Telemundo Unveils 2008-09 Slate

NEW YORK, May 12:
Unveiling its 2008-2009 slate at a breakfast presentation in New York today,
U.S. Hispanic broadcaster Telemundo announced a deal with TV Globo to produce
its own version of the hit Brazilian telenovela The Clone.

The U.S. Spanish-language
version of El Clon, marking a new
partnership between Telemundo and Globo, will be produced by Telemundo Studios
in Colombia. TV Globo will provide the original format, as well as the
expertise of the creative and production team that participated in the original
novela, including the screenwriter Glória Perez and the director Jayme
Monjardim. El Clon aired on
Telemundo in 2002 and has been licensed into more than 90 countries. Telemundo
will have exclusive broadcast rights for the U.S. and Puerto Rico, and both
companies will market the new production through their international sales
teams around the world.

Also on the grid is
Telemundo’s own version of Caracol’s Sin Tetas No Hay Paraíso (Without Breasts, There is No Paradise). Other new novelas include Amor de Madre (A Mother’s Love), Lola Calamidades (Calamity Lola) and El Juramento (Secret Lies).

On the sports end,
Telemundo has a five-year deal to be the U.S. broadcast home of matches with Mexico’s
Las Chivas Rayadas del Guadalajara in Futbol Estelar. This joins the returning Rumbo Al Mundial
Mexico and Balon De Oro.

“Telemundo has come of age
as a content company and has become one of the most respected producers in the
world,” said Don Browne, the president of the NBC Universal-owned network.
“Our partnerships with Televisa and TV Globo are a great affirmation of the
success of our original content business model. Our business model is in
perfect harmony with where the media business is going today and continues to
deliver an exceptional value proposition to clients who are looking for the
best return on their investment.”

As part of its parent
company’s new approach to the advertising market, Telemundo also unveiled plans
to create custom marketing and advertising solutions for its partners and
clients. Its new Concept Integration Model will explore ways to integrate
brands into programming across all its platforms.

On the new-media front,
Telemundo Digital Media will present “User Generated Content Experiences” for
all of its original content, and will relaunch the website for the
youth-skewing cable network mun2.

In addition, Telemundo has
launched Mujer de Hoy…Hazte Valer!, a multiplatform pro-social campaign focused
on critical issues facing young Hispanics.

—By Mansha Daswani