Q: What advantages are there to start the year at NATPE?
A: It is well known that NATPE has positioned itself as the first major television event of the year. Consequently, as most Latin clients have reviewed their yearly budgets, they attend the market with programming strategies or models set in place and are keen at looking for programmes that best fit their plans. On the other hand, distributors and sellers are eager to present their latest programmes and upcoming projects of the year. The atmosphere at NATPE is always energetic, charged, exciting as everyone comes ready to kick off the new year with a positive and productive perspective.
Q: Which telenovelas have worked well in Asia?
A: In the past months we have been actively promoting a special edition of one of our most recently successful telenovelas, Eva Luna, which has achieved peak ratings performances throughout Latin America. For the Asian market, we produced a special 26-hour edition that conforms to the standard length of a dramatic series in the region; so far we have been able to secure sales in China, Vietnam and Japan.
Q: What challenges have you encountered when selling scripted formats here in Asia?
A: There is no doubt that the differences in cultures have been a key factor in adapting storylines and character developments to make programmes more suitable for the market. Clients, more often than not, are afraid to take risks in foreseeing the adaptation of scripts and prefer to pass on to other types of programmes.
Q: How do you adapt your content to meet the expectations of Asian viewers?
A: It takes a creative team of writers to adjust and properly position plots in order to ensure they are developed with credible situations. With our vast experience in the genre of the telenovela, we have always tried to sit alongside writers to discuss adaptations that best fit and work well in the development of the main story, as well as the numerous sub-plots. The most efficient manner to adapt content is to foresee the needs of specific major markets and to create comprehensive strategies during pre-production to make certain that appropriate measures are taken during the production stage in order to facilitate the adaptation during postproduction.
Q: How do you foresee telenovelas challenging the likes of entertainment formats, Asian drama series and dramas from U.S. studios that continue to work well in Asia?
A: We are not trying to challenge or compete against other formats or local dramatic series in the region. I truly believe there are ample opportunities for a diversity of programmes to fulfill their purpose and satisfy the needs and requirements of television programmers. I must point out, however, that the telenovela offers the advantage of a low cost per hour programme able to fill a weekly-strip slot, something many programmers may find enticing and financially efficient.
Q: What is your sales forecast in Asia for the year ahead?
A: For 2013 we are looking ahead at offering more special editions of our line-up of internationally successful telenovelas and bringing to the region a vast catalogue of diverse programmes from independent producers that range from children and tween shows to extreme sport and variety series.
On show at NATPE:
Lucia’s Secrets (Los Secretos de Lucia)
Genre: Telenovela
Duration: 80 x 45’
This action-packed production breaks away from the classic telenovela. Amnesia leaves Lucia with an unknown past and uncertain future as she navigates through life running from an unknown threat. She struggles with flashes of who she was – a ruthless arms dealer and killer – and who she wants to be. Struck by love, Lucia must first bury her horrid past before it destroys her promising future.
Stand:
Suite 3015 at the Tresor Tower, Fontainebleau Resort
