14 As for the number of acquisition executives, the count could easily reach 1,500, scattered among 40 hotels across Los Angeles. Those who canceled were replaced by new buyers. The full head count is somewhat distorted by the fact that some media groups registered withVideoAge a smaller number of buyers than were actually present in L.A. This was done in an effort to avoid criticism from the domestic press, especially in countries that are experiencing economic hardship. Some Latin buyers notified distributors that, this time, they would focus solely on studio fare and that they could meet instead at MIPCOM in October. Indeed, some Latin broadcasters even reserved accomodations at hotels other than the traditional Century Plaza and InterContinental. However, despite the fact that the hallways on the 17th and 19th floors of the Century Plaza (where most of the distributors’ suites are located) looked empty, sellers held one meeting after another inside their suites, prompting repeated visits from walk-ins (such as reporters) who did not set up appointments in advance. As always, the hot spot to meet elusive buyers remained the lobby bar area of the Century Plaza, where everyone converged after 5 p.m., including those L.A.-based distributors who did not rent suites. The Upfronts in New York City proved that with $2.5 billion in annual ad money for Spanishlanguage television, the sector is heating up. At the Upfronts, Telemundo (part of NBCUniversal) introduced its new president of the network and production studios, Luis Silberwasser, a former Discovery executive. Univision announced its big leap into football (soccer) rights of top Mexican and U.S. leagues. Among the major players in U.S. Spanishlanguage television, Telemundo, Discovery, Estrella TV and Azteca all exhibited at the L.A. Screenings. At the Upfronts, the Anglo nets came up with a new buzzword to describe the 2014-15 TV season: Eventizing. As NBC Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt said, “[we’re] trying to eventize everything.” Echoed FOX Entertainment chairman Kevin Reilly “We’re eventizing our entertainment slate.” Translated into English, “eventize” means that the U.S. nets are trying to get viewers to watch TV live (or at least within the three-day window that advertisers will pay for), to stand out in a TV universe cluttered with hit cable and online shows and to test the staying power of traditional scheduling at a time when “anytime TV” is all the rage. A continuing trend among advertisers is to shorten spots to reduce costs, while the networks (both broadcast and cable) are increasing the number of commercials per hour. According to ratings service Nielsen, in 2009 the FTA nets averaged 13.25 minutes of commercial time per hour. In 2013, commercial time increased to 14.15 minutes per hour and 15-second spots increased to 44 percent from 35 percent. Nielsen also revealed that network schedules are changing in view of large audiences shifting their viewing patterns from Thursdays to Sundays. Until recently, Thursday night was seen as a crucial primetime period for the networks, particularly sought after by advertisers such as car manufacturers and movie studios. According to Nielsen, an average of 112 million viewers watch TV on Thursday nights, compared to 125 million on Sunday and 120 million on Monday. Since Tuesday and Wednesday have more viewers, Thursday is now the fifth most watched night of the week. A final note about audience fragmentation is that, even though U.S. homes now receive on average 189 TV channels, only 17 of those are watched on a regular basis. June/July 2014 L.A. Screenings Telemundo’s Esperanza Garay (l.) and Jimena Mejia with Colombia City TV’s Lorencita Santamaria (c.) (Continued from Page 12) Fernando Pérez Gavilán and his Televisa Internacional team The ninth Annual L.A. Screenings Veteran Luncheon at the InterContinental Hotel. It attracted 17 executives, including Colin Davis, former president of MCA Universal. A film crew from CBC Canada shooting a documentary about the L.A. Screenings interviewedVideoAge’s Dom Serafini because he changed the name “May Screenings” to “L.A. Screenings.” The first time the L.A. Screenings moniker was ever used was inVideoAge’s April 1983 Issue.
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