Latin America’s Next Frontier: Regional Storytelling in the Affinity Economy

By César Martínez – Media Executive | Acquisition, Content & Programming | Entertainment & Sports | Multi-Platform (TV/OTT/Social)

For decades, our audiovisual industry in Latin America has operated in fragments —each market building its own stories, formats, and strategies without fully leveraging the regional scale.

Yet the global entertainment map has changed. Platforms demand volume, diversity, and efficiency. The challenge today is not producing more, but producing together —articulating a regional strategy capable of turning our creative and cultural wealth into a competitive advantage.

We must think regionally and execute locally. Latin American audiences share emotional roots that transcend borders —humor, music, aspiration, identity—yet our production models remain nationally confined. The opportunity lies in connecting those shared emotions into scalable stories conceived with local truth and regional intent.

Mexico’s tradition in scripted television, Colombia’s contemporary storytelling, Argentina’s authorship, Chile and Peru’s mesmerizing locations, and Venezuela’s enduring broadcast culture can all serve as complementary pillars of a unified ecosystem. This is not just co-production —it’s a regional content plan: projects designed from day one for multiple territories, windows, and versions.

And as streaming increasingly converges with broadcast —reintroducing advertising, redefining discovery— we have entered what Evan Shapiro calls the Affinity Economy: an era where audiences don’t just watch; they belong. Success will depend less on reach, and more on the depth of connection a story can generate across borders.

A.I. can analyze, optimize, and accelerate —but it cannot create purpose. It can suggest what to produce, but not why. The future will belong to those capable of blending data with intuition, technology with emotion, and scale with soul.

By 2030, maybe even before that, television, streaming, and digital content will converge into a single, fluid ecosystem. Formats will evolve into experiences, and audiences into narrative communities.

The true differentiator won’t be who owns more technology, but who understands human connection within it.

Latin America has everything it needs to lead this transformation —talent, history, infrastructure, and creative ambition. What we need now is strategic articulation: leaders who can connect creativity, business, and purpose across the region.

Because content is no longer about screens —it’s about connection.
And those who start building with that purpose today won’t just adapt to the future —they’ll define it.

What are your thoughts? Moreover, what’s your guess as to why this post is in English?

Image made by Grok.