TVNovelas-June-July_2009.pdf

DISCOPEDITION

Telenovelas inEastern EuropeBandeirantes’ João Carlos SaadDori Media’s Nadav Paltiwww.tvnovelas.ws THE MAGAZINE OF TELENOVELAS JUNE/JULY 2009

Caracol TV InternacionalBOGOTÁ:Caracol TV Internacional isshowcasing several new novelas andseries at DISCOP that have already per-formed well in their native Colombia,aswell as in other markets.The catalogueincludes Gabriela, Every Woman HatesBermudez, Beautiful, Love Her to Death,Neighbors and Roman x 2. “These pro-ductions have performed extremelywell in Latin America,achieving the toppositions in all the countries where theyhave aired,” says Camila Reyes, a salesexecutive at the company.

The Central and Eastern Europeanregion is a priority for Caracol’s inter-national distribution business.The com-pany is following up on the success ofThe Cartel, which Reyes describes as itsbiggest hit last year.“It is a show that wassold to more than 15 territories beforeeven being on the air,” she says.“It thenfulfilled expectations when it premieredin Colombia [in June] 2008, breaking ratings records and thencontinued doing the same in every territory where it has aired.”

Reyes continues,“At Caracol we are always innovating, ourseries have trendy topics—like The Cartel and Without BreastsThere Is No Paradise.”

Televisa InternacionalMEXICO CITY: Already home to the substantial librarychurned out by the Mexican broadcasting giant Televisa, thedistribution arm Televisa Internacional recently took on therepresentation rights to titles from elsewhere in LatinAmerica, including Pol-ka’s The Brave Ones, about threebrothers separated at birth, and Ideas del Sur’s Attraction x 4, amusical family telenovela.

“We produce a lot and we always have new releases,” saysClaudia Sahab, the company’s director of sales for Europe.“Now, with the associations we’ve made, we have more in ourcatalogue.We have different kinds of telenovelas, different styles,which is making us even more competitive in the market.”

Sahab has been driving Televisa’s business across Europe, in themore traditional novela markets, such as Romania and Bulgaria,and in newer novela converts such as France and Italy.

“The classic telenovelas are still doing great,” Sahab says onwhat’s in demand.Buyers want “a very high-quality production.Fortunately,Televisa has this.”

The entertainment format Dancing for a Dream is also high-lighted, alongside the companion series The Show of Dreams.

Perfect pair: Gabrielais one of Caracol’s topshows for DISCOP.

Telefe International BUENOS AIRES: Europe has become an increasingly signif-icant part of Telefe International’s business, for both completedprogram sales and formats.“We have been doing quite well inEastern and Western Europe,” says Michelle Wasserman, thehead of international distribution for programming, formatsand production services. “Through the early 2000s our titlesbecame very popular especially in Eastern Europe.”

Top titles over the years have included Muñeca brava,Montecristo and Amor en custodia (Love’s Guard ), as well asFloricienta (Flinderella), a series that solidified Telefe as a lead-ing provider of youth-skewing novelas.

The Argentine broadcaster,Wasserman continues,“developedthe so-called ‘breakthrough telenovelas.’We were the first onesto produce a telenovela for the prime-time slot of 10 p.m.oriented to men and women, and we have been [pioneers] indeveloping content for teens and children.”

New for DISCOP are Legacy of Passion, Don Juan and His FairLady:Songs from the Heart, season three of TeenAngels,Taking Livesand Telefe’s latest hit, The Successful Mr. & Mrs. Pells.

Artear ArgentinaBUENOS AIRES: In Gypsy Blood, two families divided bya 25-year-old feud find themselves enmeshed in eachother’s affairs. The series is one of Artear Argentina’s topofferings for DISCOP, alongside 099 Central, Love in Blue,which focuses on a police officer and promises a mix oflove, action and comedy.

“We have a wide range of novelas,” says Mariana Fernández,a sales manager in Artear Argentina’s international sales depart-ment.“The most [important] thing about most of our novelasis that they appeal to men, too,due to the interesting stories, thepresence of more action and intense romance.”

Fernandez is optimistic about DISCOP this year, follow-ing a string of recent sales to Russia, Poland, Ukraine andHungary, among other territories.“We think the quality ofour novelas will suit the needs of the different channels inthe region.”

