Co-Production with Televisa to Impact Teen Pregnancy in Mexico

Earlier this month, the Vice President of Content at Televisa, a Mexican entertainment company that is the largest source of programming in the Spanish-speaking world, announced an upcoming project with Population Media Center (PMC). Rosy Ocampo, a Mexican television executive and producer now responsible for strategic content development and production for all of Televisa’s free and pay-TV channels, announced the project and its broadcast this coming fall.

“PMC has an entertainment method that is built from existing societal challenges,” Ocampo said. “A story is created, characters are created, and we build the show hand-in-hand with research.”

That research made working in Mexico a priority for the non-profit, particularly focusing on gender issues. The show, which is yet to be named, will address a number of issues facing women at very different stages in their lives, but with some common threads throughout their experiences. One of the primary social issues portrayed and addressed through the storytelling is adolescent pregnancy.

“This is a co-production Televisa is doing with PMC. PMC is dedicated to making entertainment programs that deal with social problems. Now that I have been involved in the research, now I know that Mexico has the highest teenage pregnancy in the entire region,” said Ocampo. “Girls who become pregnant at 11, 12, or 13 years old obviously change their lives. There is school drop-out. What we are developing here is an original story for a telenovela. I believe in the genre and this story that is being developed.”

The feeling is mutual. PMC always assesses how to best build shows for key audiences, considering brand, tone, and distribution channels as just a few of the important audience considerations. Televisa, of course, is a master of building entertainment for its audiences and an incredibly powerful distribution partner.

“We are thrilled to be doing this co-production with Televisa,” said Kriss Barker, Vice President for International Programs at PMC. “The creative and production teams are top-notch and working together over the past year has shown us that this story will be a hit show – but a hit show that also conveys important perspectives and information that can help empower people to make decisions that improve their lives.”