So far this year, interest in opinion programs in the region's markets has clearly picked up, with Costa Rica, Honduras and El Salvador recording the largest increases in interactions associated with the topic.
Through a system that monitors in real time changes in consumer interests and preferences in Central American countries, developed by the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData, it is possible to project short and long term demand trends for the different products, sectors and markets operating in the region.
In Guatemala, a legislative project prohibiting cuts in water, electricity, cable TV, telephone and Internet services during the state of calamity, which was decreed by the outbreak of covid-19 in the country, was published.
After multiple struggles, Decree 15-2020 was published on May 21 in the Diario de Centroamérica, which was approved by the deputies and then vetoed by President Alejandro Giammattei.
In Guatemala, the rights for the transmission and reproduction of sports events of the national teams of the National Football Federation, in all its categories and modalities, are tendered.
According to the rules of the contest, the rights that comprise the transmissions by open television, cable television, and radio, produced and transmitted within the national territory.
In 2017, countries in the region imported $198 million worth of televisions from Mexico, and 57% were purchased by companies in Guatemala and Costa Rica.
Figures from the information system "Trade between Central America and Mexico", compiled by the Business Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData : [GRAFICA caption = "Click to interact with graph"]
Starting from very low levels, pay TV is growing in Central America, with 4.4 million subscribers foreseen by 2018.
"... In just four years between 2008 and 2012, all of the six Central American countries saw increases in the average subscription rates of pay TV from between 21.4% to 31.3% of households with televisions. Measured in nominal terms, it amounted to a net addition of nearly 1.15 million new subscribers during the period, going from 1.5 million customers at the end of 2008 to over 2.6 million by the end of 2012 .... this upward trend will continue in the medium term. Towards 2018, it is expected that over 40% of households with televisions in the region (4.4 million) will subscribe to a pay TV service, which still generates significant room for future growth. "
A study by Pyramid Research says that the telecommunications market in 2011 generated revenues of $2,400 million.
Of the total, 69% ($1,600 million) corresponds to the mobile phone business and the rest is divided between internet, cable television and fixed telephony services.
"Guatemala is one of the countries with the fastest growth of mobile telephone use, the number of lines increased from 64,194 in 1997 to over 18.5 million in June 2011 with an average of 127 lines per100 inhabitants due to market privatization and the arrival of 2 new operators in the market", reported Elperiodico.com.gt.
Dar TV, the first Spanish Cinema channel in Latin America, will open its administrative offices in Guatemala.
The channel will now have its administrative office in Guatemala, its technical agency in Miami and its operative center in Madrid.
Newspaper El Periódico interviewed Manuel Gómez Roman, Dar TV president: “¿How many homes could the channel reach initially? – We are committed to reaching 50 million homes or 200 million viewers”.
In 2015 Central America will sell $2 billion in paid television and broadband services, both wireless and cable.
A report from consulting company Signals Telecom foresees a battle in broadband services, as the average speeds offered in Central America are below South American and Caribbean averages.
They also expect competition to cause improvements in 3G coverage, and the introduction of more added value services.
The group, Emisoras Unidas, announced the launch of the "Proyecto del Futuro II," a strategic alliance of communications media.
"Proyecto del Futuro II" is a strategic Alliance of 44 radio stations, three regional television channels, 800 outdoor ad spaces and seven websites, also includes the Central American representation of the channels MTV, VH1, and Nickelodeon.
The consumer is becoming a “prosumer.” Ad messages are no longer in one direction. They have become a dialogue instead.
It was Alvin Toffler who coined the term "prosumer" when he envisioned a scenario in which businesses would initiate a process of change to mass-produced customized products in order to continue increasing their profits in a market saturated with mass-produced standard products.