Passion Travels

April 2007

Broadcasters around the world are discovering how well a homegrown telenovela can deliver loyal audiences and high ratings.

By Guillermo Chavez

In recent years, the television business has been replete with examples of game shows, competitions and reality programs successfully traveling around the world as formats. In the last couple of years, though, there has been a surprising new player in the format industry—the telenovela. That quintessential Latin American genre, with its unmistakable formula of passion, intrigue and love, has been conquering audiences from far less emotional cultures.

Countries as diverse as Russia and India have embraced locally produced novelas, and this past year, even the elusive target of the format markets, the U.S., successfully launched a local adaptation of a novela. Last fall, ABC premiered Ugly Betty, based on one of the biggest hits in telenovela history, Yo soy Betty la fea, produced by the Colombian broadcaster RCN. Ugly Betty not only proved that the U.S. audience was able to embrace the novela concept. It was the highest-rated new show of the season and illustrated that the key to adapting a novela lies in bringing out the best of the concept and adapting it to the local audience’s tastes.

Ugly Betty was not the only foray into novelas by an American broadcast outlet. A new outlet, MyNetworkTV, operated by Fox Television Stations and Twentieth Television, adapted novela scripts for its prime-time lineup. MyNetworkTV followed the Latin American novela model quite closely, producing 65 episodes and stripping them Monday through Friday. The audience reaction, however, was lukewarm and the ratings were disappointing. Having already begun production on two more novelas, the network decided to change its scheduling strategy, and airs the novelas in a two-hour block once a week instead of daily.

Ugly Betty, on the other hand, starring newcomer America Ferrera in the lead role, maintained its loyal audience and high ratings. So what is the secret to Betty’s success? Silvio Horta, the executive producer of the U.S. version, believes it is the universal appeal of the show’s concept. “It has resonated everywhere; there are versions of it around the world,” he says. “There is something so universal about this ugly duckling story, there’s not a single person that doesn’t feel like that at one point or another, regardless of what they look like, or how much money they have, or their station in life. I think people really just love America [Ferrera]. She really captures the essence of the character and she is a huge part of why this show is taking off.”

THE STORY AS PROTAGONIST

Horta says that while the U.S. version is “inspired” by the original telenovela, it is much more a mainstream network show. “And it’s a completely different kind of entertainment from what they are doing on MyNetworkTV,” he says. “I think they translate the original scripts. The original Betty la fea [comes from] Fernando Gait�n, who created these characters, but [they serve as] a springboard for the show; [ours] is not really a play-by-play adaptation.”

Horta reveals that there isn’t an ending planned for Ugly Betty, much less one in which Betty finally ends up in the arms of her boss, as she does in Gait�n’s telenovela. “In the original, Betty was secretly in love with her boss, and I didn’t want to go that direction,” says Horta. “Looking at her character, and what she wants, it felt like we were diluting the show by having it be about the guy and a relationship. [Our version is about] her ambitions and her dreams. If there is love in her future or not, it didn’t tie in directly with what she wanted. Her first focus is to really achieve her goals.”

In one form or another, Betty has traveled around the world, conquering one audience after another. Versions have been produced in India, as well as in Russia, Germany and other parts of Europe. FremantleMedia has acquired the European rights to Betty la fea from RCN. “The Spanish Betty is fabulous, the Dutch Betty is really cute, and the Greek Betty has been getting between 43- and 48-percent audience shares every day since it launched in January. It’s a very popular show,” says Naomi Joseph, the executive VP for worldwide drama at FremantleMedia.

“We started investigating the importance of telenovelas about five or six years ago,” continues Joseph. “We were the first company to bring the genre to Europe with a telenovela that we actually wrote ourselves in Germany, called Bianca: Road to Happiness. And we made a version of that in America for Lifetime called Monarch Cove. So that’s what we pride ourselves in being able to do—taking a very good concept from one country, and make it feel totally indigenous in another.”

