Starz President and Chief Executive Officer Chris Albrecht announced at today's Starz Television Critics Association (TCA) presentation at the Beverly Hilton that Starz is developing the original series TERESA with Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF) and Televisa USA, a division of the Mexican media company Grupo Televisa. Award-winning writer/producer Carlos Portugal ("East Los High," "Pop Star," "Meet the Browns") will create the series and serve as showrunner.
The show, based on the highly-rated, award-winning Mexican
TELENOVELA "Teresa," focuses on an undocumented young Latina clawing her way into the exclusive world of Los Angeles wealth. The series will chronicle her ruthless pursuit of money and power and her willingness to do anything to get them.
"We're excited to be working with Carlos, Lionsgate and Televisa
USA on re-developing this iconic
TELENOVELA for American audiences. 'Teresa' will showcase a modern take on what it means to be Latina in America," said Carmi Zlotnik, Managing Director for Starz.
Televisa USA's Chris Philip added, "Starz has proven to be a great programming partner and we're thrilled to expand our relationship with this updated take on a hugely successful Televisa format."
"We're excited about collaborating with Chris, Carmi and the team at
Starz as well as our friends at Televisa
USA on this powerful new series," said Lionsgate Television Group Executive Vice President Chris Selak. "'Teresa' brings together terrific partners, a singular property and a world-class creative team for an audience that we know well, and we believe that the series will resonate not only with Latino viewers but audiences everywhere."
Portugal has served as executive producer, producer and writer of several ground-breaking series. He co-created and is an executive producer, writer and director of "East Los High," Hulu's first and only series with an all Latino cast. He made his directorial debut with the English-language, Latino gay romantic comedy "East Side Story," which he co-wrote with Puerto Rican playwright Charo Toledo ("The Princess Within"). Portugal also co-executive produced "Body of Desire," a primetime drama series for
NBC which was based on "El Cuerpo Del Deseo," the hit Spanish
TELENOVELA that aired on
Telemundo from 2005 to 2006. A graduate of USC film school, he began his career at KQED, San Francisco's
PBS station, where he produced "Opera in the Park," "Comedy Tonight" and the Emmy® Award-winning documentary "Frida Kahlo: Portrait of an Artist."
Senior Vice President of Original Programming Marta Fernandez will be the
Starz executive in charge of "Teresa."
About
Starz Starz (NASDAQ: STRZA, STRZB) is a leading integrated global media and entertainment company with operating units that provide premium subscription video programming on domestic U.S. pay television networks (Starz Networks) and global content distribution (Starz Distribution), www.starz.com. The
Starz Networks operating unit is home to the flagship STARZ® brand with 24.2 million subscribers in the United States as of June 30, 2016, with the
Starz ENCORESM network at 31.8 million subscribers. Through STARZ, the company provides high quality, entertaining premium subscription video programming with 17 premium pay TV channels and associated on-demand and online services.
Starz is sold through U.S. multichannel video distributors, including cable operators, satellite television providers, telecommunications companies, and other online and digital platforms.
Starz offers subscribers more than 5,000 distinct premium television episodes and feature films every year and up to 1,500 every month, including
Starz Original series, first-run movies and other popular movie and television programming. The
Starz Distribution operating unit is home to the Anchor Bay Entertainment,
Starz Digital, and
Starz Worldwide Distribution divisions. In addition to
Starz Original series,
Starz Distribution develops, produces and acquires movies, television and other entertainment content for worldwide home video, digital, and television licensing and sales.
About Televisa USA
Televisa
USA is a division of Televisa, S.A. de C.V., a subsidiary of the Mexican media and telecommunications corporation Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. the largest and most dynamic producer and distributor of Spanish-language content in the world. Televisa
USA develops, finances, coproduces and distributes to the U.S. and international audiences high quality, mainstream English-language programming based on existing formats and original concepts. Current productions in which Televisa
USA participates include the dramas Devious Maids, a collaboration with
ABC Studios and Executive Producer Marc Cherry, on Lifetime; Maleficio, a supernatural thriller co-production with
Starz based on one of the most successful telenovelas of all time, El Maleficio; and the Dougray Scott ("Hemlock Grove," "Desperate Housewives," "Taken 3") starrer Duality as part of Televisa's high-volume episode commitment initiative.
About Lionsgate Lionsgate is a premier next generation global content leader with a diversified presence in motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, home entertainment, international distribution and sales, branded channel platforms, interactive ventures and games, and location-based entertainment. The Company has nearly 80 television shows on 40 different networks spanning its primetime production, distribution and
Syndication businesses. These include the critically-acclaimed hit series Orange is the New Black, the beloved drama series Nashville, the
Syndication successes
THE WENDY WILLIAMS SHOW and
CELEBRITY NAME GAME (with FremantleMedia), the breakout series
THE ROYALS and the Golden Globe-nominated dramedy Casual.
The Company's feature film business spans eight labels and includes the blockbuster Hunger Games franchise, the Now You See Me, Divergent and John Wick series, Sicario, The Age of Adaline, Roadside Attractions' Love & Mercy and Mr. Holmes, Codeblack Films' Addicted and breakout concert film Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain and Pantelion Films' Instructions Not Included, the highest-grossing Spanish-language film ever released in the U.S.
Lionsgate's home entertainment business is an industry leader in box office-to-DVD and box office-to-VOD revenue conversion rates. Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of approximately 16,000 motion picture and television titles that is an important source of recurring revenue and serves as a foundation for the growth of the Company's core businesses. The Lionsgate and Summit brands remain synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world. www.lionsgate.com
