The Network
The Brazilian Network of Television Fiction Researchers (Obitel Brazil) was first established on November 28, 2007. It brings together Brazilian research groups from various national institutions dedicated to the study of fictional television works. Obitel Brazil organizes scientific meetings every two years to discuss the findings of these research groups on topics related to the multiple processes of creation, production, distribution, and reception of national television fiction – including telenovelas, series, and miniseries.
Obitel Brazil is the Brazilian branch of the Ibero-American Observatory of Television Fiction (Obitel), founded in 2005 in Bogotá, Colombia, at the initiative of Professor Dr. Maria Immacolata Vassallo de Lopes, leader of the Center for Telenovela Studies (CETVN) at the School of Communications and Arts of the University of São Paulo (ECA-USP), and also the founder of Obitel Brazil.
One of the main characteristics of Obitel Brazil is its representativeness, both in terms of the participation of renowned researchers in the field and the geographic diversity of its members. The network consists of scholars working at universities and research institutions across several Brazilian states, supported by public research funding agencies. This highlights the growing importance of television fiction studies within the field of Communication in Brazil.
The network’s working methodology is based on a shared biennial research project, in which a central theme related to television fiction is explored through different theoretical frameworks and methodological approaches. These are carried out in multiple subprojects by senior researchers, their doctoral and master’s students, as well as undergraduate research fellows — operating as a single collaborative research group.
Obitel Brazil has established collaborative research as a defining feature, made evident through the Television Drama Collection, with volumes published every two years. The network has over 15 years of research experience in building a comprehensive body of work that affirms the significance of television fiction— especially the Brazilian telenovela — in the sociocultural and political dynamics shaping national identity and discussions around citizenship. Furthermore, Obitel Brazil replicates, at the national level with Globo Universidade, the successful international partnership model of the broader Obitel network.
Currently, the network comprises 11 interregional research groups, representing 13 institutions of national relevance:
– USP – University of São Paulo
– Fiocruz – Oswaldo Cruz Foundation
– PUC-Rio – Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro
– UAM – Anhembi Morumbi University
– UFBA – Federal University of Bahia
– UFJF – Federal University of Juiz de Fora
– UFRGS – Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul
– UFRJ – Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
– UFPE – Federal University of Pernambuco
– UFPR – Federal University of Paraná
– UFSCar – Federal University of São Carlos
– UFSM – Federal University of Santa Maria
– UNILA – Federal University for Latin American Integration
The coordinating committee of Obitel Brazil is composed of Professor Dr. Maria Immacolata Vassallo de Lopes (USP), Professor Dr. Cecília Almeida (UFPE), and Professor Dr. Sara Feitosa (UFRGS).
IBERO-AMERICAN OBSERVATORY OF TELEVISION FICTION (OBITEL)
The Ibero-American Observatory of Television Fiction (Obitel) is an international research network focused on the systematic and comparative study of television fiction production. The network’s researchers aim to understand and analyze the various dimensions of the production, circulation, and reception of fictional programming in the countries that are part of the network.
Active since 2005, the international Obitel network currently consists of research teams from 12 countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Spain, the United States (Spanish-language TV), Mexico, Peru, Portugal, Venezuela, and Uruguay. The Observatory operates through continuous monitoring of national television fiction programming in these countries and publishes its findings in the Obitel Yearbook. It also hosts international seminars that bring together scholars and industry professionals working in the field of television fiction.
The general coordination of Obitel is formed by Maria Immacolata Vassallo de Lopes (Obitel Brazil), Juan Piñon (Obitel US), and Catarina Duff Burnay (Obitel Portugal).