It is business as usual at the L.A. Screenings, despite being held only a month after one of the world’s biggest TV market MIPTV. Last year, nearly 70 major studio exhibitors and 1,500 foreign programme buyers descended upon the City of Angels to attend the screenings. Many studio executives TV ASIA Plus spoke to cited the exhibition’s strategic access to the Latin markets as a reason for the high turnout.

For exhibitor A+E Networks, its efforts will be concentrated on Free- TV buyers from Mexico, Brazil, Chile, and Ecuador, as well as the Pan Latin buyers, as they had in previous years. Marielle Zuccarelli, Managing Director, International Content Sales, A+E Networks, said: “L.A. Screenings is very important for Latin America. Many of the Latin buyers who do not attend MIPTV always make time for L.A. Screenings as it seems to be more cost effective than going to Europe.”

The organisation is also unfazed by how the Upfronts in New York the preceding week might lower turnout for the screenings. “It’s always a gamble to see what buyers are interested in and how much acquisition budget they have for independents. That said, A+E Networks’ reputation for having a strong slate always keeps the buyers interested in setting meetings with us and we have great hopes for the upcoming market,” said Zuccarelli.

Xavier Aristimuño, SVP of Sales & Business in Asia, Telemundo, sums up the key differences between both markets. “Upfronts is the presentation where we present to the international and US press all the content for the year 2012 to 2013 – We present our strategy and our content with short trailers. The screenings are similar but it’s the US studios showing all the programmes that they’ve done so far and all the programmes that they’re doing in the future.”

Coinciding with the start of the main screenings is the Latin Screenings, which usually takes the first half of the two week-long event. According to Cesar Diaz, Vice President of Sales at Venevision International, the Latin Screenings itself was founded some 20 years ago, when a group of Latin distributors came together to create a screening specifically targeted at the Latin market. Since then, the Latin arm has become an integral part of the L.A. Screenings, taking place over four days each year. This year, it begins on the 15th and wraps on the 18th.

“There is no question that the Latin Screenings claimed their stake in the market since the very first time they were set up. Lately, we have seen some of the major studios shift their days to overlap with the tail-end of the Latin Screenings. This validates the importance of the Latin attendance at the L.A. Screenings,” said Diaz.

Venevision, like A+E, acknowledges that there are too many markets at present but is not too concerned about the timing of L.A. Screenings being so close to MIPTV.

“We see the Latin Screenings and MIPTV as two distinct markets targeting two different regions. While at the Screenings, we focus strictly on our Latin clientele; on the other hand, when we are at MIPTV, we target buyers of non Spanish-speaking territories, meaning mainly Europe, Asia and Africa. Both markets work for us, each being a part of our global sales strategy,” said Diaz.

Raphael Correa, Head of International Sales of Globo TV International, echoes Diaz’s sentiments. He said that both markets differ in that L.A. Screenings is a traditional market that is in close proximity to the American production industry, whereas MIPTV is a platform to catch the eyes of international buyers.

However, he was quick to add: “L.A. Screenings is not only important for the Americas, but also for the entire industry, once it starts to have influence on programming schedules the world over.”

Telemundo’s Aristimuño agrees. He explains that Latin American broadcasters who come to the screenings visit both US and Latin American distributors. MIPTV is a completely different market because international buyers go there to see what Latin American studios have to offer, whereas these same buyers attend L.A. Screenings to meet with only the US studios.

Sony Pictures Television agrees. “L.A. Screenings is an important market for us to preview and acquire the latest productions from the major US studios,” said Yan-Jong Wong, Vice President, Programming – English Content, Networks, Asia, Sony Pictures Television. “It brings together the big Hollywood studios to showcase their latest programming, which is unlike any other market. As these dramas, comedies and reality series are the primary content for three of our five channels, L.A. Screenings is a very valuable market for us.”

Whether it is the screenings or the upfronts, Wong believes what matters most is the quality of productions and storytelling because these are the factors that will determine whether content sells.