Globo TV International closed a deal with the channel Rutavi 2 from Georgia, to broadcast the telenovelas 'The Favorite' and 'Forbidden Desire'. The productions, which were launched to the international market in January this year, are set to be premiered in the second semester of 2009. This will increase TV Globo's list of products on air in Georgia´s major networks. The telenovelas 'Two Faces' and 'Seven Sins' are also being aired at the moment.
 
The partnership between the Brazilian distributor and Rustavi 2 started in 2008, when the channel broadcast the telenovela 'Her Own Destiny'. In the last few years, the country's viewers were also able to watch Globo TV International telenovelas on other broadcaster's channels that aired the successful 'The Clone', 'Terra Nostra' and 'Shades of Sin'.
 
The telenovelas
 
'The Favorite', which during its broadcast in Brazil reached more than 60% share, is presented in an agile and modern style. Its central plot tells of the rivalry between Flora (Patrícia Pillar, from ‘Little Missy') and Donatela (Claudia Raia, from ‘Seven Sins'), old partners in a country music duo. After spending 18 years in prison for the murder of Donatela's husband, Flora leaves prison wanting to prove her innocence, accusing her ex-partner of committing the crime. At the same time, she wants to get closer to her daughter Lara (Mariana Ximenes, from ‘America’), who was raised by her rival. Lara is the only heir to a paper mill empire and is in the middle of the dispute between the two characters. 'The Favorite' has already been acquired  by 14 countries in Latin America, among them Argentina, Venezuela and Uruguay, who are traditional viewers of Brazilian telenovelas.
 
'Forbidden Desire' is a romantic telenovela set in the 30s, in a fictitious country city, and tells the story of unanswered love, with a refined and subtle sense of humor. The production also deals with themes like the possibility for all human beings to choose between different paths throughout life. The cast is made up of actors like Fernanda Vasconcelos (‘Pages of Life’), Murilo Rosa (‘America’), Lima Duarte (‘Belissima’) and Daniel de Oliveira (‘Cabocla’). The telenovela has already been sold to countries like the Domincan Republic, Paraguay, Peru, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Argentina, Bolivia, El Salvador, Mozambique, Costa Rica and Portugal.
 
'The Favorite' and 'Forbidden Desire' are a few of the productions offered by Globo TV International during the 2009 edition of Discop. The participation of the Brazilian distributor at the event will take place between the 16th and 19th of June, at suite 218 of the Sofitel Maria Dorottya Hotel in Budapest. This year, the catalogue of the distributor will include 14 launches, like the telenovelas, 'Pure Beauty' and 'The Prophet', the miniseries 'Maysa' and the comedies 'The Cleaning Lady' and 'Normal People'. In addition to the production of the traditional telenovelas, the company's portfolio will also include the non-scripted formats 'Xtreme Connection' 'The Video Game', 'Laugh-O-Meter', 'The Spelling Game' and 'Wreckovery'.