Latest from Next TV in Galavision

Univision, Comcast Strike Carriage Deal

Mike Farrell — Thu, 19 Jan 2017 21:00:00 +0000

Univision said it has reached a long-term carriage deal with Comcast, covering its owned and operated broadcast stations as well as the Galavision and UniMas networks.

Univision’s O&O local TV stations include the top two most watched early and late local newscasts in the country (New York and Los Angeles) among viewers aged 18-34 and 18-49.

‘Los Cowboys’ Settle In at Galavisión

Jacobson Adam — Wed, 05 Oct 2016 14:00:00 +0000

Los Cowboys: Vida de Ciudad. Corazón de Rancho, a reality series previously available as an online-only offering, has saddled in to a Wednesday-night slot on Univision Communications’s Galavisión pay TV network.

Los Cowboys, which began airing Wednesday nights at 10:30 p.m. on Sept. 21, is produced by Corral360, which specializes in bicultural content for Hispanic millennials. The original docu-series focuses on “the duality people face when balancing work and family in pursuit of the American Dream.”

The show’s characters “infuse day-to-day drama with comedic wit and an emotional draw,” the network said. “Story lines are carefully plotted around issues familiar to multicultural, multi-generational families and are presented in a fun and compelling way, which is sure to captivate viewers of all backgrounds.”

Corral360 president/CEO Alex Corral said: “We are tremendously proud to partner with Univision to bring Los Cowboys to an even greater audience. We look forward to taking viewers with us from a family ranch just a few miles from downtown Los Angeles to the daily hustle of Hollywood.”

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles sponsors the series, with Dodge Ram trucks woven into the action. “As marketers, we are seeing different patterns in media consumption and we need to remain current to find ways to naturally connect with our consumers,” Fiat Chrysler head of multicultural advertising Juan Fernando Torres said. “Content is as important as language with Latino audiences and we jumped in early to partner with Los Cowboys because we felt they were onto something unique and special. Los Cowboys fits the image of Ram trucks and provides the brand with a platform to integrate cultural values and insights to connect emotionally with our consumers.”

The show’s 10-episode first season debuted on Hulu in January; it was the OTT service’s first unscripted crossover show. Other sponsors included Anheuser-Busch InBev and Lucas Oil.

While the first season of Los Cowboys followed a team of Mexican “charros” living in L.A., preparing for their dream of competing in the Mexican national rodeo, the second season delves deeper into their everyday lives and examines the delicate balance experienced by so many who transition between two cultures (and languages) every day. Cast members include:

● Alex, a TV producer who loves horses, the rodeo and charrería. A natural born leader, Alex spends his time going to pitch meetings at networks, developing and producing TV content but is also a devoted family man, trying to find time for his beloved charrería.

● Marisela, Alex’s wife. A mom-to be when the show opens and a new mom in the second season, she balances work and family while keeping her husband and the charros in check.

● Rob, a seasoned horse trainer, who was a rough and tough playboy when the series launched but as a married father of triplets in the second season now finds himself questioning the risks he must take every day in the arena.

● Joey, Alex’s younger brother and best friend. Not so much a charro himself, Joey is a musician turned florist with a growing business in L.A.

● Ivette, a beauty queen who is as fierce on the catwalk as she is in the corral. A professional and competitive horse rider in an equestrian drill team, she is often a better rider than some of the guys

● Ralph, the most experienced charro in the group and the team’s leader, is also a busy entrepreneur and family man. He balances multiple business ventures with family life, taking refuge in the comradery of charrería.

Univision Nets Back on U-verse TV as Talks Continue

Jacobson Adam — Wed, 06 Apr 2016 13:00:00 +0000

U-verse TV's universe of Spanish-language television channels once again includes Univision.

AT&T’s telco-TV service on March 24 restored Univision Communications-owned broadcast network UniMás and pay TV channel Galavisión to its channel lineup, some 20 days after U-verse pulled the plug on those two channels and flagship network Univision.

