Argentine Serials Watched in Living Rooms Around the World

• by Marcela Valente (buenos aires)
• Tuesday, May 11, 2010
• Inter Press Service

Some of the products sold abroad are programmes that have met with local success and are exported as finished original programmes translated into a wide variety of languages, as in the case of Cris Morena Group's 'Chiquititas' (Tiny Angels), 'Rebelde Way' (Rebel's Way) and 'Casi Ángeles' (Teen Angels).

In other cases, the format and a license to produce and broadcast a national version of a foreign television programme are exported together with consulting services for adaptation, to ensure that the programme's success is replicated. This occurred with 'Los Roldán' (The Roldáns), a comedy series which was broadcast in Mexico under the title 'Los Sánchez' and in Colombia as 'Los Reyes'.

'Los Roldán' was created for television by the production company Ideas del Sur, belonging to Marcelo Tinelli. Premièred in Argentina in 2004, the original idea was later sold as the basis for new versions in several Latin American countries, as well as Italy, Turkey, Russia and Rumania.

Another big success was the marketing of 'Lalola', a sitcom produced by Underground Contenidos and Doris Media Group, which took Argentine viewer ratings by storm and was exported to the United States and to 60 other countries in Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa.

Silvana D'Angelo, president of Flor Latina Entertainment Group, a television content distributor, told IPS that Argentina has been exporting programmes to Europe, Asia and Latin America since the mid-1990s.

'The biggest development over the last three or four years is the sale of television formats,' she said. At present, 30 percent of total exports are finished programmes and 70 percent are programme ideas and consulting services on how to produce them.

'Argentina is one of the countries attracting the greatest interest from foreign production companies,' said D'Angelo, who attributed this to 'the vast experience' of a community of 'talented and experienced screenwriters, producers and directors.'

So Argentine actors can be seen on Russian, Israeli or Turkish television screens, dubbed into the local language. And people all over the world are watching adapted versions of programmes that have drawn huge audiences in Argentina, with actors or hosts from the importing country.

A case in point was 'Muñeca brava' (1998-1999), a soap opera starring Uruguayan actress Natalia Oreira, which was sold to outlets in over 70 countries by Telefé Internacional, the content distributor for the Telefé TV station.

The same company exported the original serial 'Montecristo', which premièred in Argentina in 2006, to 45 countries. The format was also adapted in a further five nations, following in the steps of 'Resistiré', another television serial sold to over 20 countries.

In D'Angelo's view, the key to success is the screenplay. 'A good screenplay is the foundation of any television project,' much more so than the cast or producers, she said.

Original screenplays that appeal to a wide range of audiences and cultures are highly sought after.

Some productions are made entirely in Argentina, specifically for markets abroad. The Flor Latina production company made 'Impostores' (Swindlers) for the subscription network Fox Latin American Channels, which sold the original programme to Mexico, the United States, and then to Argentine TV. The format was also sold in Spain, Italy and Russia.

Technical know-how, creativity and the country's strikingly varied scenery also encourage the commissioning of films in Argentina exclusively for the international market.

Another factor in this international success story is the relatively low production costs, especially after the steep devaluation of the Argentine peso against the dollar in early 2002. But D'Angelo said that even before the currency slide, 'Argentine productions had already carved a market for themselves' abroad.

The latest report of the National Investment Promotion Agency (ProsperAr) says that Argentina 'is a rising producer and exporter' of the creative industry's goods and services.

The report highlights that this country is currently the fourth largest producer and exporter of television content, after the United Kingdom, the United States and the Netherlands, to a large number of export markets.

'The Argentine broadcasting and film industries are gaining a strong reputation worldwide,' as confirmed by the prizes awarded to local films, serials and other programmes, and advertising, ProsperAr's report continues.

Every year some 15 movies, over 400 commercials and 600 TV programmes are made in the country for foreign markets, the study says.

The Observatorio de Comercio Internacional (OCI), a City of Buenos Aires research unit on foreign trade, concurs with this overview.

In its 2009 report titled 'Exports of contents and production services for television in the city of Buenos Aires', OCI remarks that in recent years, TV programmes and films produced in Argentina have earned an international position due to their quality, originality and creativity.

Its authors highlight the growth of sales and visibility of original programmes, formats, reruns and production services in international markets.

It also says that, according to the Format Recognition and Protection Association (FRAPA), an international industry body set up to combat television format piracy, 445 original formats were exported worldwide between 2006 and 2008, of which 146 were from the United Kingdom, 87 from the United States, 37 from the Netherlands and 28 from Argentina.

D'Angelo acknowledged that Mexico is also a big Latin American exporter of contents, but she emphasised that many of these programmes 'are remakes of Argentine originals like 'Mujeres asesinas', 'Simuladores', 'Amor en custodia' or 'Montecristo'.'

© Inter Press Service (2010) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service

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