Hispanic Nets Gear Up for Fall

Spanish-language television, with its upfront still underway, is expected to net only a small gain in ad sales compared to previous years of double-digit growth. But the prospect of a modest growth (estimated at between 4% to 5% from 2007) in a time of economic uncertainty has not deterred Hispanic television networks from launching new shows and trying out new formats.

Come fall 2008, Hispanic viewers are in for a lineup that goes beyond the traditional fare of soccer and telenovelas. New programming for the third and fourth quarters includes an unprecedented number of Spanish-language reality shows, running the gamut from fashion runways and beauty pageants to home improvement, soccer competitions and parenting challenges.

High-definition content will be more prevalent, especially miniseries and telenovelas, and networks large and small will incorporate user-generated content. Cross-platform deals are also on the rise, with more TV content going online, and more Web-produced content migrating to TV.

As sports networks such as Fox Sports en Español, ESPN Deportes and GolTV gain viewers and distribution, their lineups are becoming more comprehensive, with programming that includes live commentary, news, analysis, round-the-clock coverage and reality competitions.

Brand integration and product placement continue to be common in Hispanic television, with several new fall shows presented courtesy of one or more sponsors.

To be sure, telenovelas are far from an endangered species or, as Telemundo executive vice president of network entertainment Carlos Bardasano puts it: “They are really the centerpiece of any Spanish-language programming.” (See Q&A, page 26.)

But the growing number of media outlets, the imminent digital switch and the quick growth of the U.S.-born Hispanic population are all helping shape the new face — and next phase — of Hispanic television.

The following are some of the highlights of the upcoming fall season in Hispanic programming:

When MegaTV held its first ever upfront presentation in New York City in May, it did so against the backdrop of a Gothic-themed event, featuring hosts and hostesses attired as vampires greeting the 300 or so guests at lush restaurant Guastavino’s in midtown Manhattan.

The theme set the mood for MegaTV’s most anticipated release this year: Gabriel, a 10-episode HD drama co-produced by DirecTV Más and starring Latin pop sensation Chayanne. Shot on location in Miami, Puerto Rico, Rome and Venice, Gabriel premieres in September and tells the story of a modern-day vampire. It also marks the first time MegaTV ventures into the realm of original scripted drama since its launch two years ago.

Also embracing the genre is New York-based V-me TV, which this year is premiering Corleone, a 6-episode drama about mafia boss Totò Riina, which will air as part of the network’s weekly show En Pantalla, featuring reviews and commentary on Latin American cinema.

Another major Spanish-language production is Battle for Rome, a 6-episode miniseries about the rise of the Roman Empire. Shot in location in Bulgaria, Morocco and Tunisia, Battle is a 2006 Discovery Channel production and will premiere in November on Discovery Channel en Español.

Mexico City’s largest market is the setting for Central de Abasto, a serialized drama shot in HD and scheduled for the third quarter on Univision.

As expected, the largest Spanish-language networks continue to fill their primetime lineups with telenovelas, which usually run between 150 and 200 episodes Monday through Friday. The dramas, which have long been the bread and butter of networks such as Univision and Telemundo, are now being embraced by others.

WAPA America, the cable and satellite superstation of Puerto Rico’s WAPA-TV, in October is premiering Al Borde del Deseo, a 26-episode drama filmed in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The story, according to WAPA’s investment partner Alan Sokol, is based on the locally produced movie Las Infieles (The Unfaithful Ones) and is the first telenovela produced by WAPA in 14 years.

For the first time, Univision’s sister network TeleFutura will program telenovelas in primetime. TeleFutura, which in June premiered La Dama de Troya, is scheduled to run a second novela, Doña Bella, an original production.

Also on the schedule, though its premiere date has yet to be set, is Azúcar (Sugar). Described as “the story of forbidden love that unfolds amidst the sugar cane plantations of a wealthy family,” Azúcar is being pitched to advertisers as affording plenty of opportunities for “organic product integration.”

