Univision Among First Three Nets To Reach Deal To Air 'QViva the Chosen'

The first three network deals were announced Wednesday for ¡Q'Viva! the Chosen, which is slated to make its debut in the first quarter of 2012.

Univision will air it in the United States, and Televisa has signed on to air on its flagship network, Canal de las Estrellas, in Mexico. For its part, Caracol TV will present it in Colombia. ¡Q'Viva! the Chosen will consist of weekly one-hour episodes.

"Univision is known as the home for Hispanic America, which is why we are thrilled to bring ¡Q'Viva! the Chosen to our audiences in the U.S.," said Ronald Day, senior VP of programming for Univision Networks. "This acquisition builds on our legacy of engaging our audiences with the best entertainment available in the industry and further demonstrates the strength of our partnership with Televisa."

¡Q'Viva! the Chosen is a talent search through Latin America for the entertainers that best represent their country. The project -- which is being filmed in English, Spanish and Portuguese -- will air simultaneously across 21 networks. The project is headed by Simon Fuller's XIX Entertainment, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony and Jamie King.

Other network deals will be announced at a later date.

American Airlines signed on as an exclusive category sponsor, joining BlackBerry, which is the official sponsor of the show. American Airlines will showcase its products and services during episodes of the series, which will feature integrations at various airports throughout the U.S. and Latin America.

Read more at B&C here.