MUMBAI: In a bid to grow its business in emerging markets, including Latin America, FremantleMedia has inked a two year co-development partnership with Argentina’s television network, Telefe to create and develop entertainment/non-scripted formats for the Argentinian and wider-Latin American market.
Based in Buenos Aires, the development team will comprise staff from both companies, with Telefe drawing on FremantleMedia’s creative strength to co-develop original entertainment IP. Telefe will have exclusive rights on all new shows to broadcast on its Argentinian network in Argentina and across Latin America, reaching millions of viewers. FremantleMedia has worldwide rights to the shows created through the deal, which will be sold through its international distribution network, FMI and its global network of production companies.
FremantleMedia Latin America CEO Adrián Santucho said, “Today’s agreement is an important and exciting step forward in FremantleMedia’s plans to grow its business in Latin America as we develop and produce shows for the Argentinian market. As the country’s most popular television network, we couldn’t have asked for a better partner. We’re really looking forward to working with Tomás and his team over the next two years to create shows that will appeal to audiences in Argentina and around the world.”
Telefe head of entertainment Tomás Yankelevich added, “FremantleMedia is a world-renowned producer of entertainment shows, loved by audiences all over the globe. We embark on this exciting challenge with great enthusiasm. Telefe has been producing entertainment shows with vast success for decades in Argentina. Now, with the expansion of our content development team, and working together with Fremantle, we know it is a big step forward to generate new formats, not only for our screen but also for the rest of the world.”
The deal with Telefe is the latest of a number of creative partnerships undertaken by FremantleMedia recently in order to co-develop new formats. In April 2015, the company set up a joint venture with Shanghai Media Group’s BesTV and China Media Capital to create formats for China, and announced in September that it was teaming up with newly-formed Danish production company, Skylark, to develop entertainment formats via a creative hub, based in Copenhagen.
