Corporate Vicepresident HBO Networks at HBO Latin America Gustavo Grossmann in an interview by TAVI Latam.
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Highlights from the interview:
-We are always ready for what is coming; we try to offer the best content and to keep our position as the best Pay TV entertainment experience in Latin America.
-We keep on innovating in digital products; we offer a 360 service, including HBO Extras and podcasts.
-Our local productions in Latin America rank very well in the region.
-In 2020 several Latin American productions will premiere: Mil Colmillos, Entre Hombres, Todxs Nosotrxs and El Huésped Americano.
-Although there has been a dropping trend in Pay TV subscriber count in the region, the same trend cannot be seen in premium channels subs count.
-Results attained with HBO Go are, roughly speaking, fairly positive.
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Interview:
TAVI Latam:-How is HBO bracing for the future, taking into account the growth of OTT platforms?
Grossmann:-We are always ready for what is coming; we try to offer the best content and to keep our position as the best Pay TV entertainment experience in Latin America. That’s our commitment and our mission. At the same time, we keep on innovating in digital products; we offer a 360 service, now including HBO Extras and podcasts for Watchmen and His Dark Materials.
TAVI Latam:-What is the specific goal of these digital products?
Grossmann:-The idea is to strengthen content. In addition, we want to expand the linear TV experience.
TAVI Latam:-How are Latin American productions performing? Can they match the success of the other productions?
Grossmann:-There are important marketing aspects and noise making that mark a difference between them. However, our local productions in Latin America rank very well in the region. We may mention El Jardín de Bronce (The Bronze Garden) and El Negocio (The Business) as examples of utterly successful productions. In 2020 there will be more premieres. Among them, Mil Colmillos, the first fiction series produced in Colombia, Argentina-produced Entre Hombres (Amongst Men) and Brazil productions include Todxs Nosotrxs, El Huésped Americano (The American Guest) and the comedy Hard.
TAVI Latam:-Is there any possibility of growth, taking into consideration the drop in Pay TV subs count in some countries and the stagnation in some others?
Grossmann:-There is ample room for growth. Although there has been a dropping trend in Pay TV subscriber count, the same trend cannot be seen in premium channels subs count. We follow the evolution of Latin American economies closely because it has an impact on entertainment. But we believe there is room for growth, ample room. Insofar as the client is offered a digital option as a complement of the linear channel, insofar as users can view content whenever and wherever they wish, we will go on growing. Obviously we are not speaking of accelerated growth. However, it’s constant and that’s what matters.
TAVI Latam:-How is HBO Go performing as a direct-to-consumer OTT service?
Grossmann:-We are satisfied with what we have achieved up to now. We see that the audience is also satisfied. According to our client support center, the number of queries has decreased significantly, which means that people are far more active with the app and have learned how to use it. We are on the right path. We know that non-linear content consumers think in a different way and it is necessary to constantly motivate them to sign up for the service and to renew subscription. Communication with subscribers of this kind is far more direct. Results are, roughly speaking, fairly positive.