IN THIS ISSUE

Flying HighLatin American novela distributors are continuing tofind brisk business in Central and Eastern Europe 4

InterviewsBandeirantes’ João Carlos Saad 12Dori Media’s Nadav Palti 14

A look of longing: Europe is a key market for Telefe, which ispresenting the novela Legacy of Passion for buyers.

by visiting www.tvnovelas.wsGet daily news on telenovelas

3TV NOVELAS

PublisherRicardo Seguin Guise

EditorAnna Carugati

Executive EditorMansha DaswaniManaging Editor

Kristin BrzoznowskiProduction and Design

DirectorLauren M. UdaArt Director

Phyllis Q. BusellSales and Marketing

DirectorTatiana Rozza

Sales and MarketingManager

Kelly QuirozBusiness Affairs Manager

Rae Matthew

Ricardo Seguin GuisePresident

Anna CarugatiExecutive VP and

Group Editorial DirectorMansha Daswani

VP of Content Strategy

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Distributors of Latin Americantelenovelas are continuing tofind brisk business in Centraland Eastern Europe.

By Mansha Daswani

The story of the telenovela genre in Central and EasternEurope (CEE) is filled with as many ups and downs asany good romantic tale. In the ’90s, stations that werepopping up across newly liberalized markets were in needof cost-effective, volume programming deals to buildviewer loyalty. Latin America’s telenovela distributorswere there to supply that demand, in the process devel-oping passionate fans of the genre across the region. Butas broadcasters began investing in local productions, theplethora of slots for imported novelas began to dry up.Today, however, the tide seems to be turning again.

Distributors agree that there are two forces at playwhen it comes to the resurgent demand for LatinAmerican novelas in this part of the world.The first is theeconomic downturn that is taking its toll on broadcastersaround the world.

“We have believed for some time now that the finan-cial crisis will enhance the selling of telenovelas and dailydramas,” says Nadav Palti, the president and CEO of DoriMedia Group.“Telenovelas are known for their ability tocreate strong loyalty and commitment viewing habits andare relatively low cost. Meaning, telenovelas supply highvalue per rating point.”

PROVIDING A SOLUTION“That part of the world is getting hit quite heavily,” saysMarcel Vinay, the CEO of Comarex,which represents TVAzteca’s large portfolio of content. “Local production isgoing to decrease” as networks scale back their budgets.“There will be a demand for foreign [content]—fortu-nately, we produce more than 1,500 hours of new pro-gramming every year.That is an opportunity for us to bethere with our clients. We’re supporting them throughthis time…with innovative, creative ways for them toacquire programming.”

The second factor aiding the novela business is that thetelevision market in CEE is still maturing, and opportu-nities for growth remain. “There are new TV stationsopening in some of these countries—they need goodcontent and they are coming to us,” says Claudia Sahab,the director of sales for Europe at Televisa Internacional;she adds that the region accounts for 55 to 60 percent of

Televisa’s Dare to Dream.

4 TV NOVELAS

Flying HighFlying High

30 World Screen 6/09

the company’s business in Europe.Televisahas volume deals in place with a numberof key partners, including Acasa inRomania and HRT in Croatia.

“The sustained increase of digital televi-sion channels across the region will governprogramming needs and requirements,”says César Díaz, the VP of sales forVenevision International. “This is the areawhere we can help our clientele by offer-ing our diverse catalogue of programs,which have a proven track record ofobtaining high ratings with magnificentcost-effective ratios.”

For DISCOP, the Venevision sales teamwill be focusing on the teen series ¡Qué clasede amor! (The High School Nerd), as well as Lavida entera (For a Lifetime) and Alma indomable(Untamed Soul).

At Artear Argentina, an in-house distri-bution team, established just four monthsago, has already shored up slots for its titlesin such markets as Russia, Poland, Ukraineand Hungary, says Mariana Fernández, asales manager in the international salesdepartment at Artear.

“We have a wide range of novelas, from historic ones tocomedies to action” to youth-skewing properties. “The most[important] thing about most of our novelas is that they appealto men, too, due to the interesting stories, the presence ofmore action and intense romance.”

New titles from the company that will be available atDISCOP include 099 Central, Love in Blue, centered on a 30-year-old police officer, and Gypsy Blood.

While sellers agree that there is certainly a demand fornovelas in CEE, many add that broadcasters have becomemuch more discerning. “The selectiveness of our clientshas increased,” says Melissa Pillow, the sales director forCEE at Telemundo Internacional, which is highlighting

Falling Angel, Simply Delicious and Daniela at DISCOP.“Buyers are now, more than ever, searching for high-qualityproducts, as they are maintaining or increasing the numberof time slots dedicated to telenovelas—they want the bestvalue for their money,” she adds.