FremantleMedia is about to start production of a Russian version of Bianca to air later this year. In the meantime, the German version of Betty—Verliebt in Berlin—has been sold to several countries, including Hungary, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Lithuania, Switzerland and Canada. “The big phenomenon is France; we sold it to TF1 and they air two episodes back to back [at 5:25 p.m.] and recently one of the episodes scored a market share of 52.9 percent,” says Jens Richter, the managing director of SevenOne International, which distributes the German Betty adaptation.

There are several reasons for Verliebt in Berlin’s success. “One is that we produced it at a very high quality level,” continues Richter. “We produced it in a half-hour version, with a lot of humor and a lot of adaptation with regards to European culture and lifestyle.”

CULTURAL ADJUSTMENTS

The successful formula used to adapt Betty to the U.S. and German audiences was also used by Sony Pictures Television International (SPTI), which has the rights to Betty la fea for such diverse markets and cultures as Russia and India.

“We never just translate,” says Steve Kent, the senior executive VP of international productions at SPTI. “First we have to understand the show in its totality, and then what each chapter is about. And the key is to understand the meaning of each scene of the whole show. It’s impossible to just literally translate a novela into a different language and [obtain the desired] effect.”

The most important part in making these local versions, as Jeffrey Lerner, SPTI’s senior VP of development and current programs, points out, is to come up with situations that the local audience can relate to. “A number of changes are made because the characters have to feel authentic to the audience. But most of the changes happen at the scene level and at the dialogue level, as opposed to the bigger picture,” Kent says.

Lerner adds, “We had to make the Russian version more real than a pure telenovela, and by that I mean it had to feel truer to life. Latin American telenovelas are usually bigger than life, and for the Russian audience, which is younger, [our telenovelas] had to be truer to life.”

Kent cautions that not all novelas are created equal. “Betty la fea gave everyone the impression that you could adapt any format and it would work. But Betty la fea has a brilliant script, a universal fairy-tale story that has a relatable aspect, and the story has a lot of parts. It seems to strike a chord everywhere it is done. You have to be careful to choose the right one that matches both the country [you are producing for] and the specific broadcaster.”

In choosing a novela format, broadcasters typically chose one that has worked in more than one country. “Generally what they are looking for is a format with a proven track record, a formula that has been successful and offers some flexibility,” says Jos� Luis Romero, the director of formats at Televisa Estudios.

Caroline Torrance, the director of scripted programming and distribution at Endemol International, agrees. “The minute a telenovela becomes a ratings success it becomes sought after.” Even though Endemol is best known for its reality and game formats, such as Big Brother and Deal or No Deal, the company is also an important producer of scripted formats.

“Endemol Argentina is moving into scripted production, and given the strength of the telenovela in Latin America, this is an obvious business for us to be in,” says Torrance. Endemol is currently offering Doble Vida (Double Life) as a format, as well as its sequel, Doble Venganza (Double Revenge).

One of the factors that has given new relevance to telenovela formats is the genre’s capacity to capture audiences night after night for periods between six and 18 months. Locally produced novelas can also find success in prime time and can compete with other homegrown productions vying for those coveted time slots.

Russian broadcasters, for example, are looking to increase the amount of their locally produced drama. In January, the Scandinavian producer and distributor Zodiak Television announced its expansion into markets of the former Soviet Union. The company has in fact set up Zodiak Vostok, to support the production efforts of its affiliate TeleAlliance. Besides counting on successful daily dramas such as Silent Witness, Zodiak has acquired two novela formats that are currently in production: Peregrina from Televisa and Bianca from FremantleMedia.

from russia with love

“Channels in Russia are really conservative and are looking for things that have a proven track record,” says Patrick Nebout, the managing director of Zodiak Vostok. “There’s huge competition between the two main channels in Russia, and for the moment I think that no one is taking any chances in the market. There’s also not really a big tradition of daily soaps in Russia, so everybody is going for novelas with proven track records.

“Russian broadcasters are typically interested in formats that are quite glamorous, universal, sentimental, almost fairy-tale-like,” continues Nebout. “When you take something from Latin America, like Peregrina, you have to do a lot of rewriting of dialogues, and adapt them to the Russian culture and mentality. And in Russia, escapism is very important to the audience, which wants to fly into another world when they are watching a telenovela.”

