Suspension of sports events hits open TV

In times of quarantine, programmers have a hard time. The suspension of sports events, that in many Latin American countries are aired on open signals, imply a blow in programming, and also in the fall of revenues, due to the impossibility to fulfill advertising spots that this type of event attracts.

“Preventive isolation has led people to work from home and seek informal communication media verified information regarding the evolution of the crisis in the country and abroad. Audiences have grown for TV and OTTs, but in the case of open TV, the cancellation of sports events plays against advertising spots,” according to Camilo Aranguren, general director of Avcom Colombia.

The big events that have been canceled include the Formula One Grand Prix, to be held in China on April 19, and the NBA in the US. Together with the cancellation of Argentinean soccer, local teams with big fan groups such as the Italian, Spanish, English, and German, have also halted their encounters.

Uncertainty also lurks over the America Cup and the Eurocup, both on the same dates, from June 12 to July 12, to be disputed in multiple locations. The first will be played in Argentina and Colombia, countries where the epidemic is barely starting; the second, in 12 countries.