Booming Adaptations of Fiction Shows

"Betty La Fea " (Original version) Televisa Estudios		"Born Ugly" (Russian adaptation of "Betty La Fea ") AMEDIA

In 2006, one of the most watched new US series is "Ugly Betty", the local adaptation of a Colombian telenovela, "Betty la fea" that has already been adapted many times (in India, Germany, the Netherlands, Russia, Spain, Mexico and soon to be adapted in Belgium).

The phenomenal US series of the past seasons "Desperate Housewives" was adapted in 2006 in Argentina ("Amas de casa desperadas") and will soon be adapted in other Latin American markets.

This is not a new method: formats of Australian soaps have been adapted in Europe, formats of telenovelas have been adapted from one Latin-American country to another, comedies have traveled between Spain, Portugal and Italy, British sitcoms have been adapted in the USA or in Europe, US sitcoms have been adapted in Latin America or Europe... But this time one can notice a clear intention for producers and broadcasters in all-sized markets to adapt to the world of fiction the approach that was successfully used with reality TV and entertainment shows: the local adaptation of worldwide formats.

In Germany SAT1 is expected to adapt the Italian cop show format "RIS" already adapted in France. Pro 7 is expected to adapt the French romantic comedy "Clara Sheller". In Italy in 2006 on Canale 5, the local adaptation of the family comedy "Los Serrano", already seen in Spain and in Portugal, was a hit. In Spain, La Sexta has adapted the US comedy drama format "Party of Five". In the USA the new MyNetworkTV has built its schedule only around adaptations of Latin-American formats: telenovelas. (The first two English-speaking telenovelas launched so far have failed to attract viewers).

The worldwide explosion of telenovelas that had been announced has seen its first fluffs. Today, it seems more relevant to talk about the explosion of a fiction format in particular, "Betty La Fea", than of an explosion of a fiction genre, i.e. telenovelas. Local adaptations of "Betty La Fea" have practically all been successful. But today, the German market is the only one that has developed a local creation of telenovelas beside "Betty La Fea".

A sequel to the local adaptation of this format, without "Betty La Fea", "Verliebt in Berlin 2", was launched in the fall. Channel SAT.1 launched a second daily telenovela with a male hero in addition to the heroine.The telenovela "Sturm der Liebe" is successful on ARD in Germany but also in its dubbed version in Italy. In November ARD tried "Rote Rosen" a telenovela for forty something female viewers.

Source: The WIT / Extra Cool Report