Telemundo has licensed Victoria across the region, and hasseen success with Betrayed, which, Pillow says, “attained 60-percent market share in Bulgaria and the leading position inSerbia,Armenia, Poland and Georgia.”

Pillow continues, “In Eastern and Central Europe, the no-velas that are in demand are those that contain a classic romanticstory, that take place in an urban setting and have an attractiveelement for audiences of adults 18 to 35, such as secondarycharacters that this demographic group can identify with.”

A POINT OF DISTINCTIONWhen approaching buyers who are very clear about whatthey’re looking for, having a diversified and distinctive novelaslate is crucial. Michelle Wasserman, the head of internationaldistribution for programming, formats and production servicesat Telefe International, points to her company’s ability to fulfillthe needs of a cross section of broadcasters.The Argentineandistributor’s slate runs the gamut from teen and children’snovelas to family fare, classic love stories, suspense tales andmore.The company has licensed Montecristo, Amor en custodia(Love’s Guard) and Floricienta (Flinderella) across CEE.

“Due to the current circumstances, people are looking atthe telenovela genre as a driver of entertainment,” saysWasserman regarding what’s currently working in the mar-ket. Buyers, she says, are looking for feel-good stories withhappy endings, and Telefe aims to deliver with its DISCOPslate, which features Legacy of Passion, Taking Lives and seasonthree of TeenAngels.

Sahab, at Televisa, similarly singles out her company’s abil-ity to target a large variety of buyers with its titles, which

On the dark side: Dori Media is expecting strong interest for its youth-skewingvampire-themed novela Split.

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Feeling blue: One of Artear’s top titles for DISCOP is 099 Central, Love in Blue.


include a mix of teen fare, contemporary series,costume dramas and more, such as Love Spell,Dare to Dream and Summer of Love.“Televisa has alot of content.We produce a lot, we have 10 to12 new releases per year. Now, with the associa-tions we’ve made with our partners in Argentinaand Colombia, we have more in our catalogue,which is making us more competitive in themarket,” Sahab says.

Caracol TV Internacional, according to CamilaReyes, the sales executive for Eastern Europe, hasbuilt a business on offering novelas that “go beyondthe classic romantic drama without leaving thataside, and have a sense of humor and a more livelytouch that attracts audiences beyond women, whoare the typical audience of telenovelas.”

Reyes is already seeing strong demand frombroadcasters for the new series Love Her to Death,which she describes as a “classic drama telenovela,”as well as for The Cartel. Also being presented tobuyers in Budapest are Gabriela,Beautiful,Neighborsand Roman x 2.

“Eastern Europe loves the classic telenovela for-mat,” says Marc Paneque, the director of interna-tional sales at RCTV International. He adds thatthe most important elements are a great story thatviewers can relate to emotionally, and an attractive-looking cast. “In our latest crop of titles, we havegreat diversity, great stories, and plenty of titles that buyers willfind to be very attractive prospects.”

RCTV’s recent business in CEE has included licensingPassionate Revenge (La trepadora) to Bulgaria and Romania, andBeauty Is Not Enough (Ser bonita no basta) and Chameleon(Camaleona) to Armenia and Bulgaria. Paneque says he is eye-ing growth opportunities in Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania andEstonia. At DISCOP, he will be talking to his clients aboutWorld’s Apart (Calle luna, calle sol) and The Lady (Toda una

dama), among others.Raphael Corrêa Netto, Globo TV Inter-

national’s director of international sales, says thatthe company is coming to the market with sev-eral new novelas, all of which delivered impres-sive ratings in their home market of Brazil.With The Prophet,The Favorite,Forbidden Desireand Pure Beauty, the company is looking toreplicate the success it has had in the regionwith Pages of Life and Seven Sins.“Countrieslike Romania, Albania and Russia areimportant partners for Globo TVInternational; they historically acquireour products and air them during primetime,” Corrêa says.“We’ve even noticedthe development of new markets likeCroatia, Bulgaria and Georgia.”

Comarex, meanwhile, will beshowcasing new productions likethe thriller Demente at DISCOP, aswell as Morena (Pasión morena).Theshows, says Vinay, point to TV

Azteca’s abilities to bring “innova-tion to the market.”

At Dori Media,Palti stresses that the company is offering whathe calls “new-velas, which suit the region, as they contain all thebasic elements of the traditional telenovelas, but with an edge—their story lines are more up to date and unique; their pace isfaster; and the way they are shot and edited is innovative.”

