Latin focus: Globo

Brazilian powerhouse Globo comes to MIPCOM buoyed by the strong performance in the local TV market of its recent telenovelas Gabriela: The Life We Lead and Brazil Avenue.

Another Globo standout, My Dear Handyman (left), which is a coproduction with Telemundo, bowed in the US in July. The Hispanic version of Globo’s local hit was titled Looks & Essence and is being co-distributed by both partners, with Globo having the rights for Asia.

Gabriela, the new telenovela adaptation of Jorge Amado’s 1958 novel Gabriela – Clove and Cinnamon snagged big ratings on Portugal’s SIC, Puerto Rico’s WAPA-TV and Ecuador’s Ecuavisa. It is a version of the successful 1970s TV show of the same name, which starred by Brazilian legend Sonia Braga. Globo distributes it in Latin America, Africa and Europe and Warner Bros. in Asia, North America, Australia and UK.

“Forty years later, Gabriela proved that it has remained strong and engaging,” says Raphael Correa Netto, executive director of international business at Globo.

Drama series The Life We Lead, sold by Globo to Armenia, Hungary and Serbia, has also lured domestic Brazilian TV audiences, scoring 24 rating points and taking a 52% share. “Overcoming obstacles in life is a universal theme,” Correa says.

TV sales phenomenon Brazil Avenue, meanwhile, has been licensed to 106 countries including Portugal, Chile, Venezuela, France, Greece and Croatia six months after launch. Its last episode attracted 50 million viewers in Brazil.

Globo produces over 900 hours of telenovelas a year and has a strong presence in Portugal and fares well in Eastern Europe. Optimistic about the mood of the market, Correa says: “Regardless of the global economic situation, there is always room for a good story, as the figures for these telenovelas show.”