Suspension of production to impact lightly 2021 catalogs

Content distributors, who are currently selling 2019 productions, could see their catalogs affected in 2021 when they have to commercialize the productions of this atypical year. However, everything indicates that the impact will not be relevant. 

Beatriz Cea Okan, VP, and Head of Sales and Acquisitions for Latin America at Inter Medya do not fear due to portfolio products. Turkey just resumed shootings and, if everything goes according to plan, the Turkish distributor´s catalogs will be well supplied for 2021.

Ángela Colla, International Sales Director at Globo, explained that Estudios Globo (which in normal times produces 2 hours of content a year) will resume shootings in September but, to respect social distancing, they will not be able to shoot five products simultaneously as usual. This could have a certain impact on the 2021 catalog.

Ariel Tobi, Senior VP Production and Distribution at Hemisphere Media Group, whose catalog (Snap) feeds off the international film market, detailed that in the Cannes Film Festival (held virtually) lack of content was notorious.

“The gap is getting bigger and the production and distribution chain is being impacted,” he said. Hollywood is defining protocols, which generates a readjustment in production mechanisms, and it is believed that they will not be able to resume their production rhythm until the last quarter of the year. As an alternative, some companies are seeking to produce in countries less affected by COVID-19. “Marvista is analyzing producing in Australia,” said Tobi.

Watch Webinar PRODU: Selling programming in times of crisis