Azteca & Astro Enter Telenovela Partnership

CANNES: Azteca and Southeast Asian broadcaster Astro have entered a partnership for the production and distribution of telenovelas.

The memorandum of understanding also includes Malaysian production outfit Global Station. Through the pact, pay-TV broadcaster Astro and Global will co-produce Azteca telenovela formats adapted for Malaysian and regional viewers. Azteca will then manage the international distribution of those productions.

Astro and Azteca have previously worked on the format Akademi Fantasia, as well as on the telenovela network Astro Bella Channel. Global has also adapted Azteca telenovela formats in the past.

“We are delighted to be working in partnership with Astro; their production expertise and track record speaks for itself,” said Marcel Vinay, the VP of international sales at Azteca. “This agreement fortifies our friendship with Astro and at the same time focuses on our commitment to delivering quality programming to worldwide audiences.”

Agnes Rozario, the VP of content group at Astro, added: “Both Azteca and Global have been great partners to work with in the past and we believe this arrangement strengthens our content lineup and our customer proposition. With Astro’s consumer and marketing know-how, Global’s production expertise and Azteca’s distribution strengths, we are confident that these adapted telenovelas will meet the increasing demand for localized content from the multicultural and diverse people of this region, as well as be able to travel beyond Malaysia to delight audiences around the world.”