NBC-owned Telemundo, which has made it a priority to produce and own its own content, has two new telenovelas coming up: Doña Bárbara, a co-production with Sony Pictures Television starring Mexican actress Edith González; and El Rostro de Analía. The former is the second co-production between Telemundo and SPT following the high-definition El Zorro: la Espada y la Rosa.

Perhaps the most obvious instance in which Hispanic networks have embraced mainstream TV trends is in the realm of reality television. From established, large networks to smaller, budding upstarts, Hispanic programmers are offering a spate of new, unscripted dramas.

One such show will revolve around this year’s Ms. Puerto Rico pageant, formerly carried by Telemundo but this year acquired by WAPA TV. In addition to airing the pageant (Oct. 22) in Puerto Rico and the U.S., WAPA has created Por la Corona, a 10-week series chronicling the behind-the-scenes action as the 78 candidates prepare for the final pageant to select Puerto Rico’s representative in the 2009 Miss Universe contest. The competition kicks off August 8 and is expected to run each Friday through October 10.

Also mixing beauty with real-life challenges is MegaTV’s Mega Modelo 2009, a beauty contest where viewers can vote for six male models and six female models to be featured in MegaTV’s 2009 calendar. The competition will run during the broadcast of Brazilian telenovela Belissima, which premiered on June 30, and will run through August 24. Each week two models will be selected from the group of nominees. The winners will be chosen by the audience, and will be announced on Sept. 3.

Jumping on the reality bandwagon is Univision, which in August will premiere El Juego Supremo (The Ultimate Match) a reality soccer competition featuring five soccer legends from Mexico and five from the Americas, who will mentor two amateur soccer teams. Each week a player will get eliminated until only five remain on each team. The survivors will join the legends and face-off in a final match to be played Sep. 27 in Los Angeles. El Juego Supremo is being sponsored exclusively by Sprint and Nissan.

Galavision, Univision’s cable outlet, will premiere ¡Yo Cocino Mejor que Mi Suegra! (I Cook Better Than My Mother-in-Law!) a weekly game show pitting wives against their mothers-in-law to see who knows their man the best. The cooks then meet on the ultimate battleground, the kitchen, where the husband/son is challenged to pick his favorite dish in a blind taste test.

V-me in August will kick off the second season of En Venta, the Hispanic adaptation of Australia’s popular home-improvement reality The Block, in which couples are challenged to transform a run-down apartment into the home of their dreams.

Hispanic sports-only networks are ready to engage viewers with new programs built around some of their most important properties.

GolTV, the 24/7 bilingual soccer service, has a third-quarter programming lineup of new original content, including Soccer Cam, in which fans will be able to submit their own highlight videos; Fantasy Goal, a multiplatform program that brings viewers into the action with their own fantasy soccer teams; and 2010 Report, featuring news, highlights and analysis of the road to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

GolTV, which counts some 16 million subscribers, is also working with cable operators to develop on-demand packages from its user-generated fare.

For its part, Fox Sports en Español in August will premiere Impacto NFL, a magazine-style half-hour weekly show featuring highlights of the previous week’s games, previews of upcoming games, player interviews and updates on Hispanic players in the NFL. It is scheduled to debut Friday Aug. 29.

Sports-mania has not escaped Hispanic children’s networks. Sorpresa in December will air its original production Juega Como un MLS Pro (Play Like an MLS Pro), a 60-minute special teaching young viewers essential soccer skills and tips. The show is the culmination of a broader alliance between Sorpresa and Major League Soccer.

Long snubbed by the large Hispanic networks, children’s programming is finding a fertile ground in smaller, newer TV upstarts, prominently V-me, which boasts one of the nation’s largest catalog of Spanish-language children programming, and Juniper Content-owned Sorpresa.

V-me this year is premiering the first Hispanic version of LazyTown, a pre-school program currently airing in 118 countries. Hailing from Iceland, LazyTown is set to debut in October and will air twice daily on V-me’s morning preschool block, with a special family time-slot on weekend evenings.

