The WAWA Business Forum kicked off with presentations of classic telenovelas and comedies from top-tier distributors

In the first showcase of the WAWA Business Forum 2024, Telenovelas and series, with participation from over 60 attendees, Mega Global Entertainment, Onza Distribution, SIC, Tondero Distribución, TV Azteca, and VIP 2000 TV shared the main productions from their catalogs, mostly classic telenovelas and comedies.

Roxana Rotundo, Chair of the board of WAWA and CEO of VIP 2000 TV, welcomed the event and explained that they would hold in-person meetings in various cities afterward, including Bogotá, Colombia, Miami, the USA, and Lima, Peru.

Esperanza Garay, CEO of Mega Global Entertainment, presented five telenovelas: Papá en Apuros, the first one made by Mega from Chile with the Peruvian channel Latina, a production that increased the channel’s audience by 30% and ranked second in its time slot. Additionally, Como la Vida Misma, a dramedy that leads Mega’s prime time at 8pm has been a leading production in Chile, with a rating of 14.6 points and a share of 22.7. She also presented Generación del 98, Mega’s nighttime telenovela that led the time slot, Al Sur del Corazón, Mega’s latest release, which will be available on Netflix in a few months, and the channel’s big bet this season as it scored 17 rating points and 25 share points. She commented that they also distribute the SBS Korea novel, Destino y Amor, the latest one they have dubbed into Spanish.

Carlos Garde, CEO of Onza Distribution, presented the success of Portugal’s Cacao, a prime-time leader, sold to Mediaset and other European countries, with rights available in LatAm. It tells the story of a young woman who is the unexpected daughter of the owner of the hacienda where she works in chocolate production in Brazil and the intrigues that unfold after Cacao’s father’s death between the landowner’s wife and his children for the inheritance. Universal Cinergía dubs it. He presented The other telenovela Golden Swan or Golden Swan Gallery. “It’s a series of 56 episodes, a production from the Czech Republic, and it’s a period series with high production levels.” Fresas Con Azúcar, a youth drama, is the third production Garde presented.

Carlota Viera, Content Sales from SIC in Portugal, presented Flor Sin Tiempo, a love story that goes beyond romantic love to encompass family love, which is a new novel from SIC. There’s also a mystery to solve: the disappearance of the mother. The Latin American version will have 110 episodes. “We’re also with a new novel on screen filmed in the Azores islands, and pre-producing another one based on a Turkish format, and we’ll have rights for adaptation for Latin America. “In series, we have the only premium SVOD platform in Portugal, we produce original content, and we have a three-episode Catholic miniseries about Lucia, the prophet of Fatima, a series for young people, and another very daring one, a thriller with an erotic contribution, which is on Prime with Amazon,” she said.

Cecilia Gómez de la Torre, General Manager of Tornero Distribución, showed Los Otros Concha, a production that has been a success since day one on América Televisión, obtaining more than 20 rating points, which are around one million 200 thousand people watching the novel every day. It’s a comedy that tells a universal story with a variety of characters. It’s 90 episodes, “with which we manage to have a guaranteed joyful night. Ideal to have a Latin American humor slot,” she emphasized.

Dulce Ávila, Sales Director of Azteca Internacional, presented an extensive catalog, with series like Doctora Lucía, Lo Que Callamos Las Mujeres, Lotería del Crimen, La Teniente, Cada Quien Con Su Santo, and telenovelas like Mirada de Mujer, Vivir a Destiempo, La Loba, Quererte Así, in addition to leaving suspense with upcoming productions: La Cautiva and Diana. Ávila explained that Doctora Lucía is in production for its second season, has traveled significantly with agreements in Eastern Europe, and is about to launch on a platform. It is available for broadcast on free and pay TV. “Lo Que Callamos Las Mujeres is one of the most emblematic and important of TV Azteca, with an inventory of over five thousand episodes produced. “It’s such a strong production that while we stopped producing it, we continued scheduling previous episodes, and it had an important rating number, so we resumed production. We’re in production for the 2024 season.”

Rosalind Rotundo, in charge of International Sales at VIP 2000 TV, presented two RCTV classics, Juana la Virgen and Mi Gorda Bella, which they remastered and worked on the stereo audio. She also mentioned that at the LA Screenings, they will present the first trailer of Kuma and recalled the production they will carry out in Guadalajara, Valentina, a love story of 60 episodes whose protagonist is on the spectrum.