Televisa Internacional Targets Africa & Asia

CANNES: Televisa Internacional’s overall business in Africa has been “great,” according to Ricardo Ehrsam, the company’s general director for Europe, Asia and Africa.

“Thanks to the high quality of our content, and excellent dubbing, we have been able to solidify and grow partnerships with market leaders throughout English-, French- and Portuguese-speaking Africa.” Ehrsam points to the titles Carousel and Abyss of Passion as strong offerings in that market. He says that the universal themes of love, fighting for justice and other overall positive moral messages conveyed in Televisa’s novelas lend themselves nicely to the African market. “As the African markets continue to expand and develop as a whole, there is an increased demand throughout the continent for Televisa’s content,” he says. “The transition to digital broadcasts will only add to the need for high-quality programs, and our ever-increasing catalogue of English-, French- and Portuguese-dubbed content means that Televisa is poised to meet this challenge.”

The top three titles with which Televisa Internacional is targeting the Asian market are all traditional telenovelas. First up is Wild at Heart, about Maricruz Olivares, who was raised by her grandfather in a shack in the wilderness. Now a young woman, Maricruz will have to deal with difficult life situations, including losing her greatest love, the death of her grandfather and meeting again with her estranged father. Another highlight that Televisa is presenting to Asian clients is Carousel, as well as Bandidas. Mario Castro, the company’s director for Asia and Africa, reports that even though there is more competition from local content in Asia, “Televisa productions continue to have a presence on different platforms.”