Nickelodeon makes telenovela grab with ‘Reach for a Star’
Viacom Inc.’s Nickelodeonhas struck a deal for 80 episodes of a prime time soap opera for its Nick-at-Nite programming block that will debut later this year.
Based on the Mexican telenovela “Alcanzar una Estrella,” “Reach for a Star” is part of Nickelodeon’s ongoing strategy to bring young parents and kids to its Nick-at-Nite prime time lineup. Once the home for old sitcom reruns, Nickelodeon’s Nick-at-Nite has been programming more original shows in prime time over the last few years -- a better counterpart to its daytime schedule of kid and teen series it hopes will attract more family viewing.
Burbank-based Nickelodeon has had some success with the telenovela format, which typically runs new episodes five nights a week, as opposed to once a week, with Nick-at-Nite’s mystery telenovela “House of Anibus” and the high school drama “DeGrassi: The Next Generation” on the Teen Nick cable channel.
-- Joe Flint, Los Angeles Times