Globo has licensed one of its 2018 catalog highlights to the Middle East: the fast-paced Under Pressure portrays the drama faced by a medical staff at an under-resourced hospital in the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro to MBC Group to be aired in Middle Eastern and North African countries. They have also invested in telenovela Rock Story, which is currently popular in Brazil and available to the international market. Both productions will air on broadcast network MBC 4, which focuses on drama and entertainment, but a premiere date is yet to be decided.
As a major pipeline for Globo’s productions in the region, MBC is the largest entertainment channel group in the Middle East, investing in Brazilian series and telenovelas for many years. Total Dreamer, Hidden Truths and Time After Time are some of the products that have already been aired in the group’s channels. Including different plots and formats, the productions licensed reinforce the variety and high quality of Globo’s catalog for the international market in 2018, which will definitely impress partners and viewers worldwide.
As a co-production between Globo and Conspiração Filmes, Under Pressure won over the Brazilian audience with outstanding ratings in broadcast TV, featuring a daily average rate of 40.2 million viewers per episode – 44 million during its premiere alone. The plot also turned heads at the last edition of the Toronto International Film Festival in Canada, where it received excellent reviews from critics.
The series also features innovative production, with scenes shot at an inactive hospital wing to help pump up the adrenaline for viewers. Under Pressure also features amazing stories, inspired by actual cases, and addresses current and extremely important issues for society, such as abuse, suicide, AIDS, and neglect. A chaotic and high-tension environment is the backdrop for an unlikely relationship between the skeptic Dr. Evandro (Julio Andrade, Above Justice) and the religious and efficient Dr. Carolina (Marjorie Estiano, Dangerous Liaisons). The two are not only work partners, but also share a passion for saving lives, constantly juggling the hardships of work and their own personal conflicts in order to cope with their chaotic routine.
Directed by Andrucha Waddington and Mini Kerti, Under Pressure is a spin-off of Andrucha Waddington’s feature film with the same name, co-produced by Globo and Conspiração Filmes. Created by Luiz Noronha, Claudio Torres and Renato Fagundes, based on an original idea by Mini Kerti, the series is loosely inspired by the book “Under Pressure – The War Routine of a Brazilian physician”, by Marcio Maranhão. The series is signed by Jorge Furtado and co-written by Lucas Paraizo, Antonio Prata and Marcio Alemão, with medical consulting by Marcio Maranhão.
Rock Story is a laid-back telenovela about the music industry. It tells the story of Gui (Vladmir Brichta, Above Justice), a washed-up rock star who needs to reinvent himself after witnessing his career and personal life fall apart, at the same time as he loses his wife to the star of the moment and his greatest rival; finds out he has a teenage son; and finds a new and inspiring love. With exciting stories, and charismatic and flawed characters, the telenovela was very successful when it aired in Brazil, reaching a daily average of 37 million people and a 44% share.
