From telenovelas to super series: Reflections on TV Azteca’s ‘improved’ content

Abstract

TV Azteca is one of the biggest multimedia conglomerations in Mexico. From its beginnings in 1993, TV Azteca knew it had to offer something different to audiences so they had a reason to tune in to its telenovelas. Things have changed significantly as TV Azteca announced in the middle of 2016 that it would no longer produce telenovelas. However, TV Azteca still has a vested interest in TV production via its super series. This research focuses on the political economy of production and development of telenovelas and super series, the effect of delineating quality television and the regendering of melodramatic narratives and heroines. It proposes that new content does not need to eradicate women’s stories and melodrama in the service of quality.