Globo and Azteca, one of Mexico’s largest broadcast television channels, just entered into partnership to provide an exclusive programming of telenovelas from the Brazilian broadcaster at the 11pm time slot of Azteca 13. The inauguration of the slot was on August 18 with The Illusionist, winner of the 2012 International Emmy for Best Telenovela.
The agreement reinforces the presence of Globo’s dramaturgy in Mexico, where the worldwide phenomenon Brazil Avenue has achieved great success. The story of Nina’s revenge increased Azteca 13’s primetime audience by more than 60% when it began airing in February. The telenovela will soon come to an end, and the Mexican network has chosen to replace it with another Globo attraction, Trail of Lies – one of the highlights of the Brazilian network’s 2014 catalogue.
“Azteca is one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of TV content. It is a great honor to see the success of our titles, and to have a slot reserved for Brazilian productions in their schedule. We believe that The Illusionist has great potential to enchant the Mexican audience”, says Raphael Corrêa Netto, Executive Director of Globo’s International Business.
“It is very important for Azteca to create a business strategy with Globo since it is a worldwide leading company known for its top-level-quality production. They produce and manage up-to-date contents and arguments. They are every similar to daily Mexican histories, and that is an added value for Azteca’s channels. We hope this agreement will be in force some time after the three years we have agreed”, said Pedro Lascurain, Acquisition Director at Azteca.
The trajectory of “magician” Herculano Quintanilha (Rodrigo Lombardi, India – A Love Story) in The Illusionist is a remake of a successful telenovela by Janete Clair, one of the best-known writers of the genre in Brazil. The original story aired in the 1970s, and became a classic telenovela that is still remembered by audiences to this date. In Brazil, the new version aired in 2011 and averaged an impressive 42% share.