Cannes – Korean broadcaster SBS and Latino powerhouse Telemundo Internacional signed a landmark agreement on Oct. 10. In the first phase of this new relationship, Telemundo gets the rights to distribute part of SBS’s catalogue of drama series in Latin America, a region where, historically, that genre has made few inroads; initially that deal is for three years. In the second phase, in a separate agreement, Telemundo will secure the rights to remake for the US market SBS’s 22-episode drama Stairway to Heaven, which achieved a 50% share in its home market. Beyond that both parties talked up the possibility of collaborating on co-productions. Telemundo Internacional President Marcos Santana praised SBS’s high quality production standards and noted the similarity in story lines between Korean and Latin American telenovelas. SBS International President Sang Y Chun said this deal is “the first time the door to Latin America has opened” for SBS.