Argentina’s Telefe unveils international business unit following takeover

CONTENT AMERICAS: Argentine broadcaster Telefe has launched a production and international business unit named Telefe Studios.

Darío Turovelzky

The new division brings together development, coproductions and strategic alliances into its creative and production hub. It will also revive Telefe’s international distribution business.

The free-to-air broadcaster was acquired in October by a local media holding led by businessman Gustavo Scaglione after a decade as part of US group Paramount, formerly ViacomCBS.

The launch is the first major strategic move under its new owner and comes ahead of CEO Darío Turovelzky’s keynote interview at C21’s Content Americas next week in Miami.

With 100% Argentine leadership, the company is now looking to strengthen business areas that had been left somewhat dormant and to expand them, free from the constraints of having to fit into a global parent company’s strategy.

“Throughout all these years, Telefe never stopped producing or building links with the international market. Our potential remains intact. Now it is about bringing to light something we have been doing over the past few years in a less visible way,” Turovelzky, told C21’s Spanish-language sister publication Cveintiuno ahead of Content Americas.

Telefe Studios will operate along two main lines led by two long-serving executives, both reporting to Turovelzky.

Mercedes Feü will serve as senior director, adding international business, production services and distribution to her remit alongside acquisitions. Iván Stoessel will be head of content development for the studio.

The unit will operate independently from the channel but will collaborate with it on certain projects. It will also seek to innovate with digital formats, including vertical dramas.

“We are a major development, production and distribution powerhouse that also happens to own Argentina’s number one channel – a huge shop window that allows us to do many things with massive local reach,” said Turovelzky. “But as a studio, we are looking to work with partners across other windows and territories.”