AT&T had restored Univision to U-verse TV on March 9, a good-faith “temporary” gesture to allow Hispanic U-verse subscribers to watch that evening’s Democratic Presidential Debate telecast co-hosted by Univision and The Washington Post.Further temporary extensions came following the debate.

Univision's initial reaction to AT&T's decision to black out its networks was fierce. The broadcaster accused the telco of undervaluing Univision and the Hispanic audience.

"We are always proud to stand with the Hispanic community, regardless of the costs to Univision," the Spanish-language media firm said in a March 7 statement. "For us, it is about standing up for the future of multicultural media and the opportunity for it to thrive in a multiplatform marketplace. In many of the markets U-verse serves, Univision stations are ranked No. 1, regardless of language. If, as the most popular Spanish-language broadcaster, we do not take a stand and require the distributors treat us on par with English-language broadcasters, what does that mean for the minority and independent creators that come after us?"

Since then, Univision and AT&T have remained relatively mum as negotiations continue to renew the deal that expired Feb. 28. In a February internal memo to employees, Univision said it made several attempts to open negotiations with AT&T but the telco had not moved forward to renew its pact with the broadcaster. For its part, AT&T said in a statement that it was in talks with Univision.

One reason for AT&T’s reluctance to make a new deal could be tied what some analysts have said are AT&T's efforts to shift U-verse customers to its recently acquired DirecTV platform. A DirecTV-Univision carriage deal was struck in March 2013.

As of March 31, there are no official updates as to when Univision and AT&T might reach terms on a new deal.

Separately, NBCUniversal and satellite-TV provider Dish Network are at odds over carriage of Telemundo's 16 owned-and-operated TV stations and cable network NBC Universo. NBCUniversal's networks remain on Dish as part of a cooling-off period tied to arbitration invoked by the satellite provider.

Galavisión Adds ‘Los Súper Pérez’

Jacobson Adam — Wed, 02 Mar 2016 14:00:00 +0000

The adventures of a Mexican family that mysteriously gains superhuman powers after visiting their reclusive grandfather have landed in primetime on Galavisión, the Univision-owned pay TV network said.

Los Súper Pérez debuted Feb. 29 at 9 p.m. (ET/PT) on Galavisión. Produced by Mexico’s MVS Televisión, the series aired for two seasons on the MX 52 channel starting in 2012.

As is typical with superhero tales, a villain emerges who uses his powers to turn ordinary citizens into powerful monsters who desire to control their city. The Pérez clan then steps in to help save the day.

Little by little, the Pérez family becomes popular heroes, known for their “Pérezmobile” — a flying Datsun 80.

Los Súper Pérez will air on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT, starting March 1.

The 20-episode series is being handled by Cisneros Media Distribution

Univision/UDN Team On 2014 World Cup Telecasts

Mike Reynolds — Sat, 24 May 2014 22:15:00 +0000

While simulcasts on Univision and cable service Univision Deportes Network represent the primary plays for the Spanish-language media leader with the 2014 World Cup, UniMas and Galavision will also get in the live game action from Brazil.

Flagship network Univision and the 40-million subscriber UDN, which is carried by all 10 of the top U.S. distributors, save for Comcast, will air 56 of the tourney’s matches. The schedule is highlighted by the host nation meeting Croatia in the event opener on June 12, as well as all three of Mexico’s Group A matches. Although all of those matches air during the week, they figure to draw sizable ratings for the networks as El Tri faces Cameroon on June 13, Brazil on June 17 and Croatia on June 23. The game versus Brazil should be gigantic from a Nielsen perspective.

The Univision/UDN combo will also present all of the knockout stage matches, and culminate the tournament with the semifinals on July 8 and 9, and the title game from Estadia de Maracana in Rio de Janiero. Live match action aside, UDN will become Univision Communications' de facto World Cup during the tourney, presenting encores, as well as preview, review and highlights programming.

For their part, broadcaster UniMas and cable channel Galavision will air eight matches from group stage play. The top telecasts, depending on the prior results figure to be on June 23 with Brazil’s final Group A match versus Cameroon on June 23, and defending champion Spain’s Group B encounter with Australia.

Check out the complete schedule below: