Cross-posted at VivirLatino

Earlier this year we told you about how the major networks both here and in the UK were betting on telenovelas in English — either adapted from storylines from Spanish-language television or following the traditional finite end format — to be “the next big thing”. The New York Times tells us now that the love affair with novelas has faded fast as networks wake up hating themselves in the morning:

“It’s right to characterize what we were all caught up in last year as telenovela fever,” said Katherine Pope, the executive vice president of NBC Entertainment. The ardor has apparently cooled. In the 12 months since news reports revealed that CBS was working on as many as seven scripts for telenovelas, that ABC had invested in as many as 45 existing telenovela storylines, and NBC was jumping in to adapt telenovelas already produced by Telemundo, the Spanish-language network that NBC owns, not much more has been said — or done. Not a single telenovela project has been put into production by any of those networks.

According to the Times piece, the business model just doesn’t work here, as upon sacrificing quality to do the shows for cheap, the studios risk alienating viewers that are used to higher production value. Oops. And the ratings for the telenovela-style shows that have been produced and are running are nothing to write home about:

Not that many people have tuned in. MNT has so far tried four telenovelas, including one, “Fashion House,” starring the former sirens Bo Derek and Morgan Fairchild (complete with catfight between them), and another, the current “Wicked Wicked Games,” starring Tatum O’Neal. Running two episodes at a time five nights a week, the network has thus far made little noise with any of its telenovelas. Ratings for MNT’s telenovelas in the 18- to 49-year-old audience, the primary market for most broadcasters, have been negligible. They have been scoring about half a national rating point — or less — which translates to about 650,000 viewers in that group (compared with 8 million to 10 million viewers for a hit show in the same period).

I don’t know much about the broadcast business, but that sounds pretty bad. Maybe this trend will end like a telenovela rags-to-riches story with the poor, lowly novela getting the viewers — and the dollars — in the end. In TV, it’s amazing how these things happen. I mean who ever thought LOST would such be a hit?

Via / The New York Times

Cross-posted at VivirLatino

I’ve often questioned why there isn’t a more decent offering online for Latinos. In fact, when VivirLatino was created, it was partly born of that question. I’ve asked time and time again why — in spite of compelling data that shows that Latinos are online en masse — online businesses don’t make more of an effort to extend their tailor their services to the Latino market.

This may end up being a blip on the screen given AOL’s decline in popularity, but the company has just re-launched AOL Latino:

AOL has opened its Spanish language services to the general public through the launch of the new AOL Latino, complete with search (powered by Google), antivirus, antispam, email, instant messaging, blogs, photo sharing (AOL Latino Fotos) and calendars.The site offers more than twenty areas of Spanish and bilingual content and will cover original news articles from Spanish language news sources like EFE, Nomex, and the Associated Press, plus music from artists like Daddy Yankee, Ricky Martin and RBD in the “Sessiones @ AOL” section, and updates about the latest Hispanic Hollywood celebrities like America Ferrera, Sofia Vergara and George Lopez. The site also features a community area called Tu Gente complete with blogs, message boards, and chat.

Who will use AOL Latino? I’m not sure, since I don’t know anyone who uses AOL non-Latino. What it all comes down to is offering great content that they can’t find anywhere else, which will keep them coming back for more.

One company that’s doing it incredibly well isn’t a portal at all: Apple’s iTunes Latino has impressed me. I love Apple products, but I predicted that they would slap “Latino” on iTunes, translate it and voilá. Apple went above and beyond; they’ve researched the various Latino music genres, history, etc. and created playlists that I would buy without even listening to: an essential history of Argentine rock, for example. Upon closer inspection, they got it right. They did their homework. They’ve also done a great job in getting hot Latino celebs on board to share their personal playlists, including Julieta Venegas and Ozomatli.

If AOL can give Latino consumers half the quality that Apple does in the online music sector, they’ll be just fine.

Via / Adotas