GOING LOCALDori Media has already fared well in CEE with Lalola (which hasbeen licensed to more than 60 territories worldwide, includingRussia, Poland, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Czech Republic,Hungary, Macedonia, Cyprus, Serbia and Montenegro, andTurkey) and the multiplatform project Amanda O.Also availableat DISCOP are Champs 12,Split and Big Deal for teen audiences,as well as Danny Hollywood,Cupido:El negocio del amor (Cupid:TheBusiness of Love) and Maybe This Time.

Palti notes that about 70 percent of Dori Media’s businessfrom CEE is finished program distribution, with the remain-ing 30 percent generated by format sales.Acknowledging thatthe economic crisis will undoubtedly have an impact onDori’s format business, Palti remains optimistic that there arestill prospects available.

“Local programmers and producers are increasingly seekingto program or adapt telenovelas containing elements of com-edy and romance,” Palti says. “Humor/love are the perfectescapism, a language that is universally recognized and soughtafter.That mix of ingredients has been a winning formula forcountless channels and producers worldwide.”

Palti cites as an example Dori’s success in Russia, where twoof the company’s novelas have been adapted locally: Lalola,which airs as MarGosha, and The Champion.

Russia has been of crucial importance to Telefe’s business inCEE, says Wasserman. A version of Hermanos & Detectives(Detectives, Brothers & Co.) was made in the country, as was one

Family ties: Caracol, which is showcasing Love Her to Death, is looking tooffer buyers novelas that target men as well as women.


8 TV NOVELAS

Perfect couple: Venevision is looking tosecure slots for novelas like For a Lifetime(La vida entera).

of Montecristo. “These two formats were in the top five withinfiction programming in Russia during 2008,” she says.

Currently, a Russian version of Telefe’s new hit series TheSuccessful Mr. and Mrs. Pells is in development.

Wasserman explains that Telefe has become such a prolificprovider of scripted formats because it has remained flexiblewith its clients, offering them the option of production services,tapping into Telefe’s own capabilities in Argentina, or just pro-viding the scripts.“Basically, it will depend on several variablesin each country, such as the capacity of production, the size ofthe economy, the kind of client (broadcaster, production com-pany, distributor, IPTV platform), time slot, etc.”

Caracol, too, is looking at format opportunities, particularlyon its worldwide hit Without Breasts There Is No Paradise.Andat Comarex,Vinay notes the format success of Lo que callamoslas mujeres (Women’s Stories).“This series offers much more thangiving great ratings for our clients. It’s also helping womenovercome obstacles. That is a feel-good project because youget ratings and you contribute to society.”

ANOTHER AFFAIRBut,Televisa’s Sahab notes, there are challenges in convincingbroadcasters to produce a local version of a Latin Americantelenovela, particularly now that the region has developed itsown indigenous novela-production community. “The localproduction of telenovelas has grown a lot, like in Romania,where they have done a great job with these—but with theirown original stories,” she says. “There is interest but they aremore interested in developing their own stories than in buy-ing successful stories from someone else.”

Therefore, distributors are exploring other ways to expandtheir presence in the region.Televisa, for one, has had tremen-dous success with Dancing for a Dream, which has rolled out inRomania, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, among othermarkets. Sahab is aiming to replicate that success with the newentertainment formats The Show of Dreams and Hazme Reír(Make Me Laugh).

Comarex, too, is not just focusing on novela formats, offer-ing up the fantasy game show Asgaard.“We’re exploring othergenres outside of telenovelas,”Vinay says.

Venevision, similarly, is expanding its horizons, with itsinternal formats and production-services division rolling outnovela scripts as well as shorter-run dramas and game shows.“Our team of expert producers and directors can collaboratewith local television [stations] to adapt and produce successfuland proven programs catered to their respective markets anddemographics,” Díaz says.

And Dori Media recently clinched a deal with HBOCentral Europe for local versions of the daily drama InTreatment in Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia,Romania and Moldova. It’s an Israeli format that has proven tobe a hit for HBO in the U.S.

For Globo, DISCOP will present an opportunity for thecompany to showcase its new non-scripted formats slate toCEE buyers for the first time.The portfolio, which includesLaugh-O-Meter and Xtreme Connection, “are appropriate tochannels with different characteristics, be they general orniche,” says Corrêa.

Outside of formats, Globo is touting comedies, such as TheCleaning Lady and Normal People, the Globo DOC series andthe mini-series Maysa:When the Heart Sings.

