After earning a bachelor's degree in film and audiovisual studies from Paris 8 University and gaining initial experience as an assistant director, Alex Bouedy joined Côte Ouest Audiovisuel, where he held the positions of Playlist Manager and Channel Manager. He is now Director of the channels published by Côte Ouest Audiovisuel.
AWK: Nina Novelas celebrates its 10th anniversary on February 14. How would you sum up these 10 years?
AB: This anniversary is an opportunity for us to remember that Nina Novelas was historically the first French-language channel dedicated to telenovelas to be launched. It paved the way and inspired many other channels, which in turn achieved excellent audience ratings and continue to do so.
A positive track record over the years. Nina has successfully expanded its coverage area and evolved to adapt to growing competition. The 100% Novelas channel maintains a unique positioning, mainly featuring Brazilian series.
At Côte Ouest, anticipating and responding to market and audience needs is part of our DNA. It is with this in mind that we launched My Nina, the only app entirely dedicated to this genre, offering fans the freedom to watch their favorite soap operas wherever and whenever they want.
AWK: How are you distributed and how many subscribers do you have in total?
AB: Nina Novelas is distributed to around twenty buyers, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, the Caribbean, and the Indian Ocean.
These include Bouygues, Free, SFR, and Orange in mainland France and the overseas departments, as well as Startimes, Orange, and MTN in Ivory Coast, Azam in Tanzania, and Mauritius Telecom in Mauritius.
Through these platforms, we reach more than one million households. Our ambition is to continue this expansion in order to offer a high-quality alternative to telenovela fans, wherever they may be.
AWK: Including CANAL+?
AB: CANAL+ already has its own channel dedicated to telenovelas and does not want to fragment its audience. This allows us to position ourselves as a strong, high-quality alternative for viewers looking for something different outside of this ecosystem.
AWK: How will you celebrate these 10 years?
We have planned a special program throughout the year, with new and exclusive content, as well as some of the classics that are popular with our audience.
In terms of promotions, we will implement joint marketing campaigns with our operators and also launch contests for our subscribers, with many prizes to be won, to thank them for their loyalty and commitment.
Go to Nina Novelas FR's Facebook page!
AWK: What other channels does your group publish?
AB: In addition to Nina Novelas, we launched Afro Novelas, dedicated to the best fiction from the African continent, and developed several FAST channels, including Télé.novela on Samsung TV+ and TCL France.
AWK: What are your next developments?
AB: We have several avenues we are pursuing. One of them is to expand our presence to the United Kingdom, a market where we believe telenovelas could find an audience. But our priority remains expansion in French-speaking Africa, where we want to convince operators who do not yet offer this type of content to include Nina Novelas in their offerings.
We are convinced that the demand for exciting and immersive stories is stronger than ever, and we intend to continue offering our audience the best telenovelas.
AWK: Any final thoughts?
AB: To our partners, thank you for contributing to our success and sharing our vision. Your collaboration is essential to our development and to enriching our offering. To our viewers, your loyalty and commitment motivate us every day to offer you the best content. You are at the heart of everything we do, and we are committed to continuing to surprise and entertain you.