Studiocanal, one of Europe’s leading production-distribution-international sales powerhouses, has made further inroads into the markets in Central and Eastern Europe and beyond, achieving further sales on the premium daily drama “The Vow” (“La Promesa “), with which Poland and two Baltic states, but also France.
Produced by Spain’s Bambú Producciones (“Velvet,” “Cable Girls”), a Studiocanal company, Studiocanal and Spain’s national public broadcaster RTVE, “The Vow” has been acquired by Polish pubcaster TVP Poland, the state-backed network ERR Estonia and state television. owned by LTV Latvia.
In additional new sales, Dubai TV has secured rights to MENA territories. French free-to-air channel C8, which like Studiocanal is owned by the Canal+ Group, will start broadcasting the series in July.
Mediaset Italy has now acquired all three seasons of “The Vow,” as have Dori Media Israel and Finnish state network YLE.
HRT Croatia and LTV Lithuania and commercial network KTV Kosovo, which aired season 1, have signed on for further seasons.
Created by Josep Cister Rubio (“Acacias 38,” “Dos Vidas”) and written by Cister Rubio, Susana Prieto, Ruth García and Carmen Llano, “The Vow” begins in 1913 as Jana, a maid in the declining but still Luján’s increasingly ruthless house seeks revenge for her mother’s murder. What Jana does not expect, however, is that she will fall in love with Manuel, the son of the Count of Lujan, who swears his love for her, but cannot publicly commit to her due to the class divide.
Deals will be announced on the first day of NATPE Budapest and just after the closing of the Spanish Conecta Fiction.
They also come after “The Vow” improved to top ratings around the world. In Spain, where it launched on January 12, 2023 on RTVE’s La1, its 14.2% share as of June 5 this month was the second best in the series’ history and 5.1 percentage points above La1’s channel average in May.
In Latin America, where RTVE sold “The Vow” to HBO Max, thanks to No. 1 or No. 2 performances in almost all territories, the series ranked No. 4 among all Max series worldwide as of June 23.
Under the leadership of Ramón Campos, Bambú Producciones has launched several landmark revolutions in Spanish television: the introduction of an American pace to free Spanish prime-time shows (“Desaparecida,” 2007); direct sales of a Spanish original to Latin America without the need for dubbing in neutral Spanish (“Gran Hotel”, 2011-13); the creation of free-to-air series that channel the constant twists and surprises of melodrama into shows with cable TV’s premium production values (“Velvet,” 2014-16).
In ‘The Vow’, made possible by strong funding from RTVE and Studiocanal, Bambú has produced a first-rate daily drama, not only often shot on location, but most recently including scenes from the First World War.
Production is underway on season 3 of “The Vow,” starring Ana Garcés, Arturo Sancho (“Heirs of the Land),” Eva Martín (“Amar es para siempre”), Manuel Regueiro (“Acacias 38 ”) María Castro (“Seis Hermanas”) and Antonio Velázquez (“Cable Girls”, “Tierra de lobos”).
“Central and Eastern Europe remains a vibrant market for daily series, with ‘The Vow’ appealing to many and attracting a loyal audience across the region,” said Sarah Mottershead, VP sales, Studiocanal.
“It is a compelling, high-quality production that encompasses romance, mystery and family relationships, all set against a beautiful backdrop with glossy period details,” she added. “These qualities, combined with exceptional writing and acting skills, make it a real ratings winner with viewers. We are thrilled that a third season is in production, which could bring even more irresistible storylines to this compelling, long-running drama.”
“’The Vow’ is showing very consistent and positive rating momentum and it is becoming one of the most popular telenovelas to air on LTV in recent years,” enthuses Zane Valeniece, head of acquisitions at LTV Latvia.
She continues: “LTV broadcasts high-quality telenovelas from Monday to Friday at 10:30 am and it is also an important content on the LTV digital platform. The show, which offers a rich storyline with great actors and filming locations, gives audiences an exciting and strong daily habit.”