Novela distributors may be diversifying, but no one is in anyrush to abandon the genre altogether.The economic times areclearly challenging in Central and Eastern Europe, but theopportunities are there for the taking and the telenovela hasproven to be a resilient, enduring form of content.“The tele-novela is a universal and undying genre,” says Dori Media’sPalti,“which can be transformed or adapted to different view-ers, since the genre goes beyond different cultures, languagesand social strata.”


Sealed with a kiss:Globo’s new novela portfolio for DISCOPincludes The Prophet.

10 TV NOVELAS

Someone to lean on: Passionate Revenge is among RCTV’s novela highlights.

Grupo Bandeirantes de Comunicação isa major producer of Brazilian tele-novelas, among other content. Its port-folio includes The Restaurateurs, acontemporary romantic comedy; DanceDance Dance, about a girl who dreamsof becoming a great ballerina; andForbidden Passions, which is filledwith seduction, secrets and conflict.Bandeirantes’ productions are deployedon its variety of platforms in its homemarket and sold worldwide. It runs twofree-TV channels, Band and Rede 21,the pay-TV channels BandNews, Band-Sports and Terraviva, and the cable-TVplatform TV Cidade, as well as the BandInternacional and BandNews Inter-nacional channels in the U.S. In anexclusive interview, João Carlos Saad,the group’s president, talks about thecompetitive Brazilian market, expan-sion plans and new projects for 2009.

TV NOVELAS: The Brazilian television market is among themost competitive in the region.What is the key to attractingadvertisers to the company’s diverse media outlets?SAAD: The key is offering advertisers the product they’relooking for.The ones that invest in free TV are interested incertain kinds of content, such as sports, events, novelas andentertainment.To those who invest in mobile,we focus on fastinformation and event ads. Andfor those looking to support sub-scription channels, we offer nichechannels and new formats for adinvestments, not only [the tradi-tional] 30-second spots.

TV NOVELAS: What are GrupoBandeirantes de Comunicação’sgreatest growth areas? What isthe company’s share in Brazil’spay-TV market?SAAD: Our greatest growthareas are radio, free-to-air TVand subscription-based television,and we have a 15-percent share inthe pay-TV market in Brazil.

TV NOVELAS: How important isexpanding the reach of yourinternational channels?SAAD: We are planning two newchannels.The expansion has a strate-

gic and entrepreneurial quality to it and we’ll be present inEurope and Africa this year.

TV NOVELAS: In a previous interview, you mentionedthat there were plans for producing content in Spanish.How are these plans coming along?SAAD: We’re negotiating distribution for Latin America andthe U.S.This is one of the projects we’re working on this yearand one we’ve begun to build strategic alliances on.

TV NOVELAS: The group’s TV content focuses on Brazilianculture, traditions and customs. Do you feel these differen-tiate you from the competition?SAAD: Of course, this is one of the fundamental differencesof our channels, and by Brazilian culture we don’t onlymean the Carnaval—we also have rodeos and festivals likeParintins, among others.

TV NOVELAS: How important is new media in the com-pany’s plans for expansion? SAAD: We already provide mobile content for phones andSão Paulo’s public transportation. We have a news agency,BandNews, for Internet, IPTV, etc.We’re prepared to pro-vide the appropriate content to different platforms.

TV NOVELAS: What is Bandeirantes doing in the area ofcorporate responsibility?SAAD: We have a number of projects under Band Vida,which supports community work such as Casas AndréLuiz, for kids with Down syndrome; AACD, for kids withdisabilities; and GRAACC, for kids with cancer, amongmany others.

TV NOVELAS: What principles have you learned fromyour father, João Jorge Saad, and applied to the group’s day-to-day activities?SAAD: Respect the public and our collaborators, tireless defenseof free press, commitment to truth and free enterprise.

12 TV NOVELAS

By Elizabeth Bowen-Tombari


Plans for Expansion

Bandeirantes’ João Carlos Saad

A union of souls: The Restaurateurs is one of many telenovelas being offered to the global marketby Bandeirantes’ distribution arm, Band Imagem.

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Dori Media Group has coined a phrase forthe kind of titles it is offering on the inter-national market: “new-velas.” The termreflects the company’s ambition to refreshand renew the telenovela genre, both interms of the story lines and settings beingused and in how those shows are distrib-uted. With Amanda O, the companydelivered what is being billed as the firstmultiplatform novela, which can bedeployed online, on mobile phones and onTV. Dori also created a portal, Nove-box.com, featuring content for novela fans,and has launched channels on YouTube.President and CEO Nadav Palti speaks toTV Novelas about the company’s plans.

