If you expect that adapting a successful TV series for a different market is easier than creating a brand new one, you may want to think again! That was the message and insight shared by Sergio Mendoza, vp, scripted development at NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, during an appearance on the final day of the ninth edition of Conecta Fiction & Entertainment in Cuenca, Spain.
“We think adapting is less work than writing,” he said on Thursday during a panel discussion on the internationalization of Spanish content. “But from an executive point of view, it is actually more time-consuming.”
Especially franchises with huge and passionate fan bases can cause creators much headache, he highlighted. “If the [franchise] is so popular and well-known, you must be very careful about every choice you make because you will always get audience feedback,” Mendoza explained. “They will either say ‘why is it just like the original’ or ‘you deviated or detached yourself too much from the original’.”
That can lead to much consideration and debate among the creative team, as well as stress, but the executive also noted that this can be an engine for imagination and innovation. “Adrenaline dances very closely with creativity,” Mendoza concluded.
The executive highlighted how Telemundo last year acquired the adaptation rights to Velvet, Atresmedia’s 2014 Spanish drama that became a global phenomenon, and launched its modern adaptation last month.
The original ran for four seasons and was set in the glamorous world of a 1950s Spanish fashion house, exploring such themes as love, ambition, and family dynamics. Telemundo Studios’ adaptation, Velvet: El Nuevo Imperio, has a different setting, namely, contemporary New York. Its cast stars Yon González and Samantha Siqueiros, among others.
Mendoza expressed pride about the new series and noted that his team is considering future show opportunities. “I love thrillers, and they work really well in Latin America,” he mentioned, signaling that he is keeping an eye on possible thriller opportunities.
Meanwhile, fellow panelist María Pinilla, director of international & business affairs at Banijay’s Banijay Iberia division, addressed the trends of “risk aversion” and rebooting known formats and franchises. “For us, this is quite frustrating,” she shared. “We have a lot of creatives, but not a lot of creative ideas. We need to take some risks on new ideas.”
The panel also featured Alexander Keil, managing partner of SKP Entertainment in Germany, José Pastor, film and fiction director at Spain’s RTVE, Silvia Cotino, sales and business development deputy director, Mediterráneo at Mediaset España, and Elisa Martin De Blas, managing director, production & distribution at Contubernio Films in Spain.
Conecta 2025 saw executives from the likes of Warner Bros. Discovery, Brazil’s Globo, Gaumont Television, and production giant Banijay discuss their original programming plans and the state of the TV industry.