Telenovelas, not just for Latin Americans
If you are from San Antonio, you most likely know what novelas are. They are those Spanish soap operas that majority of Spanish-speaking individuals follow. Although, I never really watched them growing up, I just remember them being so popular and those that did watch them were attached. Novelas are the strongest selling point for Spanish speaking networks such as Univision, which we discussed last blog entry. In some cities, such as Miami, they actually have a higher percentage of viewers than the other English networks.
The reason I bring this topic up is because I came across an interesting article in an issue of Foreign Policy. It talks about how novelas are becoming globalized. Novelas have made a hit in countries such as Russia, China and the Philippines, among others. Why? Apparently, novelas have story lines that are consistent with the current economic situations viewers are in. They gear towards the lower income and under privileged. Apparently, story lines are fairy tale in the sense that characters earn money through fortunes and other means rather than having an elite, professional job. They are obviously revolved around romance and there is always a cinderella and a happy ending. Novelas, unlike US soap operas, are geared towards the whole family so they are shown at prime time hours.
Other countries are becoming hooked and are either outsourcing to Latin America or are coming up with their own. Novelas have been around for a long time and have at about 2 billion viewers world wide. Their viewers are very loyal and have a sense of connection to the character.
The television industry is noticing the popularity of the novelas and the question is if the novelas will continue to stay to true to the Latin American originality or will they become “Hollywood” once the larger producers gets some some of the action. It will be interesting to see.