Changsha – Production for Chou Nu Wu Di (The Ugly Girl with no Rival) the Chinese adaptation of Televisa production La Fea mas Bella (The Prettiest Ugly Girl) has commenced. The series is based and licensed from Yo soy Betty la Fea (I am Betty The Ugly) by Fernando Gaitan Salom, owned by Colombia’s RCN Television. Chou Nu Wu Di is being made by China’s Hunan Satellite Television, independent production house Nesound and RCN Television with investments of up to US$20million. Jose Baston, corporate vice-president of television, Grupo Televisa; Ou Yang, president of Hunan Satellite TV; Liu Wen Wu, president of Nesound; and Wan Tai Hua, director of the State Administration for Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) officiated the ceremony to flag off the production in Changsha, China. To be adapted to China’s social reality and local taste, Chou Nu Wu Di will emulate the Mexican series to stretch 400 episodes, more than six times the length of 60-episode local soaps. To air in September 2008, Chou Nu Wu Di will be divided in 5 seasons, each with 80 half-hour episodes. Francisco Ortiz and Arturo Casares, Televisa’s representatives in China and executive producers of Chou Nu Wu Di promised that commercialization of the series will involve a 360º business model to include products related to the show’s content. The series has already secured a number of advertising contracts and further revenue is expected in commercialization activities to follow. Hunan Satellite is planning to develop applications for new media and will try to sell them in other territories in the region. The company’s TV channels are available to 900million viewers in China.