Blue Ant Media has only had FAST channels in Latin America – Love Nature – for only two years and they are present on large platforms such as Samsung, LG, Hisense, Pluto TV and they are very open to local associations, “except with telcos that have not yet entered that part” comments Julio Sobral, VP of Channel Distribution for the US and Latin America of the company. In the US, the company’s FAST bet is already four years old.
He adds that they observe that both in the US Hispanic and in the region the audience is discovering linear channels through free streaming.
“We know that the audience is discovering them, there is viewership and engagement, but the transition from paid media (with advertising) is not yet there. But we see how Brazil and Mexico, where YouTube and Facebook are very popular, already understand a little about programmatic advertising. There we do see that the transfer of investments is arriving. We are very happy to enter the Latin American market with FAST, but we also have this global business: in Australia and New Zealand with four channels; throughout Western Europe and now entering the Middle East, a little more than 30 countries,” he says.
He indicated that they have two channels on ViX USA: Love Nature and Homeful Español. This last channel also joined Samsung in Mexico and Brazil.
Sobral also mentioned that the company is looking for international producers to make co-productions and Latin America is one of the territories considered. “We have networks interested, not only in licensing our content but in co-producing and developing together. We are open. We have more than 7 thousand hours, precisely for that reason, for co-productions and acquisition of third-party libraries,” he concluded.
Watch the interview with Julio Sobral from Blue Ant Media