Hispanic TV In Tune With Singing Competitions

MundoFox on June 8 kicked off auditions for El Factor X, the Spanish-language version of Fox’s The X Factor music-competition format.

The offering from the joint venture of Fox International Channels and RCN of Colombia is only the latest in a string of Spanish-language series featuring young singers vying for the spotlight.

MundoFox hasn’t set an airdate for El Factor X, in which aspiring 8- to 15-year-old singers will vie for their shot at stardom. It has announced the show’s host, Poncho de Anda, and its lineup of celebrity judges, Angélica Maria, Chino, Belinda and Nacho.

Auditions are underway in Los Angeles and will continue in New York (June 22) and Miami (June 29).

El Factor X is just the latest in a string of music-competition series that includes Univision’s Pequeños Gigantes (Little Giants), a production from Mexico’s Televisa that bowed in 2011 to an audience of 7.6 million viewers.

Telemundo on May 5 drew an average of 1.7 million viewers -- its highest reality-show ratings ever -- for La Voz Kids, also adapted from a series on an English-language sibling, NBC’s The Voice. La Voz Kids, which has already been renewed for season two, features celebrity judges Paula Rubio, Prince Royce and Roberto Tapia and has attracted such blue-chip sponsors as Ford and AT&T. The two-hour show saw a 74% season-to-date ratings spike for Telemundo, according to Nielsen.

And Univision on June 2 launched a new season of Parodiando, a competition series searching for the best impersonator of a famous singer. Some 5.1 million viewers tuned into some portion of the 8 p.m. broadcast, helping Univision finish No. 2 among adults 18-49 and 18-34, ahead of ABC, CBS and NBC.