Turner Latin America and Warner Bros. International Television Production Build Formats Partnership
(October 17, 2018 – Cannes, France) – Within the framework of the global TV and digital content market, MIPCOM 2018, Turner Latin America, the leading multi-platform media company in the region, has announced the execution of an agreement aimed to represent the formats of Warner Bros. International Television Production (WBITVP) in some of the main Latin American markets. Since they are sister companies which belong to WarnerMedia (formerly Time Warner), Turner and Warner Bros. are ideal for an association of this kind.
Turner Latin America shall represent a significant selection of the vast catalogue owned by WBITVP in Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Uruguay and Peru for an initial term of 18 months. Among the titles to be represented, there are great successes such as “Supernanny,” an international phenomenon where parents are helped to cope with difficult situations with their children by an expert nanny and the groundbreaking “Game of Games,” the biggest and most hilarious studio-based game show which has become an instant rating smash since it was first released in the USA. Being hosted by the talented comedian Ellen DeGeneres, the American version of this program has announced its renewal for a 13-episode second season, and the format has already been sold to Spain, Australia and Germany.
The catalogue also includes formats of globally renowned scripted series. For instance, comedies such as “2 Broke Girls,” where two waitresses in their twenties do their best to open the cupcake store they have long dreamt of; crime series such as “The Mentalist” and dramas such as “ER” and “Gilmore Girls,” among others.
Besides, Turner Latin America shall become the production company for the full performance of the programs listed in the catalogue, not only for its own brands but also for third parties, including local TV air channels. This was the case with “First Dates” early this year, the English dates format which currently has local versions in over 20 markets. Hosted by Argentine actor Mariano Martinez, the local version of the dating program, called “Primera Cita,” was first released on Argentine free to air TV by Telefe on Valentine’s Day.
“It is a great honor that Ronald and the WBITVP team have entrusted their formats to us, so that we can reinforce our general production division, both for our brands and for third parties, being granted the exclusivity to produce local adaptations of their internationally successful scripted and unscripted content in some parts of Latin America,” stated Tomás Yankelevich, EVP and Chief Content Officer of General Entertainment in Turner Latin America. And he added: “In Australia and Europe, mainly in countries such as Spain and Germany for instance, the Warner catalogue is largely present and leads the market share. We are confident that this agreement, together with Turner’s strong presence in Latin America, will enable us to extend Turner’s leadership throughout the region”.
Ronald Goes, EVP and Head of Warner Bros. International Television Production, commented: “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Turner to bring our formats to new audiences in Latin America. We’re confident that Tomás and his local teams are the right people to maximize the potential of our catalogue in the region.”
About Turner Latin America
Turner Latin America, a property of WarnerMedia, is a global entertainment, sports and news company that creates premium contents and delivers exceptional experiences to fans throughout the region, whenever and wherever they choose to watch their favorite contents. These efforts draw from information based on state-of the-art data and technology. Turner owns and operates some of the most valuable brands in the world, organized in five content groups: Kids (Cartoon Network, Boomerang and Tooncast); General Entertainment (TNT, TNT Series, Space, TCM, I.Sat, Warner Channel, TBS, HTV, MuchMusic, Glitz* and truTV); News (CNN International, CNN en Español, CNN Chile and HLN); and Sports (TNT Sports, EI Digital). In the broadcast TV business, the company owns Chilevisión (Chile). Additionally, the company has developed GLOUD, a cloud-based gaming platform available in Argentina and Chile that enables users to play without the need for downloading content or owning a console.
About Warner Bros. International Television Production
Warner Bros. International Television Production (WBITVP) produces local scripted and non-scripted programming through its network of local production operations in 14 countries across Europe, Australia and New Zealand. WBITVP’s production operations are responsible for both original programming as well as local versions of formats owned and controlled by the Warner Bros. Television Group, such as “The Bachelor,” “Little Big Shots,” “First Dates,” “Supernanny” and “Who Do You Think You Are?” Where WBITVP has no local production capability, it licenses Warner Bros. formats to third parties.
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