Studiocanal Rolls Out Premium Daily Series ‘The Vow’ in Central, Eastern Europe (EXCLUSIVE)

Making further inroads into markets in Central and Eastern Europe and beyond, Studiocanal, one of Europe’s top production-distribution-international sales powerhouses, has clinched further sales on premium daily drama “The Vow” (“La Promesa”), closing Poland and two Baltic States, as well as France.

Produced by Spain’s Bambú Producciones (“Velvet,” “Cable Girls”), a Studiocanal company, Studiocanal and national Spanish public broadcaster RTVE, “The Vow” has been acquired by Polish pubcaster TVP Poland, state-backed network ERR Estonia and state-owned LTV Latvia.

In additional new sales, Dubai TV has closed rights to MENA territories. French free-to-air channel  C8, owned like Studiocanal by the Canal+ Group, will begin airing the series in July. 

Mediaset Italy has now acquired all three seasons of “The Vow,” as has Dori Media Israel and Finnish state network YLE. 

HRT Croatia and LTV Lithuania and commercial network KTV Kosovo, which have broadcast Season 1, have signed up 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 at the declining but still ruthless house of Luján seeks revenge for the murder of her mother. What Jana doesn’t anticipate, however, is that she will fall in love with Manuel, son of the Count of Lujan, who swears his love for her but cannot publicly commit to her, given the class gulf. 

Deals are announced on the first day of NATPE Budapest, and just after the conclusion of Spain’s Conecta Fiction.

They also come after “The Vow” has punched sterling ratings performance across the world. In Spain, where it launched on Jan. 12, 2023 on RTVE’s La1, its 14.2% share on June 5 this month was the second best in the series’ history and 5.1 percentage points over 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 near all territories, the series ranked No. 4 among all Max series worldwide on June 23. 

Headed by Ramón Campos, Bambú Producciones has launched multiple milestone revolutions in Spanish TV: the introduction of a U.S. pace iton free-to-air Spanish primetime shows (“Desaparecida,” 2007); direct sale of a Spanish original to Latin America without need for dubbing into neutral Spanish (“Gran Hotel,” 2011-13); the creation of free-to-air series which channel the constant twists and turns and surprises of melodrama in shows of premium production values of cable TV (“Velvet,” 2014-16 ).

In “The Vow,” empowered by muscular financing from RTVE and Studiocanal, Bambú has produced a premium daily drama not only often shot on location but very recently including scenes set in WW1.

Production of “The Vow” Season 3 is in progress, starring Ana Garcés, Arturo Sancho (“Heirs to 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 & Eastern Europe continues to be a vibrant market for daily series, with ‘The Vow’ appealing to many and attracting loyal audiences across the region,” said Sarah Mottershead, VP sales, Studiocanal. 

“It’s a compelling, high quality production embracing 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 to have a third season in production ready to deliver even more irresistible storylines for this captivating long-running drama.”

“‘The Vow’ is showing very consistent and positive rating dynamics and it’s becoming one of the most popular telenovelas that’s been broadcast on LTV in recent years,” enthused Zane Valeniece, head of acquisitions at LTV Latvia. 

She continued: “LTV broadcasts high quality telenovelas at 10:30 am from Monday until Friday and it’s also an important content on the LTV digital platform. The show, which offers a rich storyline with amazing actors and filming locations, gives an exciting and strong daily habit for the audience.”