This year the Cine Estelar and Cine Nostalgia channels forecast a scenario of growth and evolution, a reflection of what happens in general in the pay TV industry in the US.
“This year is unfolding with important new market trends: On one hand, the consolidation of AT&T and DIRECTV, and in a similar style, the case of Charter with Time Warner Cable. There is a growing trend among pay TV distributors towards consolidation and progressive development of new technologies to satisfy new habits for watching TV, expressed Carlos Vasallo, president and CEO of the channels Cine Nostalgia and Cine Estelar.
Vasallo mentions that the market is reflecting growth, new segments and new opportunities. Success will depend on the growth of all the platforms and the methods imposed by subscribers to hinder cannibalization, protect content and avoid online piracy.
Regarding the channel´s priorities, he highlighted the restoration efforts to HD quality, which continues to be the main goal, followed by new productions. “Between 2015 and 2016, both channels invested in the production of over one thousand pieces of original content that include new films, biographies, documentaries and programming capsules. No other film channel in Spanish invests in the production of new content, and even less in feature films whether movies or documentaries, production is expensive and requires a great financial muscle, commented Vasallo.
He also announced the expansion of documentary production on current events that impact Mexican society, with new episodes on the programming slot of Grandes Momentos de Nuestra Historia on Cine Nostalgia, with productions such as The Battle of Puebla and Pope Francis´visit to Mexico, among others.
He added that the ratings of Cine Estelar and Cine Nostalgia continue to be the best among movie channels in Spanish, the great preference of the audience towards Cine Estelar and Cine Nostalgia place them among the top 10 most watched channels in the pay TV packages in Spanish.