Idolos de Juventud (Youth Idols) is a Spanish-language telenovela produced by the United States-based television network Telemundo. This limited-run series about a fictional pop-music reality show in Mexico debuts during the summer of 2008, airing weekdays from 7-8 p.m. It will air in the US with only a single 30-second commercial per episode -- and instead feature pervasive product placement woven into each episode.

Telemundo is expected to air 40 episodes of this short-form novela on weeknights over about eight weeks. As with most of its other soap operas, the network will broadcast English subtitles as closed captions on CC3. Aurelio Valcárcel Carrol is executive producer and the cast includes Karla Díaz-Leal, Marcela Garcia, Patricia Sirvent, Eduardo Cuervo and Jencarlos Canela. The show is shot at Telemundo Studios, Miami.

Story

This summary is based on Telemundo's May upfront presentation. Storylines may change dramatically by the time this series airs.

The series features Ramón Armendariz, a handsome pop music producer who launches the careers of Mexico’s hottest singers, including that of his beautiful wife Gloria. Their combined egos wreck their relationship, however, making their marriage unhappy. As his wife's star is falling, he devises a spectacular American Idol-style reality show to find a new singing sensation.

He discovers two vivacious, passionate stars who fall madly in love on stage. Valentín is a handsome, yet determined young man from humble roots who never needs an excuse to sing. Victoria is an adorable young singer whose beauty matches her voice.

Destiny unites these two stars, but their passion faces a major test. Gloria demands Valentín’s attention, leading him to a new life that spins out of control. Love must survive the trials of fame.

Product Placement

Telemundo will air several seven packages of product placements instead of regular commercials. Only one 30-second spot will appear during each episodes, either near the very beginning or end of the show. It will use three types of product insertion, each more expensive than the other:

• Passive integration is when a product simply appears on-camera during a scene.
• Active integration refers to a scene where a character interacts with a product.
• Storyline integration refers to a product becoming part of the show's plot.

Telemundo wants to retain viewers who might ordinarily tune away or fast-forward during commercial breaks. Network executives plan to sign deals for all seven packages by early next year, then the show's writers will write scripts that integrate the sponsor's products. They also say Idolos will still be a quality show -- and that the ads will be subtle enough that the serial is watchable.

Cast

• Héctor Soberón
• Karla Díaz-Leal
• Marcela Garcia
• Eduardo Cuervo
• Jencarlos Canela
• Patricia Sirvent

Footnotes

External links

• Telemundo English publicity site with teaser trailer