A restless first trimester 2011: Resignations, layoffs, wars and office closings

By: Amanda Ospina

At the closing of the year’s first trimester, it is evident that the TV industry in all of America is in the lion’s den.

It all started in January with NATPE in Miami Beach, a successful event because of the number of participants and increase in sales stands, but disastrous in their logistic and organization. Long lines to go up to the suites made for the majority of the business to be transacted at the Lobby bar. A subject the event’s board of directors will have to rethink, especially because NATPE has signed for a few more years to stay in Miami.

Then a wave of resignations and layoffs is unleashed, among them Joe Uva’s resignation, president and general director of Univision, the leading Spanish media company in the United States. Resignation that is not at all like a bucket of cold water, as rumors and criticism of his results were preceded and followed by an abysmal offer for a network, which is having a hard time adapting their screen to modern times. On the same day of his resignation, various media reported that Uva could be a candidate to gain access to the head post of NBC/Universal, after the purchase from Comcast. Umm, as the saying goes: Tomorrow we will see!
But if it rains on Univision, in Telemundo there’s no letting up. After searching for more success in their productions and new forms in their production business model, Telemundo’s ownership is making radical changes to their business. With the resignation of Patricio Wills as main production head, Telemundo will produce in Mexico and in Miami, because the costs to produce in Colombia was quite expensive.

And since we are in Colombia, a hurricane also is there. Paulo Laserna resigned as president of Canal Caracol, according to various media and critics, because of mediocre results in audience measurements and low qualiy productions. The channel's ownership, expect that this change brings a renewed vision, new creative talent, clear corporate objectives, and restructuring of business management models. The lack of new blood is notorious in their entertainment divisions, drama, technical, programming, new business, international business, news and all their areas are in need of innovative and dynamic strategies.

But the most notorious of the quarter, definitely is the war of giants in the powerful Mexican market: How about the battle of the duopoly against monopoly? Mexicans and the world is witnessing an unusual dispute between telecommunication monopolies involving the world’s richest man, Carlos Slim owner of TELMEX versus Televisa and Azteca.

And just as even in the best families all happens, the giants of pay TV and the majors also are protagonists. Warner Channel office in Miami and Caracas, Venezuela will close their doors on the 1st of April due to a change in their operations. Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) assumes responsibility from their Atlanta office and Argentina of all operations: programming, financing, press and marketing, advertising sales and creative services among others.
Warner Channel continues to be a property of Warner Bros Co., and HBO Latin America Group will continue to be in charge of distribution and the channel’s satellite transmission.
Meanwhile, in the production area for Latin America, from SONY Pictures Television, the exit of Brendan Fitzgerald its main leader, resonated.
So things get complicated for these companies and others. The crisis continues to develop and in TVMAS we will continue to analyze and inform. And also, last but not least, besides Facebook and Twitter there are dozens of social networks in the internet that are causing all the rage in the world and competing by proposing the use of applications for specific problems and reaching a more specialized public – because of their professions or particular interests.

In conclusion,of all the tsunamis the industry is experiencing, the strongest and most dangerous of all is piracy. Note that La reina del sur as of yet to broadcast in Mexico and already a great majority of the public has seen the first 10 chapters, which are sold like bread for breakfast in the streets of Mexico City. How terrible and what a disaster! So this is the way things are, the industry will have to align, just as do the stars from time to time.