Endemol soap sells to 13 territories

'Mr. and Mrs. Pell$' take trip around the world

By STEVE CLARKE

LONDON -- Endemol, the global entertainment giant, is hoping it may have an "Ugly Betty"-style global hit on its hands with the 120-episode Latino soap "Mr. and Mrs. Pell$."

Thirteen territories have acquired the show, a co-production between Endemol Argentina, Telefe Contents and telenovela production house Underground.

Skein is distributed jointly by Endemol International and Telefe Intl.

Cuatro in Spain, RCN in Colombia, TVN in Chile, and Ecuavisa in Ecuador have bought the scripted format.

Meanwhile the Philippines, El Salvador, Uruguay, Bolivia, Honduras, Albania, Macedonia and Georgia have taken the original finished show. 

Endemol said the scripted format had also been sold to Greece and there are further deals in the pipeline.

"The Successful Mr. and Mrs. Pell$" bowed on Telefe in Argentina last fall, where it became one of the web's most popular skeins.

Endemol Intl.'s director of scripted programming Caroline Torrance said: "This show is already a phenomenon in Argentina and now looks set to take the rest of the world by storm.

"It has a fantastic mix of comedy and drama that captivates audiences."

Endemol built its reputation on reality shows and quizzers like "Big Brother" and "Deal Or No Deal."

But it is attempting to boost its scripted activities as part of a new strategy outlined by CEO Ynon Kreiz, who arrived at the production powerhouse last year.