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MAIN Contents • Editorial • Telenovelas Giants • Telenovela Stars • Taking a look at the world of telenovelas Telenovelas, Fiction and Formats • Europe • Asia • Africa • United States: The powerful Hispanic market • Business • Only CEO's • Latin America Writers Seedbed • RUSIA • UKRAINE • Investigation • BUSINESS PEOPLE as actors of the industry |
NBC Universal Television Group signed an unprecedented agreement with Galán Entertainment to negotiate and produce English-spoken telenovelas for television.
The content saturation on
United States’ screens is a
fact. The amount of sitcoms
filling them – with extremely
high costs and ratings that do
not reach the expected figures
– are cause for concern; at least they raise
an alarm for those who wish to surprise
and win in a highly competitive market.
“Latin television will provide an important contribution to the American market, since telenovelas are the only genre that hasn’t been tried by Americans in their program scheduling. And I think this is the right moment for this genre to seek to transcend the American market. It is time for it to make its cross over,” says to this magazine in an exclusive interview Nely Galán, an entrepreneur and visionary with a deep knowledge of the television business. In fact, Nely is also a creative and producer of great renown within the American general market, and is currently President and CEO of Galán Entertainment, her own company based in Los Angeles.
The truth is that throughout the last five years the United States’ audience has worn down, causing a strong decrease in television consumption. Therefore, the largest networks see this as a good opportunity to explore and update the screen. On the other hand, soap operas are currently not only too long, but expensive. “The networks’ step towards the genre is also related to costs because the marvelous thing about telenovelas is that their production costs are lower than the costs they’re used to handle,” explains Galán.
The first projects have already been set in motion
In order to face up to the huge challenge of taking telenovelas to the American market, Galán Entertainment will make the most out of the experience gained by Telemundo, which will offer the licenses of all its formats – original and acquired – to be made again for English-spoken TV. “I’m sure that telenovelas will become an American TV tradition, just like it happened in more than 100 countries,” remarks Galán, who tells us that their first projects are the successful telenovelas El cuerpo del deseo (Body Desire) and Pasión de gavilanes: “We don’t have a title in English for Pasión de gavilanes yet, and I’d like to make clear that not all the telenovelas my company is in charge of will be for NBC. I have sold a few other telenovelas but I can’t tell you now. What I can say is that my experience in producing programs in both languages and for both markets – American and Hispanic – will let me improve these productions and maximize their impact on this audience,” she assures.
The first television channels to receive these contents already in production will be NBC, USA and Bravo, but then other networks will join them.
“Latin television will provide an important contribution to the American market, since telenovelas are the only genre that hasn’t been tried by Americans in their program scheduling. And I think this is the right moment for this genre to seek to transcend the American market. It is time for it to make its cross over,” says to this magazine in an exclusive interview Nely Galán, an entrepreneur and visionary with a deep knowledge of the television business. In fact, Nely is also a creative and producer of great renown within the American general market, and is currently President and CEO of Galán Entertainment, her own company based in Los Angeles.
The truth is that throughout the last five years the United States’ audience has worn down, causing a strong decrease in television consumption. Therefore, the largest networks see this as a good opportunity to explore and update the screen. On the other hand, soap operas are currently not only too long, but expensive. “The networks’ step towards the genre is also related to costs because the marvelous thing about telenovelas is that their production costs are lower than the costs they’re used to handle,” explains Galán.
The first projects have already been set in motion
In order to face up to the huge challenge of taking telenovelas to the American market, Galán Entertainment will make the most out of the experience gained by Telemundo, which will offer the licenses of all its formats – original and acquired – to be made again for English-spoken TV. “I’m sure that telenovelas will become an American TV tradition, just like it happened in more than 100 countries,” remarks Galán, who tells us that their first projects are the successful telenovelas El cuerpo del deseo (Body Desire) and Pasión de gavilanes: “We don’t have a title in English for Pasión de gavilanes yet, and I’d like to make clear that not all the telenovelas my company is in charge of will be for NBC. I have sold a few other telenovelas but I can’t tell you now. What I can say is that my experience in producing programs in both languages and for both markets – American and Hispanic – will let me improve these productions and maximize their impact on this audience,” she assures.
The first television channels to receive these contents already in production will be NBC, USA and Bravo, but then other networks will join them.