Sorpresa this year is unveiling several new shows, a mix of original productions and syndicated programs, including cartoons Bali and Carl2, and the tween-oriented Karkú, featuring real-life teenage girls and boys.

In addition to the regular, scripted shows, Sorpresa is also experimenting with user-generated content and in November will present the second installment of Luz, Cámara, Sorpresa, a special half-hour program showcasing films made by Hispanic youth ages 6 to 17.

The fall is traditionally a time when networks present original productions featuring Hispanic talent celebrating events such as Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15) or Mexican Independence (Sept. 16), as well as general entertainment specials. Some of these specials are already in production.

MTVTr3s in August premieres Fashionista, a special program mixing fashion and music hosted by celebrity model Jaslene González in front of a live audience.

For the older, less acculturated crowd comes Mexicanal’s Sept. 15 special celebrating Mexico’s Independence party (“El Grito”). “The party will last a full hour and feature celebrations held in different public squares throughout Mexico,” said Maruchi Urquiaga, senior vice president of programming and production for Castalia Comunications and general manager of Mexicanal. Some of the featured cities include Dolores Hidalgo, Guadalajara, Morelia, Monterrey and Toluca.

In October, MTV Tr3s will broadcast Los Premios MTV 2008 live from Mexico with English subtitles for U.S. viewers. Later this year, the network will bring a special simulcast of MTV’s New Year’s Eve Live from Times Square, with live performances, guest artists, VJ’s and Latino artists. Year- end programming includes MTV Tr3s’s Top 50 Rolas, a 5-hour music video countdown of the top 50 videos from 2008. Similar year-end programs are expected to run on most of the Hispanic networks, though several productions are still in the works.

Another special that promises to continue to score record-breaking ratings is the Latin Grammy Awards, which in 2005 left CBS for Univision, scoring a total audience of 5 million in its first year on the Spanish-language network. This year the music awards show will be broadcast live on Nov. 13 from Houston’s Toyota Center.

The so-called language divide should persist in the new TV season, as none of the main Spanish-language networks have embraced English or bilingual shows, leaving these to the targeted, youth-oriented nets such as Mun2, LATV, SíTV or MTV Tr3s.

One network that has embraced bilingualism and even Spanglish is LATV, which this year is premiering two new music-related shows: Mi Beat, a daily one-hour showcase of the latest music videos “in English, Spanish or Spanglish;” and The List, offering viewers a chance to play VJ during a one-hour nationwide music request show featuring viewers’ favorites.

Also handing control over to the audience is Mun2’s upcoming Bleepin’ Best, which will allow viewers to program an entire week of content via an interactive polling system at the network’s Web site holamun2.com. The show is scheduled to kick off in early November and will run for one month, during which mun2 fans will be able to log-on to vote for their favorite TV moments of 2008. The top picks will then be packaged into a programming event labeled the mun2 Bleepin’ Best of ’08 which will air in December.

Although not new, mun2 is revamping La Esquina, the 8-episode half-hour series featuring hip-hop artist Pitbull, with a second season featuring a new animated component to the show and feedback from viewers on topics including gender equality, the environment, the 2008 presidential elections and immigration.

In time for Hispanic Heritage Month, Discovery en Español is premiering a series of documentaries highlighting some of Mexico’s most important cultural and religious phenomena.

On Sept. 14 the Spanish-language channel will premiere Lucha Libre, focusing on the trials and tribulations of two wrestlers.

Virgen de Guadalupe, also premiering in September, focuses on scientific research surrounding the legendary apparition, the “brown Madonna.”

Other programming highlights include Tlatelolco Massacre, a documentary about the student massacre that took place on Oct. 2, 1968 in Mexico City.

Also digging into Latin America’s past is El Señor de Sipan, a docudrama in co-production with Spanish film director Pedro Almodóvar, about the discovery of the tomb of El Señor de Sipán, the ruler of ancient Peru’s ruins. El Señor de Sipan is scheduled to run on V-me in the fourth quarter.