Uruguay XXI was present at the Uruguay Media Show to promote the country's digital and audiovisual ecosystem

Uruguay reaffirmed its role as a reliable hub for technological innovation and audiovisual content production during the recent edition of the Uruguay Media Show. The event, which brought together television operators, digital infrastructure providers, programmers, experts in streaming, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and technological convergence, served as a platform for exploring new business opportunities and emerging trends in the region.

Within this framework, Uruguay XXI participated in line with its commitment to promote talent and the national audiovisual industry and invited two international experts: Sato Mendoza, Argentine technology and media executive, and Rodrigo Ramirez Pino, president of the Chilean Chamber of Digital Infrastructure.

Mendoza gave a lecture on technology and audience transformation, where he reflected on the potential of countries like Uruguay to develop in the global content market. “The big difference that Uruguay has with the rest of Latin America is stability and legal security. This is something of great value for those of us who invest and develop business”, said the executive in an interview with Uruguay XXI and highlighted that the country has unique conditions to boost its international projection.

He also remarked that technology has reduced the barriers to export content. “Today you can reach any geography and any language from anywhere in the world. The point is to focus on professionalism and export as much talent as possible,” he said. In this sense, he positively valued public incentive policies, such as the Uruguay Audiovisual program, and stressed: “Everything that helps to export content from the point of view of incentives will logically help the industry. [...] Not all countries have the track record that Uruguay has, which is a great advantage and very difficult to replicate”.

Rodrigo Ramírez participated in the panel Infrastructure and Digital Transformation, together with public and private sector leaders. In a dialogue with Uruguay XXI, he valued the country's leading position in digitalization. “Uruguay and Chile tend to be at the top of the rankings in innovation, connectivity and digital government. There is always something new to learn from Uruguay,” he noted.

He also highlighted the naturally open and regional nature of the Uruguayan ecosystem, in contrast to other larger economies that tend to focus on their domestic markets. “We (for Chile) are perhaps a more closed culture, but with a very good policy of openness. Perhaps Uruguay's ecosystem, being closer to Brazil, closer to Argentina, has a dynamism. So, we are permanently looking at what Uruguay is doing”, he said.

He also valued the country's institutional progress. “Uruguay is always leading the competitiveness rankings of digital services and in terms of technological adoption by the State and its digital transformation policy. What we see is a very robust Uruguayan institutional architecture,” he said.

Artificial intelligence was another highlight of the event. In the panel on AI applied to audiovisual products, Enrique Topolansky (Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, ORT University) valued the country's progress in digital literacy. “Uruguay has been doing things right: fiber optics, Ceibal Plan (...) we have everything to enter the digital era through the front door”, he argued.

The event was also a space to rethink the present and future of local production. In the panel Uruguayan production to the next level, representatives of production companies such as Navajo Films, About Entertainment and freelance production companies reflected on the impact of the Uruguay Audiovisual Program. “The Uruguay Audiovisual Program strengthened our identity and put us in the international film arena,” said producer Mariana Secco. Cecilia Mato added that “the challenge is to strengthen the sector so that production companies can compete on equal terms”.

The Vice President of the Republic, Carolina Cosse, and the Minister of Industry, Energy and Mining, Fernanda Cardona, also participated in the event, underscoring the State's commitment to technological and audiovisual development.

Uruguay Media Show showed that the country not only has the technical and institutional conditions to lead the development of new technologies and content, but also a creative and professional ecosystem that bets on the future with a strategic vision.