“The opportunity of the
century for Latin
Americans”
According to Galán, the fact that this market started to gain interest in telenovelas was a combination of many things: “In 1997, I produced a telenovela along with Televisa and Fox that was made in Spanish and English. In Spanish it was called Imperio de crystal and in English, Empire. This happened in the year when Mr. Emilio Azcárraga Milmo died and the project was abandoned, but he was the first visionary that was interested in Englishspoken telenovelas. After that, Sony (former owner of Telemundo) became so interested that they have turned into major telenovela producers worldwide. Later, NBC bought Telemundo and they are becoming gigantic players.
” What target do your telenovelas aim at?
We must cause a cross over, so they are telenovelas aiming at the same target as Desperate Housewives. We obviously want young Latin people to see them.
How can you make the American audience get used to telenovelas, since they belong to a new genre?
Why wouldn’t a format that has worked in more than a hundred countries all over the world work here? Love is universal. It’s the same if you bring here Who Wants to Be Millionaire, being a millionaire is a universal wish, and universal things taken to the screens can’t go wrong.
Thus, Nely Galán undertakes one more challenge in her successful career, since the number of telenovelas that will be made for this market each year will be between ten and twelve. “This Englishspoken market has a potential of billions of dollars and that’s why we’re going to make it work. We’re helping each other because we want the genre to be a success,” states Galán, who concludes the interview showing herself very happy for such an important step taken by Latin American telenovelas, which are already being adapted by her own company. “If you ask me, telenovelas are like drinking Cuban coffee. It’s part of my upbringing, it’s something that is very connected with my cultural experience and I love to be able to be the person working as a bridge between the Hispanic and the American world, two worlds I love and respect a lot.”
According to Galán, the fact that this market started to gain interest in telenovelas was a combination of many things: “In 1997, I produced a telenovela along with Televisa and Fox that was made in Spanish and English. In Spanish it was called Imperio de crystal and in English, Empire. This happened in the year when Mr. Emilio Azcárraga Milmo died and the project was abandoned, but he was the first visionary that was interested in Englishspoken telenovelas. After that, Sony (former owner of Telemundo) became so interested that they have turned into major telenovela producers worldwide. Later, NBC bought Telemundo and they are becoming gigantic players.
” What target do your telenovelas aim at?
We must cause a cross over, so they are telenovelas aiming at the same target as Desperate Housewives. We obviously want young Latin people to see them.
How can you make the American audience get used to telenovelas, since they belong to a new genre?
Why wouldn’t a format that has worked in more than a hundred countries all over the world work here? Love is universal. It’s the same if you bring here Who Wants to Be Millionaire, being a millionaire is a universal wish, and universal things taken to the screens can’t go wrong.
Thus, Nely Galán undertakes one more challenge in her successful career, since the number of telenovelas that will be made for this market each year will be between ten and twelve. “This Englishspoken market has a potential of billions of dollars and that’s why we’re going to make it work. We’re helping each other because we want the genre to be a success,” states Galán, who concludes the interview showing herself very happy for such an important step taken by Latin American telenovelas, which are already being adapted by her own company. “If you ask me, telenovelas are like drinking Cuban coffee. It’s part of my upbringing, it’s something that is very connected with my cultural experience and I love to be able to be the person working as a bridge between the Hispanic and the American world, two worlds I love and respect a lot.”
Galán Entertainment was founded in 1994 with the objective of creating multiple thematic content platforms in the Latin market. And it was Nely Galán who prepared such venture. During those years, her company has produced more than 600 episodes of different television genres, both in Spanish and English. Recently, it was the creator of The Swan – the reality show produced by Fox that has been broadcasted in 58 countries, getting the first position in Latin America, Israel and Germany and becoming a well-known brand worldwide. Galán was also Entertainment President for Telemundo and collaborated with companies like HBO, ESPN, Fox, MGM, Sony and TCI, launching ten television networks in Latin America. In 1992, the entrepreneur created Tropix, a joint venture with HBO to make Latin contents for cable. Through Tropix, Nely worked as a consultant for HBO and Time Warner designing strategies related to the Latin American market in the United States and Latin America. Besides, she created contents for Fox Network and participated in the launching of Fox, Fox Kids, Fox Sports, and Sky, among others. Galán is the only producer that has accomplished simultaneous hits both in English and Spanish.