In the following report, ttvnews compiles the testimonies of buyers interviewed in the first quarter of the year to decipher the main trends among the genres and formats most in demand in the international market.

In an industry as ever-changing as the entertainment industry, it is imperative to stay ahead of the latest trends and understand what the international market is demanding in terms of content.

To this end, ttvnews presents the Buyers: What are buyers looking for? initiative to gain firsthand insight into the programming needs of buyers around the world.

This time, we compiled the testimonies obtained in these first months of the year to list the commonalities, and decipher the types of content most in demand by platforms and channels in Latin America and the international market.

One of the most classic genres on Latin American television screens, it’s no surprise that telenovelas continue to be among the most in-demand productions for buyers in the region. This was highlighted by Liliana Castillo, National Head of Programming and Broadcasting at Red Uno Bolivia: “We always monitor telenovela launches in the markets. We like to select titles that, while not currently available, we like to shape where we want to go with this content.”

Along the same lines, Eugenia Velez, VP of Programming and Marketing at RCN, emphasized that the group seeks to “increasingly revive the classic telenovela,” explaining that “it will always be a winning offer and an impressive combination.”

Israel Rojas, a representative of Rating Entertainment, explained that they travel to markets “to analyze drama content. We see a lot of commitment, a lot of content, a lot of supply, and we hope the market continues to develop in a more diversified manner, as we have seen so far.”

“It’s always important to have recent acquisitions, to compete for telenovelas, fiction, or other formats that are willing to be produced and adapted,” emphasized Alexis Zamora, Content Manager at Canal 13 in Chile.

This search for diversified content is also shared by Doris Volgelmann, VP of Programming and Operations at V-me Media: “In terms of acquisitions, we are looking to buy packages not only at the drama level. We have had conversations with AMC, Fremantle, and other companies that have very good programming. In terms of genres, we are looking for crime, which is what the audience is asking for, or series that are very dark and family-friendly. A third area is animals, which are very well received.”

Claudia Dreyer, Director of Acquisitions and International Partnerships at Box Brazil Media Group, agreed, saying: “We are open to a wide variety of genres that we can present on our on-demand content platforms. We have interests in several genres, and we are now also launching another channel on pay TV, called Travel and Food.”

Nicolás Rodríguez, CEO of Addicta TV, added: “Within Addicta, we are able to receive any type of content: feature films, series, documentaries, podcasts, and music videos. We want Addicta to capture the essence of Latin American culture for the global market.”

Along with telenovelas, another major trend among content buyers is the search for unscripted formats and content, as Javier Goldschmied, Programming Director at TVN Chile, explained: “We’re looking for entertainment, packaged programs.”

Along the same lines, César Pereira, Production, Marketing, and Corporate Communications Manager at Latina Peru, stated that “with regard to genres, we want to continue making a lot of entertainment and companion programs,” although he emphasized the importance of national fiction.

Local adaptations of formats are another important trend among buyers, as Karina Medina, Programming Manager at Ecuavisa, emphasized: “Primarily, we’re looking for formats to adapt and books to adapt; that’s our main focus. We also continue to buy telenovelas, primarily Turkish dramas.”

And in terms of production, content with co-production potential or original productions also emerges as a major factor in what buyers are looking for in the international market. In this regard, Marco Medina, CEO of Lumexx Media, highlighted the need to “be looking for different production companies.”

“I’m trying to represent independent productions, focusing on those voices that platforms want to see and, when they see the numbers, want to invest in them again, because they’re the ones who know the culture,” the executive explained.

Orestes Aja, Head of Digital & OTT at Atresplayer, highlighted the importance of original content: “The content strategy for the Latin American and US Hispanic markets is very clear from Atresplayer’s perspective. It’s about offering our productions, the classic and well-known productions from Atresplayer’s and Atresmedia’s traditional catalog.”

Lastly, Fernando Muñiz, CEO of América TV in Peru, revealed that “for 2025, I’m looking for interesting formats for the multiscreens we have now. We’re also looking to do co-productions and be able to better monetize our content.”

The full testimonials from the buyers interviewed can be found in our weekly newsletter, TTV Buyers: What Are Buyers Looking For?, here.