Cuban state television is studying different markets to export programs produced on the island in other regions such as Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe, said Aimara Sierra Sánchez, director of the Export and Business Directorate of Cuban Institute of Radio and Television (ICRT), official journalist Paquita Armas Fonseca reported on the Cuban television portal. Armas pointed out that some of the proposals of “They will not draw attention to those who see socialism as a ‘bogeyman’.”.
“The main markets we have explored are Latin America and the Caribbean, due to their geographical and cultural proximity to our country; the European market, mainly Spanish, has also been investigated. However, the strategy intends to conduct a study of all possible niches. in which we identify that our products and services can be marketed, as well as train the necessary staff in the tools to accelerate market research, ”Sierra said.
Cuban government has insisted for months on the need to export all possible products to collect foreign currency, especially since declining tourism and other sources of income due to the coronavirus pandemic. To this end, at the beginning of 2020, the ICRT Directorate for Business and Export was created.
“The fundamental audiovisual production of our institute is destined for the television program of the national and provincial channels., so the dialogue list is not an element that the creators consider a priority requirement in the creation. As a result of the process of revitalizing exports and foreign trade, this requirement becomes very important, as it is the basis for being able to translate and subtitle works in other languages, therefore it was changed with the Cuban General Directorate of Television, so that all the audiovisual works that are made for marketing, meet this requirement, among many others, to be in tune with international standards, “said Sierra.
According to the ICRT directive, “our strategy provides for the digitization of audiovisual files with heritage value and those identified may have a commercial interest that are not in HD format. To this end, a digitization center has been set up with advanced equipment to carry out this process. ”
Cuba was one of the first countries in Latin America to have television, but production after 1959 was downgraded compared to other countries such as Mexico.
Sierra also advanced that The ICRT “works” to charge for advertising services. “We study the forms and spaces in which the advertisement would be inserted, as well as all the other margins derived from this problem. In addition, we evaluate what is related to sponsorship,” he said.
Journalist Paquita Armas Fonseca considered that Cuban television can export series such as LCB The Other War, which says the fight against bandits, but “It does not attract those who see socialism as a ‘bogeyman'”.
Armas also proposed to export ICRT series Breaking the silence, which talks about “multiple forms of violence”; program Conscience, which tells the life of Cuban scientists, for “the Abdala and Soberana vaccine hook,” he said; and capsules of Chamaquili from La Colmenita which deals with bicharraco (known as SARS-CoV-2) “, he added.
“The TV can sell scripts and, of course! Promote his artists so they can be hired elsewhere. I think with a good marketing job, there would be many applications. to enter freely convertible currency, so necessary so that the chicken is not missing and is no longer bought after long and stormy lines “, he concluded.
However, Armas did not propose the popular comedy program Live the story which is followed by Cubans outside the island and is one of the favorite spots of the criticized Cuban state television.