RIO DE JANEIRO -- Brazilian feevee Canal Brasil will for the first time air Argentinian pics in primetime this year as part of a bid to foster a greater exchange of pics.
"We are selecting the 37 films from more than 60. It is the first concrete step toward integration in the area," said Canal Brasil general director Paulo Mendonca, adding that the network is paying "symbolic fees" for the rights.
Feevee plans to begin airing the pics by the end of May. It will show one per week during primetime and rerun it in two other slots during the same week.
Canal Brasil inked the agreement with Argentinian pic rights' holders during the Mar Del Plata Film Festival in mid-March through Argentina national film institute Incaa.
During the fest, the film institute heads of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile and Bolivia, which are part of trade union Mercosur, vowed to increase the exchange of pics among their industries.
Canal Brasil is a joint venture of Organizacoes Globo's programmer Globosat and a group of local filmmakers. Channel execs do not release subscriber figures, but Canal Brasil is believed to have about 1.4 million subs.
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