NBC & USA Option Telemundo Novelas

MIAMI: Telemundo has granted NBC Entertainment an option to develop The Lord of the Skies (El Señor de los Cielos) and USA Network an option to develop the upcoming novela Woman of Steel (Mujer de Acero).

The Lord of the Skies is inspired by true events. It tells the story of one of the most prominent Mexican drug lords from the 1990s. The show ranked as Telemundo's number one novela last year, averaging 2.3 million total viewers and nearly 1.5 million adults 18 to 49. Universal Television will develop the show for NBC Entertainment.

Woman of Steel is a highly anticipated original production from Telemundo Studios set to launch this fall. It tells the story of a woman who goes from simple housemaid to rocking the foundation of the Mexican government. The series will be developed by Universal Cable Productions for USA Network.

“These agreements are further examples of our continuous efforts to work across the NBCUniversal brands to integrate and leverage our resources and expertise,” said Joe Uva, the chairman of Hispanic enterprises and content at NBCUniversal. “This marks the first time that NBC and USA have optioned content from Telemundo, and demonstrates the growing interest in the telenovela format in the general market.”

Jeff Wachtel, the president and chief content officer at NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment, added: “The telenovela format has a long history of delivering compelling episodic dramas and storylines that transcend culture and generations. We’re fortunate to have a library of stellar content that we can tap into with Telemundo and are excited at the prospect of extending it across our cable portfolio.”

“Developing this hugely popular telenovela allows us to not only showcase the great plotlines and stories that have captured Spanish-speaking audiences in an English-language adaptation, but it gives us the great opportunity to work hand in hand with our NBCUniversal partners at Telemundo,” said Jennifer Salke, the president of NBC Entertainment. “We can’t wait to get started.”

“USA has always been known for its signature original dramas, and we are constantly looking for new formats as we roll out the next generation of shows on our network,” added Chris McCumber, the president of USA Network. “This is a great opportunity for USA to partner with our sister network, and develop extraordinarily popular Hispanic content for the English-language audience.”