Format Developer Claims to Have Pitched "Interactive Telenovela" Concept to Ben Silverman in 2006

Earlier this week (see the article published on itvt.com, April 13th), [itvt] reported that Electus, the new IAC-backed company of veteran producer, Ben Silverman, was teaming with MTV, Procter & Gamble and "Ugly Betty" actress, America Ferrera, on a show entitled "Pedro & Maria" that Silverman and his fellow producers are billing as "the first-ever interactive telenovela."

On Wednesday, we were contacted by a reader who identified himself as Richard Martin, chairman of UK-based Funky Formats, and who told us that his company had not only been the first to develop and pitch an interactive telenovela format, but that he had personally pitched the format to Silverman and Chris Grant--Silverman's colleague at his former company, Reveille, and now his partner in Electus Distribution, a joint venture between Electus and Shine International--at Reveille back in 2006. At the time, Reveille "passed on the format," Martin told us, adding that he has documentation of the rejection.

According to Martin, the format, entitled "Telenovela Star," was launched in 2006 and optioned in over 40 countries (it was broadcast by Colombia's Caracol TV, but "did not work out in Colombia because it was rushed into production," Martin said). A March 14th, 2006 article (subscription required) in the TV formats trade publication, C21 Media, for which Martin was interviewed, explains that the format consists of a telenovela that would air daily and a companion reality TV show that would air just before it, and that "the reality show will allow viewers to control the drama's storyline via interactive voting." (Note: The format envisions contestants in the companion reality show, on weekdays, going "head-to-head in a public vote for walk-on parts" on the telenovela episode that follows it and, on weekends, participating in a vote whose winner would have a bigger role on the telenovela the following week, according to the C21 Media article.) By way of comparison, Electus's press materials for "Pedro & Maria" describe its interactive component as follows: "The show...will, for the first time, give audience members the ability to vote and decide on the direction the characters and story lines will take. MTV and Electus will partner and utilize digital platforms including Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites (in both English and Spanish), allowing viewers to actively participate in the show's outcome."

Martin told us that he is concerned that Electus's "Pedro & Maria" infringes on his intellectual property rights and that he is in contact with his lawyers about the issue. He emailed us the following statement: "I have today written to Mr. Silverman and Mr. Grant asking them why they are claiming to be pitching the 'first interactive telenovela' when I did that in their office several years ago. Since their format is still in development, there may be other similarities that we have yet to discover." (Note: [itvt] has contacted Electus for comment, and we will update this story when we hear back from the company.)