Streaming regulation to be debated at Tiradentes Film Festival
In 2021, a survey by Australian consultancy Finder identified Brazil as one of the world’s leading streaming markets. According to the survey, 65 percent of Brazilian adults had subscribed to at least one service. Eighteen nations were assessed and only New Zealand stood higher. In this respect, Brazil was ahead of countries like the US and Canada.
In view of its success with the Brazilian public, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and HBO Max have all invested heavily in Brazilian productions. The country’s largest media group, Rede Globo, has followed suit with its own platform, Globo Play.
Regulation on this market has been a major part of the discussion surrounding the audiovisual sector, with some proposals put forward in Congress. The issue will also be debated at the 27th Tiradentes Film Festival (Mostra de Cinema de Tiradentes in the original), which kicks off in Tiradentes, Minas Gerais, on Friday (Jan. 19).
Debates
The program includes the screening of 145 films, artistic presentations, workshops and debates, in addition to the second edition of the Tiradentes Forum, which should draw dozens of Brazilian audiovisual experts drawing a diagnosis of the industry and devising a list of proposals for 2024.
According to event coordinator Raquel Hallak, this year’s Tiradentes Forum will have three lines of discussion. The first will take stock of what happened in 2023 and the outlook for 2024. Video on demand regulation will be part of the second line of discussion. “It ranks at the very top of the priority list. Brazil is the second largest consumer market in the world. We’re talking about a paradigm shift in the market. Brazil could become a byword for this,” she argued. The line should include an evaluation of the Paulo Gustavo Law, created during the COVID-19 pandemic to stimulate the cultural sector.
The first edition of the Tiradentes Forum took place last year. The talks resulted in a letter of demands and setbacks faced by the audiovisual industry in recent years. Later on, a publication was produced detailing the debates. The material was delivered to a number of authorities.
Several topics from the letter were adopted as public policies in 2023, Hallak noted. As examples, she cited the changes to the Superior Cinema Council and the approval of the screen quota for pay TV and cinema. Screen quota is the legal obligation to show a minimum of domestic productions on the big screen, TV, and streaming. In Brazil, there is still no screen quota for streaming.
Remarkable potential
Honored in this edition of the Tiradentes Film Festival, actress Bárbara Colen descrived the event as an ideal opportunity for reflections about the topic.
“In recent years, the streaming market has often proved to be a real lifesaver for audiovisual workers. With the pandemic and the cuts under [former Brazilian President] Bolsonaro, it gave us real job options. I’ve done a few things in the sector and had great working conditions,” she said.
“I believe,” she added, “the more diverse the audiovisual market, the better it is for everyone. It’s important to offer different languages: commercial cinema, independent cinema, and the production of series and movies for streaming.”
