January 2015 30 Telemundo’s Developed Plan viewers is a challenge for executives from the two largest Hispanic TV networks, Telemundo and Univision, which don’t want to lose first and second generation U.S. Hispanics (35 percent are first generation and six percent are second generation) to Anglo stations. To review and analyze these challenges, VideoAge traveled to Miami to interview Luis Silberwasser, president of Telemundo Network, and Marcos Santana, president of Telemundo Internacional, the global program distribution arm of the group, which is part of NBCUniversal (both pictured on the cover). These two divisions are under the umbrella of NBCU Hispanic Enterprises, led by chairman Joe Uva in New York City. Mun2, the Universal City, California-based cable and satellite channel run by Ruben Mendiola, also operates under Uva. Created in 1954 in Puerto Rico as a single TV station, Telemundo Network now covers the entire U.S. with 18 owned local TV stations and 70 affiliates. It was acquired for $2.7 billion by NBCUniversal in 2002 from a consortium made up of Liberty Media and Sony Pictures. When the network was formed in 1984, it was called NetSpan, and the name was changed back to Telemundo in 1987 as a public company. Last August Luis Silberwasser was recruited from the London office of Discovery Networks International to run the Miami-based network and its studios. Marcos Santana, a former copyright lawyer, became president of Telemundo Internacional in 2007, when it acquired Tepuy, the company he founded in Spain in 1989, which was Telemundo’s foreign program distributor. In addition to international content distribution, Santana is also involved in the network’s content development process, charged with co-productions for the network. According to Silberwasser, Telemundo’s strategy to competewith other Hispanic networks and channels has three components: “The first is to focus on original content, which comprises 100 percent of our primetime schedule [8 p.m.- 11 p.m.]. Second, to produce content that is more in tune with the Hispanic audience [which is made up of viewers with Mexican, Colombian, Cuban and other Latin American countries backgrounds]. Third, schedule at 10 p.m. ‘superseries,’ which are different from the traditional telenovela model.” While traditional telenovelas run between 140 actors and the use of U.S. shooting locations. The super-series, starring Kate del Castillo, Jorge Zabaleta and José María Torre, is inspired by real events that occurred in the late ’70s and early ’80s, a difficult era both in Miami, with drug trafficking, and in Chile during the military regime of Augusto Pinochet.” Telemundo Internacional distributes annually between six and eight newproductions, including variety shows, classic telenovelas, super-series and music specials. “Last year we launched on the international market novelas like En Otra Piel, Los Miserables and Reina de Corazones, plus two super-series: the second season of El Señor de Los Cielos andSeñora Acero. We also launched the talent format, Yo Soy El Artista, which is currently being considered for adaptation in several countries,” said Santana. “The majority of our content is 100 percent Telemundo, whether produced by our studios or by third parties. There are usually one or two coproduced series per year.” In terms of distribution, Santana stated that Telemundo Internacional’s “focus is the delivery of content to a global market. We sell content to over 120 countries with 200 programs dubbed and subtitled in 40 languages. All territories are considered, analyzed and served according to their particular characteristics. From Latin America to Asia, each of our executives is actively meeting the demands of our customers and generating new business opportunities in every country.” Santana was vague when explaining the business relationship between the network (Telemundo), which produces the series and his division, which distributes worldwide: “Telemundo Internacional operates as a single entity, but works in synergy with the network and the studio. International decisions on all projects are made jointly,” he concluded. and 160 episodes, with a beginning and an end, “super-series” are open-ended and run between 60 and 80 episodes and, if successful, can have additional seasons, like their Anglo primetime counterparts. For example, El Señor de los Cielos is a super-series now in its third season. Even though Telemundo executives would not discuss financials, reportedly a traditional telenovela can be produced for $70,000 per hour, while a super-series requires a larger budget, since it is amortized by fewer episodes. Silberwasser explained that Telemundo Studios, which is based in Medley outside Miami, and which falls under his responsibility, produces three super-series per year. He added that the studio has a team of 20 executives in its content development division, which he described as a “robust development group.” As far as acquisitions are concerned, Telemundo focuses on movies and reality formats. “We’re a big buyer of movies,” explained Silberwasser, “and we leverage Telemundo Internacional’s strength to look for formats, in addition to finding us co-production partners.” Silberwasser’s strategy is to compete only with other Hispanic networks and it doesn’t account for counter-programming against Anglo TV stations. Since up to 33 percent of the Hispanic population is comprised of people under the age of 18, Telemundo has created a digital group within the company to take full advantage of social media, to the point of producing Yo Soy El Artista, a show under the control of “100 influencers” — bloggers, vloggers and gossipers. Telemundo Internacional’s Marcos Santana expanded on the topic of co-productions. He said, “We continually evaluate business opportunities and co-production deals. One of the most important co-productions we closed recently was with Television Nacional de Chile for the super-series Dueños del Paraiso. This production has allowed wide casting of our (Continued from Cover) Luis Silberwasser, l., Marcos Santana, r., showingVideoAge’s Dom Serafini the International Emmy award they won for their El Señor de los Cielos, produced by Telemundo Studios and filmed by Argos Television.
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