While Russia may not have a long tradition of watching telenovelas, Spain certainly does. For years, the Spanish audience has enjoyed imports of Latin American finished novelas. The Spanish commercial broadcaster Telecinco decided to produce its own version of Betty la fea just a few years after the original Betty aired in Spain. “The unknown factor that we faced was that the audience had maintained a very positive memory of Betty,” says Alberto Carullo, the head of television at Telecinco. “We had to create a version that presented a different personality.”

In a counter-programming move, the rival commercial network Antena 3 bought the rights to La fea m�s bella, the Mexican version of Betty that Televisa has sold with great success outside Latin America. In an attempt to gain a competitive edge, Antena 3 aired La fea m�s bella a couple of weeks before Telecinco premiered its local version of Betty, called Yo soy Bea. But just a few weeks after the debut of Yo soy Bea, La fea m�s bella was relegated to oblivion in an obscure time slot.

Since it started airing, Yo soy Bea has captured audience shares of around 40 percent, which was a key element in deciding to extend its run. “For the number of episodes that we aired, Yo soy Bea became the most-watched daily series in Spain since 1995,” says Carullo. “Evidently, the experience of Bea was extremely positive, but you can’t say that this kind of success can be repeated with any format.”

WORKING AS A TEAM

Sin tetas no hay para�so (Without Breasts There Is No Paradise), the top-selling new series from the Colombian distributor Caracol Television International, is the latest novela format acquired by Telecinco. “This is a no�vela that represents topics and situations that any number of countries can explore,” says Camilo Cano, the VP of Caracol Television International. The novela, based on a book by Gustavo Bol�var, is about a girl obsessed with having big breasts in order to get involved in drug trafficking. The format of this novela is being negotiated in several European territories by FremantleMedia.

“With these kinds of stories, we have been able to break into territories where we usually didn’t sell formats,” states Cano. As an example, Caracol sold two novela scripts in the U.S. to MyNetworkTV, one of which was Mesa para tres, adapted into a show called Desire. Cano says that he was “satisfied, because the basic elements of the novela were respected, which is what concerns us the most.”

Cano explains that initially the producers were interested in buying the original idea of the novela, “But with the passing of time, they realized that they need a closer relationship with the creators. And we need to protect the original no�vela concept and make sure it is produced to the highest standards in every country where we sell the format.”

“What is new is that the sale of scripts has become more sophisticated, and they are now called formats,” says Marcos Santana, the president of Telemundo Internacional, who oversees the acquisition of formats at Telemundo. “Beyond the scripts, now we get information about the performance of a novela, the ratings, the success it has had in various countries, in addition to consulting on the set design and how to set up casting. But in truth, what is always most important in the sale or acquisition of a format is the script.”

PACKAGING PASSION

Along with a good script, many novela distributors are also offering broadcasters production expertise and materials to help make local versions. Dori Media Group, based in Israel with an office in Argentina, is one such company. In the last six months, it has sold more than ten novela formats to territories around the world, including Mexico, Chile, Romania and Russia. In Portugal, three Dori Media formats are being developed almost simultaneously: Rebelde way (The Rebels), Sos mi vida (You are the One) and El refugio (The Shelter). Among the novelas that were originally made in Israel, the success of El Champe�n (The Champion) makes it a good candidate for adaptation in Argentina.

Celina Amadeo, the president of Dori Media Distribution Argentina, believes that novela formats offer broadcasters several advantages. “Formats allow the client to have a global view of the product and to make good use of its resources and casting, especially broadcasters that have actors under contract,” says Amadeo.

Beyond selling story lines, Dori Media provides what it calls a novela package. “For El refugio, for example, we not only have guidelines for adapting the script, but also the scenic design, the look of each character, the production schedule, the musical themes, how to make video clips, as well as the whole artistic part, from the opening credits to the closing credits,” says Amadeo. She adds that novelas targeted to youth offer numerous options for generating ancillary revenues.

