Aby Media, a company with offices in Abidjan and Los Angeles, is set to adapt and distribute a slew of productions for Africa. The adaptations will be in partnership Brazilian media giant Globo.
The two companies have been working together for decades. While Globo has produced hit projects for a wide Brazilian audience, Aby Media has distributed them in Africa. Their new partnership takes the arrangement further. The distributor will adapt Globo’s popular projects, shaping the original stories to a new setting. The news was first reported by Variety.
“Having distributed Globo finished content in Africa for almost three decades, I’m particularly happy and proud to initiate with Globo this unprecedented landmark venture,” said Bernard Azria, a cofounder of Aby Media.
“This partnership underscores our mutual commitment to excellence in storytelling and represents a significant step forward in bringing high-quality, engaging content to African audiences.”
The shows to be adapted include 2022’s Pantanal and 2017’s The Other Side of Paradise.
Strategy
Speaking about the development, Globo’s Fábio Mauro, head of Content Distribution and Partnership, stated that his company has had a similar adaptation arrangement elsewhere.
“This partnership reinforces our sales strategy for formats, as was the case with ‘Brazil Avenue,’ which will be adapted in Turkey,” he said. “We believe in the strength of our productions, in the universality of our plots…it will be possible to bring Globo’s DNA and our Brazilianness and combine it with local production.”
On the Aby Media website, four shows are presented as being in development. They include Lucky Break, Legends, Echoes, and Afrobeats. The first appears to be a Nigerian adaptation of Portuguese telenovela Golpe de Sorte. Legends is also set in Nigeria. Echoes is set in Abidjan and Afrobeats doesn’is centred around the world of African pop music.
Kimberley Azria, Executive Producer at Aby Media, said: “Our alliance with Globo highlights the importance of creativity and adaptation in today’s media industry. Together, we are dedicated to producing content that resonates with local viewers while upholding the highest production standards.”
Both companies will appear at MIP Africa in Cape Town, South Africa. The event will run from September 2 to 4.