TV NOVELAS: How has your business been in Europe?PALTI: In 2008, 27 percent of Dori Media Group’s globalsales income was generated in Europe.We found that there isa high correlation between the success of certain productsworldwide and in Europe specifically. Meaning, when aproduct has a story line that breaks boundaries, a talented castand fast-paced editing, it will succeed all over the globe andin Europe.

Our continued presence, customer support, client rela-tions, visits to the territories, presence in all the major tradeshows, etc., are all factors that have strongly benefited DoriMedia Group as a leading telenovela presence in Europe.Themost recent success is Amanda O, which was sold to 22countries worldwide in six months since its debut—half ofthem are located in Europe.

Another good example is Lalola, which was sold to 65countries since its debut, in mid-2007, and a large part of thesecountries are from Europe. Russia, Poland, Greece, Bulgaria,Romania, Czech Republic, Hungary, Macedonia, Cyprus,Serbia and Montenegro, Austria and Turkey have all acquiredLalola, either the original product and/or the format.

The success of Lalola was also in terms of ratings—itbecame a hit in every launch country. For instance, in Turkeyit debuted on Kanal 1 and tripled the share in that time slot.It gained a 15-percent share of audience compared to a 5-percent share gained by a local sitcom that was broadcast pre-viously in that time slot.

TV NOVELAS: What are your biggest markets in Centraland Eastern Europe, and where do you see new opportuni-ties for growth?PALTI: In terms of TV rights, we can name Russia and CIS,Romania, Poland and Hungary as big markets. HBO CentralEurope has recently acquired from Dori Media Distributionthe rights to produce the Israeli format In Treatment forPoland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania

and Moldova. HBO CE will produce localversions of the series for transmission on itschannels throughout the region.

We are working tirelessly on maintain-ing our penetration in these markets andare also developing in this area other plat-forms, such as the Internet and mobile.

If we look at Europe in general, besidesSpain, which has always been a strong telenovela market,Germany has led the pack as it managed successful produc-tions adapted from formats. France, Belgium and Italy fol-lowed shortly afterward. Even the Scandinavian countries arenow actively seeking and programming one of the best Latinexports. Only recently, Dori Media Distribution concluded adeal and sold Lalola to the Scandinavian markets: Sweden,Finland, Norway and Denmark.

There is still work to be done: the U.K., for example, is stillone of those markets that will eventually come around.Weare already witnessing a relatively new trend with the U.S.buying foreign content (besides British content), and webelieve that the U.K. will also soon follow. Dori MediaGroup sold Lalola to Sony Pictures and Rebelde Way to amajor network, and we are in advanced negotiations in theU.S. regarding two of our new titles.

TV NOVELAS: What are the strengths of your catalogue?PALTI: Dori Media Group carries a varied catalogue thatcan satisfy the clients’ different requests in terms of audience(children, teen, young adult, family, general entertainment)and in terms of style (epic, romantic, classic, comedy, drama,etc.). For this reason, we are offering our clients a completecollection of titles, which could be suitable, and in accor-dance to their needs and profile.We have it all: Champs 12,Split and Big Deal for younger audiences; Danny Hollywood isa musical daily drama; Cupido: El negocio del amor, Maybe ThisTime and Amanda O are for a general audience, etc.

Among the titles already sold to countries in [Centraland Eastern Europe] we can name Sos mi vida, Lalola andAmanda O.These productions combine several parametersthat suit local audiences’ viewing habits: a story line whichbreaks boundaries, an international-looking cast and inno-vative editing and shooting techniques. In Amanda O, forexample, the lead actress is Natalia Oreiro, who is admiredall over the world.

We believe that at DISCOP we will witness high inter-est from buyers for the telenovela and daily-drama genre.Since we are producing for one single territory—theworld—our productions tend to appeal to a wider target ofpotential buyers.

TV NOVELAS: Have you seen the demand for novelaschange over the last year?PALTI: In general, the demand for telenovelas is on the rise.The telenovela is a universal and undying genre, which can betransformed or adapted to different viewers since the genregoes beyond different cultures, languages and social strata.

We at Dori Media Group produce new-velas, which suitthe region, as they contain all the basic elements of the tra-ditional telenovelas, but with an edge—their story line ismore up-to-date and unique; their pace is faster; and the waythey are shot and edited is innovative.

A New Look at Novelas

Dori Media’s Nadav Palti

14 TV NOVELAS

By Mansha Daswani


TVNovelas-June-July_2009.pdf

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