Ecuavisa Internacional, the international counterpart of Ecuador’s leading TV network, this week launched its first telenovela targeting the Ecuadorian community living in the U.S. La Novela de Cholito, based on a long-running TV series in Ecuador, premiered August 18 on Ecuavisa, which is distributed in the U.S. by AlternaTV.
Described by its creators as an Ugly Betty-type of tale, La Novela follows the story of El Cholito, a journalist graduate of humble origins who dreams of becoming a TV anchor but must overcome a series of obstacles. “Besides the entertainment factor, the series touches on a series of social problems, including cancer, child abuse and corruption,” said executive producer Luis Cucalón.
The 120-episode novela, which already ran in Ecuador, was a smashing ratings success there, reaching a 50% share in prime time, and even surpassing, for the first time ever, the ratings of soccer matches played by Ecuador’s National Soccer Team. La Novela de Cholito will air Monday through Friday at 10:30 p.m. (ET).
Ecuavisa Internacional is available nationally on the DirecTV Más platform and is carried in several markets by Cablevision, Qwest and RCN. Most recently, the channel launched in the New York DMA through AlternaTV’s partnership with Time Warner Cable. New York is an important market for Ecuavisa. According to Guillermo Hidalgo, director of Ecuavisa Internacional, the New York metropolitan area is home to no less than one million Ecuadorians.
Time Warner Cable’s New York City region serves more than 1.4 million subscribers in Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island and Western Brooklyn.
