Telemundo pushes Latin formats

Telemundo International, the sales arm of NBC-backed US Hispanic broadcaster Telemundo, is pushing format sales in Central and Eastern Europe and looking to get involved in local production in the region.

A local Amedia-produced version of Thirty has recently bowed on CTC in Russia, which is significant because the format hailed from Chilean broadcaster TVN, which is known for its edgy, late-night, novellas.

“The original content might not make it to air but the [TVN] formats are highly sought after,” explains Telemundo International’s vice president of sales Melissa Pillow. “Thirty had to be toned down.”

An as yet unnamed Russian broadcaster – not CTC – is also about to make a local version of TVN’s Twisted Love. Another TVN show, Four Lives for Love, has been remade by Telemundo and sold into Bosnia, Hungary, Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, and Macedonia.

The other push for Telemundo International in the Central and Eastern European region is getting involved in local production. It has already taken part in several workshops at the Discop programming market in Budapest, Hungary, and wants to combine its expertise with that of local producers.

Pillow says: “We want to go a step further and are interested in coproducing with Central European producers and channels.”