If a little “anarchy” at NBC Universo can bring big ratings and new advertising opportunities, the NBCUniversal pay TV network will likely be thrilled.

Don’t worry, clients: Little chaos will come thanks to the impending arrival of Sons of Anarchy.

The hugely successful FX original series about a biker gang has been dubbed in Spanish, and NBC Universo has nabbed the Spanish-language U.S. television cable rights from Twentieth Television.

NBC Universo expects to begin airing all 13 first-season episodes, in Spanish, in early 2017. An air date and time slot have not yet been announced.

Created by Kurt Sutter, Sons of Anarchy is one of FX’s most successful series and one of the highest-rated scripted programs in FX’s history.

"I love that this is finally happening,” Sutter said. “At its core, Sons of Anarchy is a show about family. And the Latino culture, like no other culture I know of, is rooted so deeply in the bonds of family.”

Described as “an adrenalized drama with darkly comedic undertones,” Sons of Anarchy explores a notorious outlaw motorcycle club’s desire to protect its livelihood while ensuring that their sheltered town of Charming, Calif. remains charming. The club must confront threats from drug dealers, corporate developers and overzealous law officers. Behind the bikers’ familial lifestyle and legally thriving automotive shop is a ruthless and illegal arms business driven by the seduction of money, power and blood.

Given the traditional plot lines of the Spanish-language telenovela, the subject matter will likely prove appealing to NBC Universo’s core bilingual and bicultural audience.

“Following the success of The Walking Dead en Español, we are thrilled to take our viewers on another unprecedented wild ride and experience the gritty tough biker world in their own language,” NBC Universo senior vice president of programming and production Joa Bilai Silar said. “We continue to raise the bar by offering audiences alternative quality content with great storylines and offbeat characters that is currently not available on any other Spanish-language cable network.”

Sons of Anarchy features such stars as Katey Sagal, Jimmy Smits and Drea de Matteo. It is executive produced by Sutter, Paris Barclay, John Linson and Art Linson and was produced by Fox 21 and FX Productions. 

One year ago, the future of popular reality TV series Larrymania and its star, Larry Hernandez, were in question.

On Sept. 25, 2015, Hernandez — a regional Mexican music star known for narco-corridos, songs that glamorize the Mexican drug lords — was prevented from boarding a Southwest Airlines flight from Ontario, Calif., to Denver by airport police who received a warrant for his arrest.  The warrant, issued in South Carolina, accused Hernandez of kidnapping, assault, and assault and battery causing injury.

That put Larrymania into best-of mode and sent NBC Universo execs into a mini crisis-mode.

Today, Larrymania is two episodes into its fifth season. Viewers have enjoyed catching up on the launch of a new beauty line from Hernandez’s fiancée, Kenia. They’ve also seen Larry enjoy a day off with the guys that takes an unexpected competitive turn.

Thus, all is well — for now — with Larrymania, which returned to the 9 p.m. Eastern time slot on the NBCUniversal pay-TV network on Nov. 27.

The reality show is arguably one of the most-watched programs on NBC Universo and is one of the few holdover programs from the network’s previous incarnation, mun2. That’s why media reports of what Hernandez was accused of were so concerning to network executives.

In late October 2015, it became known that Hernandez was charged with wrapping a man in plastic sheeting; forcing him into his hotel room with “several associates of Hernandez”; and beating him when Hernandez wasn’t paid in full for an August performance in the small agricultural town of Newbury, S.C., where many first-generation Mexican and Central American immigrants have settled.

At first, NBC Universo VP/Communications Peter Dobrow declined to comment on future plans for the series.

By February 2016, it became clear that Hernandez’s legal troubles would not be immediately resolved. With Hernandez out on bail, the network green-lighted a fifth season of Larrymania.

Alluding to his troubles, Hernandez said, “This new season of Larrymania will no doubt be very special because many different things have happened in my life. This is a new chapter of my life I want to share with my fans.”

There has been little discussion of Hernandez’s legal situation since February, when it was believed all charged would be dropped over suspicions the star was framed by another individual.

One thing is clear: The only thing Hernandez needs to worry about at the moment is Larrymania’s performance in the Nielsen ratings.

Colombian media giant RCN’s foray into the world of U.S. Spanish-language television has ended just 18 months after it started, as broadcast network MundoMax ceased operations on Nov. 30.

