Arturo Casares Cortina, Advisor for Asian Countries for Mexico-based Televisa Internacional, has been involved in one of the most successful TV drama format deals in China: Ugly Betty from the original Yo soy Betty la Fea of RCN.

The Chinese language adaptation – Ugly Wudi (Chounu Wudi) – has proved a major hit since it premiered during prime time on Hunan Satellite TV. It attracted 73 million viewers on its opening night and consistently ranks as the toprating TV drama in China.

Unilever is the official sponsor for the program, with exclusive rights to ads and product placements during the show. Unilever’s marketing staff worked with the producers and script writers to integrate around 3,300 seconds of the Dove brand into the show’s first season. The Clear and Lipton’s Milk Tea brands are also promoted on the show. The deal was brokered by Unilever’s adtime- buying agency, WPP Group PLC’s Mindshare.

CMM-I met with Arturo Casares Cortina to find out more about Ugly Betty and Televisa’s plans in China.

Could you tell me more about how the Ugly Betty deal was structured?
We acted like business model consultants for the entire show. We delivered some of the basic plot lines that have contributed to the success of the Ugly Betty format in other countries. We also gave them the business model, advising them on merchandising and product placement. It is a very successful format that is very well-packaged for commercial success. We brought that business model to China, not just the story.

So how closely did you oversee the production process? Were you there on set?
No, I think it could be risky if someone from another culture tried to oversee the every day production of a format. We provide tips and consulting services on what they’re doing, not on the everyday level but at the more general, overall level of the storyline and some aspects of production. We’re not in the studio everyday but we visit often.

Taking a broader view, we operate in the same way in Mexico with our producers – not independent producers but people who are part of Televisa. At the end of the day, the producer creates the production. It’s their baby. We value their vision, that’s why we chose them as our partners. We don’t think it’s good to be in the studio all the time and actually, we cannot be there because Ugly Betty is classed as a local Chinese production.

Ugly Betty has been extremely successful in China. Throughout its first and second seasons, it consistently remained the top rating program in its timeslot.

Why do you think it has been so successful here and all over the world?
Well, I studied communications at university and one of my journalism professors had a saying which I think helps to explain the success of Ugly Betty. He said it is not news when a dog bites a man, it is news when a man bites a dog.

Ugly Betty has been successful because it is a very different story. There are so many stories about beautiful girls but this is a story about the ugly girl. That’s very powerful because even the most beautiful girls have some part of themselves that they consider ugly. Our program says that it’s what inside that counts, not what’s on the outside. Ugly Betty’s inner beauty is what wins in the end.

What challenges do you face when you try to sell a telenovela to China?
Well, telenovelas are like a special kind of TV drama format with a fairly clear and defined structure: you have a good character, you have a mean character, there is a beginning, an end and it usually all ends in a wedding.

Most telenovelas consist of around 120 episodes of 45 mins or one commercial hour. That makes them longer than most Asian drama formats – which run for 20 to 30 episodes- but shorter than some US dramas, which go on and on for years.

The difference in length can definitely pose problems but it’s also a niche because it’s new. Sometimes we will change the format or split the story into seasons, like we did with Ugly Betty.

How important is China as a market for Televisa?
It’s quite important because of what we have achieved here. Maybe it will be the base for Asia. We sell a lot of finished products to SE Asia, especially Indonesia. We’re also very, very successful in the Philippines. Japan is another interesting market that we’re starting to explore.

What are some of the challenges and benefits of working in China?
Well the biggest plus is the reason why everyone is here: the size of the market.

As for the challenges … well, I think the business culture and the nature of the content industry are two of the biggest challenges. The industry has its own rules. The government policy is very clear, as in any country like in France for instance, but media industry is more sensitive here than in many countries and is important to be aware of this challenge.

What are your plans for the future in China?
For me it’s very simple. I want to strengthen the relationships that we’ve built here and to make every effort to help the people we are collaborating with and give them the support they need to make the formats successful. We believe we have a great product and a lot of access to content. Televisa alone has more than 400 scripts that are ready to produce and we have plenty of other partners in Latin America.