Gonzalo Cilley, the head of formats and international production at Telefe International, has sold many formats around the world. What is most important for him is that “a local version of a novela be well adapted and produced, and be seen by many people and garner good ratings.” This is accomplished by adapting scripts, “so that the content is relevant to the audience and to the cultural and historical context of the country where the novela is being adapted.”

The evolution of the Argentinean market has led to the creation of novelas that aren’t as melodramatic as those in some other Latin American countries. “The audience wants contemporary, urban stories,” says Cilley. Montecristo, which has been sold to Mexico, Chile and recently to Portugal as well, is just such a novela. “Here the story of revenge is just as important as the love story. It would seem like a minor detail, but in most novelas, the love story tends to be the most important element.”

Depending on the market, different elements of a novela have different relevance. In Mexico, where Montecristo has been adapted by TV Azteca, the story line presented some challenges. “Montecristo talks a lot about the desaparecidos [people who disappeared, presumably kidnapped and killed] and the military dictatorship in Argentina,” explains Martin Luna, the general director of Estudios Azteca. “Therefore, we had to play up the romantic part of the story.”

LOCAL TREATMENT

To accommodate the cultural sensitivities of various clients, Telefe does not impose strict rules in the local adaptation of a no�vela. For Cilley, the key to a successful novela format is that the audience must relate to it and feel that it’s theirs. “The only thing we don’t allow is that the heart of the story or the characters be changed,” says Cilley.

One of the best examples of this comes from FremantleMedia, which has brought its production experience to emerging TV markets such as those in Eastern Europe. “You have to treat Latin American stories in a special way,” says Joseph.

“When we enter a new country to produce a novela, we bring our writers, directors and producers to help train the local production teams. They work to ensure that the local writers can take the basic story line and adapt it in the best way for the local culture.”

FremantleMedia’s team oversees the first months of production, and then provides support from a distance until the program has a local feel.

Companies like Televisa and Telefe are quite competent in providing production expertise since they themselves are broadcasters, producers and distributors. “A script complements a format and a format complements a finished product,” says Televisa’s Romero. “Depending on each territory, we offer our know-how according to the needs of the broadcaster.” In the case of formats, he adds, “we support our clients in their local productions so that they can complete them with their own resources.”

Broadcasters that don’t have sufficient resources to produce their own fiction programs are more likely to acquire programming that has been successful in its local market, while more mature markets rarely acquire finished product for their prime-time schedules. And for a third type of broadcasters, those that are beginning to invest in local productions, there are offers such as Televisa’s Mujer, casos de la vida real (Woman, Real Life Stories).

“Mujer is an interesting option for territories that would like to get into the telenovela genre but don’t have the capacity to produce 170 episodes,” says Romero. “Mujer offers a structure that allows broadcasters to have a different story every week. Obviously, they start with the type of stories that could take place anywhere, and later they move on to productions based on their own culture and history.”

As a market grows, and with it the resources of its broadcasters, then the development of their own stories becomes the top priority. TV Azteca, for example, started adapting fiction for its audience three years ago with the format Los Roldan from Telefe International. “At that time, these were stories that we liked very much and we didn’t have anything else in development that we could produce,” says Luna. “But TV Azteca made the decision not to return to formats.”

To this end, Luna has created a training school for writers and other creative types. “We are very happy with the results and since April we have been airing their first novela, Luchando por la vida,” says Luna, who explains that the main reason TV Azteca is not working with formats is because of their limited rights. “Upon acquiring a format, you only have the rights of the finished program for your country, and perhaps you can negotiate a few more. With an original novela, however, we can retain worldwide rights, which is what our company is looking for.”

Although telenovela formats can’t satisfy all broadcasters’ needs all the time, they do possess one clear advantage: a no�vela that has worked as a format in more than one market has a proven track record. This minimizes the risks of a network looking for content that reflects its audience. Now that international outlets have experienced the magic a locally produced novela can deliver—loyal audiences for weeks at a time—it is certain that novela formats will continue to thrive.