunmedya, which produces the hit format Exatlón for the group. The company currently works with partners in 15 countries and also produces adaptations of other international formats, such as Survivor, I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, and The Voice. A significant portion of this activity is centered at the ACM Production Hub, a three-million-square-meter complex in the Dominican Republic, which features facilities for developing multiple productions simultaneously, as well as comprehensive services for international broadcasters and production companies.

“We have one of the largest outdoor production centers in the world. We don’t just produce our own formats; we also host productions for other companies, even when the formats aren’t ours and aren’t intended for our own channels,” noted Ebru Atasav Tahrancı, CEO of Acunmedya. According to Acunmedya, the complex employs over 1,500 professionals and produces more than 5,000 hours of prime-time content annually.

Another segment of the audiovisual business that has seen exponential growth in Latin America in recent years is children’s content, as result of the proliferation of talented professionals and technologies in the animation sector, accessible budgets for content development, and new platforms in search of content.

This was the assessment of Vivas Kumar, CEO of Digitoonz, who sees great potential for his company’s future in the region: “Latin America in recent times is emerging as one of the kids’ content hubs. A lot of people are going there. I can say I have met many producers. So we would love to explore the possibilities of releasing or doing some co-production, or bringing some investors from Latin America. We are exploring the possibilities.”

“We are interested in developing our business, so we are looking for partnerships in the Americas, in both North and South”, said along those same lines Margarita Shvets, Head of YouTube and Marketing at TwelveP Animation. “As Head of Marketing and YouTube, I’m super interested in partnerships with YouTube, and that’s why we partnered with El Reino Infantil in Latin America and Epic Story World in Canada.”

Precisely El Reino Infantil is a prime example of a Latin American group that has grown remarkably in recent years. The company arrived at the Cannes market with major announcements, most notably the start of production on a La Granja de Zenón feature film, slated for theatrical release in mid-2028. The news was shared by the company’s CEO, Felipe de Stefani, who also highlighted the opportunities emerging for children’s content companies with a strong digital footprint: “Despite the many challenges seen in recent years, companies like ours -which have a very strong digital presence- see great potential and promising prospects for generating significant international business.”

The digital space is, in fact, one of the primary growth areas for international children’s content entering Latin America. “The Latin American community is highly dynamic in terms of social media and the digital landscape,” explained Carlos Biern, Director of Content and Distribution at DeAPlaneta Entertainment. “We are constantly looking for projects that originate locally. We have frequently collaborated with partners in Mexico, Brazil, and Chile. There are exceptional designers, artists, and studios in Latin America that we are currently identifying; we believe there is tremendous potential.”

From Abu Dhabi, Animotion Media Group has seen its flagship IP, The Fixies, win over Hispanic audiences via YouTube. “We started to notice the growth, especially this last year, on our Spanish-language channels and social media. This year we reached 3 million subscribers on the Spanish channel for The Fixies,” said Julia Nikolaeva, General Manager at Animotion Media Group. “That’s why it’s just additional proof that we need to focus more on Spanish and especially Latin America. We’re checking our data and everything. So we’re now trying to make more tailored content, especially short content. Because we understand that consumption of content is a little different for different territories. And shorts are extremely popular in Latin America. I think for all ages and for all genres.”

“Many people in Latin America are fans of The Wiggles,” noted Luke Field, General Commercial Manager for The Wiggles. “Music is a universal language,” he added, also anticipating the brand’s expansion into new territories through upcoming animated projects.

And when it comes to music, few have enjoyed the level of success achieved by Plim Plim, not just in Latin America, but across the globe. “Music is key,” stated Víctor López, CEO of Krakatoa and Chief Commercial Officer of Spiritum Entertainment. “The international success of Latin American music is immense. I believe that music is in Plim Plim’s DNA; it is the starting point, the foundation, and that also makes it easy to transcend borders.”

One the same level as Plim Plim, an IP that is recognized globally is, without a doubt, The Jungle Book, whose characters have also successfully won over audiences in Latin America for decades. “It has reached the Latin market. You know, it has been broadcast on a few of the channels in the Latin region as well. And at the same time, we get great views from Latin America on our YouTube channels also. So if you go through PowerKids TV or a Jungle Book YouTube channel, you’ll find a lot of views coming in from those regions as well,” explained Manoj Mishra, CEO of PowerKids Entertainment.

This is the kind of presence that the Chinese group Winsing Animation hopes to replicate with its feature film Into the Mortal World, which will soon arrive in the region, as well as in other territories. “This year, our film is going to be released in Europe, Spain, French-speaking territories, and Latin America”, said Sophie Lau, Head of International Business at Winsing Animation. The film was selected for the official feature film competition at the 2025 Annecy International Animation Film Festival and is part of the company’s strategy to reach audiences beyond Asia.

From India, Prayan Animation is seeking new collaboration opportunities in the region; the company arrived at MIPJunior 2026 with eight intellectual properties at various stages of development, aiming to find new co-production partners, investors, and broadcasters. “We are looking for 2D animation service work, as well as partners for the production of our own IPs, along with promising projects to acquire and potential financing opportunities,” explained Vinayan V, CEO and co-founder of Prayan Animation Studio.

One of the ways international content distributors and producers have managed to bring their productions to various screens across Latin America is through localization, offering catalogs already dubbed into Spanish that easily resonate with local audiences. As key partners in this effort, localization companies were present in Cannes to seek out new alliances in the region.

“The Kitchen has had its infancy in Latin America. We were originally part of the Cisneros Television Group out of Venezuela. So we’ve always had a love for all things Latin America. And telenovelas have been with us for our 25 years that we’ve been in business,” said Deeny Kaplan, founding partner of The Kitchen.

Within this same sector, LesCompany seeks to expand its reach across the region and the international market, offering services that range from long-form dramas and soap operas to vertical-format content, documentaries, songs, and accessibility solutions such as audio description. As explained by Felix Motta, Head of Localization at LesCompany: “We can work with content for children, short-form vertical content -which has been very trendy lately- as well as long-form formats, such as Turkish or Russian soap operas. We have also worked with documentaries and songs. We handle any type of material.”

It is clear that Latin America has established itself as a region with enormous potential for the international audiovisual industry, not only due to market growth and the expansion of streaming, but also because of the strength of its audiences, the diversity of its exhibition channels, and the ability of its professionals to develop content that is competitive on a global scale. From scripted fiction and entertainment formats to animation and factual content, the region offers opportunities both for the distribution of international productions and for the development of original intellectual property.

In an environment characterized by tighter budgets and shifting consumption habits, strategic alliances, co-productions, and flexible business models have emerged as key factors in leveraging this potential. The availability of local talent, studios, infrastructure, and creativity -combined with the growth of digital platforms and the demand for content tailored to specific audiences- positions Latin America not merely as a destination market, but as a strategic partner for the production and international expansion of the audiovisual industry.