Funky Formats Announces 40th Sale of Telenovela Star

LONDON, August 30: STR Productions in Turkey is the latest
outfit to come on board for Funky Formats’ interactive drama format Telenovela
Star, marking the 40th deal on
the title, with negotiations currently underway for English- and
Spanish-language versions in the U.S., World Screen Newsflash has learned.

STR’s credits include local versions of Who Wants To Be A
Millionaire and Popstars. The Turkish agreement follows deals in France
(Coyote), Belgium and Italy (Endemol), Spain (El Mundo), Brazil (Plural), India
(Sidhant Cinevision), Croatia (RTL Group) and Romania (Paprika Entertainment),
among others.

The format launches on September 11 on Caracol Television in
Colombia, where it will air for 120 hours over 20 weeks.

Richard Martin, the founder and chairman of Funky Formats,
told World Screen Newsflash that
negotiations are underway in the U.S. for the English- and Spanish-language
rights to the show. “We’ve been in discussions for some time now,” he said,
“and while some networks are clearly waiting to see how telenovelas like Betty
The Ugly [for ABC] and Desire [for MyNetworkTV] translate, other buyers are being
more proactive. We will be closing a deal soon.”