Dori Makes Russian Format Sale

TEL AVIV: Dori Media Group has sold its telenovela format Cupid: The Business of Love for a local treatment by WeiT Media, a partner of Endemol in Russia and CIS.

WeiT Media began broadcasting the series daily beginning September 19 on the Russian channel TV3, which is broadcast to 881 cities and towns in Russia. Cupid: The Business of Love is about two rival divorce lawyers who are forced to work together as matchmakers in exchange for their lives.

Nadav Palti, the president and CEO of Dori Media Group, commented: “We are delighted to have signed a new deal with WeiT Media to produce and broadcast one of our popular telenovelas, Cupid: The Business of Love, on a major channel in Russia. Further collaboration with WeiT Media will provide both parties with exciting opportunities in new markets. The agreement reinforces our belief that demand for cost-efficient telenovelas is increasing, particularly in exciting growth markets such as Russia.”

Timur Weinstein, the general producer at WeiT Media, added: “The Russian version of Dori Media Group’s Cupid: The Business of Love format will be the first adapted TV series in WeiT Media’s portfolio. Last season’s schedules demonstrated that successful international formatted TV series are making a comeback on Russian TV channels, which are mostly dominated by original content. The launch of the Cupid TV series and the success of other international formats confirm this trend.”