• by David Goetzl , June 6, 2006

Seeking to reverse declining ratings, Lifetime is jumping on the telenovela train. The female-targeted network will launch a version of the genre this fall.

Called "Bianca," the series will be adapted from German television by "American Idol" producers FremantleMedia. Content focuses on forbidden love between an unjustly imprisoned woman and a wealthy man locked in a bad marriage.

Although the telenovela format, where episodes end with cliffhangers, can work nightly--Univision has had success with that format, and the fledgling MyNetworkTV will go that route with two such series this fall--Lifetime will air "Bianca" once a week.

Besides MyNetworkTV, the Big 4 networks also have telenovelas in the pipeline, seeking to transfer the genre's popularity among Hispanic audiences and elsewhere around the globe to American prime time.

Lifetime is searching for a ratings jolt, having just finished the 36-week season with prime-time ratings down 17 percent in the crucial adult 18-to-49 demo.