Viewer's choice

Latin Trade, Sept, 2003 by Michelle Guevara

Nowadays, anything that can be made digital can be downloaded. Pictures, computer programs, even music. So why not download TV? * Only a few countries in the world currently pamper viewers with the option to play, pause and rewind any program at any time of day, offered through cable. A similar service, known as video-on-demand, is already widely available on the Internet. Anyone with a personal computer can download first-run Hollywood movies, usually pirated. * Starting in September, Brazil will try a legal version with domestically made films. Latin America's pioneer providers, movie producer TeleImage and music distributor iMusica, are hoping to make the country's first taste of video-on-demand a success. It's a long shot: Brazil's broadband market penetrates less than 1% of the overall population, about 700,000 subscribers, according to Pyramid Research. There were more people at Sao Paulo's June gay-pride parade.

Although video-on-demand isn't expected to be a big hit in Brazil, analysts believe it could serve as a gateway to a cable-TV version. Until then, however, Latin America's traditional TV viewers will have to stick to ordinary programming schedules or head out to the theaters for a hit of celluloid escapism.