MundoMax was born from the ashes of predecessor Hispanic-market offering MundoFox, which Fox International Channels launched in August 2012 and closed in late July 2015. The network’s end is the culmination of months of rumors and speculation regarding its financial health and whether or not it could make it to the end of 2016. Such talk heated up in October, when a second round of layoffs occurred.

Then, in early November, rival network Estrella TV announced that it had signed on two MundoMax affiliates — KGMC in Fresno, Calif., owned by Cocola Broadcasting; and a subchannel of WXCW in Fort Myers-Naples, Fla., owned by Sun Broadcasting.

Yet MundoMax management remained silent on the chatter until Nov. 22. That’s when a letter to “colleagues and friends” was distributed by MundoMax president and chief financial officer José Molina that addressed the months of discussions across the Hispanic media and advertising landscape by bluntly confirming that the end was near — very near.

“We are in the final stages of winding down our affiliate network,” Molina said.

MundoMax’s biggest West Coast affiliate, Meruelo Group’s KWHY in Los Angeles, will continue to air Spanish-language programming as an independent station.

MundoMax’s largest East Coast affiliate, Valorem S.A.’s WGEN in Miami, immediately switched to the Azteca América network. It’s a huge boost for Azteca, which previously saw its programming carried on WPMF-CD in Miami and reliant on Comcast for key DMA distribution.

As MundoFox, the network sought to carve out a niche with Spanish-language programming that veered from the telenovela-heavy fare found on the two biggest broadcast networks, Telemundo and Univisión.

Aside from the Family Feud-styled weeknight game show 100 Latinos Dijeron, MundoFox struggled to gain a sizable audience. Advertising then became a more difficult prospect, given the network’s low ratings.

RCN swept in during summer 2015 with high hopes, and aspirations that its tremendous success in Colombia could yield at least a niche leader in the U.S.

That proved to be more difficult than imagined, as a challenging advertising climate coupled with a huge shift in audience to Telemundo led MundoMax to look to Europe for new ways to attract an audience. Among the key programs that MundoMax offered in its final days were Turkish import Suleimán, El Gran Sultán and Greek soap opera Brousko, ebrios de amor.

While WGEN quickly resolved an immediate programming concern with a network transition that was relatively seamless, there could be a rocky road ahead for RCN and its former Chicago affiliate, WOCK-CD.

On Nov. 29, WOCK’s owner, KM LPTV Of Chicago-13, sued MundoMax and RCN’s U.S. subsidiary in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California for breach of contract, breach of covenant of good faith and fair dealing and false promise.

According to the WOCK owner, MundoMax agreed to be the station’s exclusive sales representative for national spot sales during a four-year term that began on Aug. 1, 2012, with MundoFox and continued until July 31, 2016, with MundoMax assuming responsibility for the agreement. Terms had the network paying the station at least $600,000 per year for national advertising sales revenue, with quarterly payments to KM LPTV Of Chicago-13 of $150,000.

The WOCK owner contends that quarterly payments ceased with the transition from MundoFox to MundoMax, and that it is owed a total $450,000, reflecting payments due on Nov. 1, 2015; May 30, 2016; and Aug. 30, 2016, respectively.

However, the claim may not hold up in court. KM LPTV is basing its case on a 2014 amended agreement approved by then-president Ibra Morales that would give WOCK “the difference between the actual national advertising sales revenue booked for such quarter and $150,000,” should the amount of revenue come in below $150,000. MundoMax booked $0 in national advertising sales revenue for the second, third and fourth quarters of the fourth year of the term.

The crux of the argument is whether “the difference” between $0 and $150,000 is indeed $150,000.

Meanwhile, KM LPTV also argues that MundoMax agreed to advance up to $150,000 per year for the second, third, and fourth years of the term to KM LPTV for marketing expenditures. KM LPTV documented and requested $37,500 for both the third and fourth quarters of the fourth year of the term. However, MundoMax failed to advance $75,000 to KM LPTV, it says.

With a jury trial requested by the plaintiff, KM LPTV addressed any questions regarding MundoMax’s obligations following MundoFox’s closure by noting that on or about July 28, 2015, RCN acquired the 50% of the network it didn’t own from Fox International Channels. Thus, MundoMax is liable for the contracts signed by MundoFox “because MundoMax is simply a new name for the same limited liability corporation,” the WOCK parent contended.

Also at issue is the compensation KM LPTV says is owed by MundoMax for airing its programming during the last three quarters of its affiliation agreement and for program promotion during the final two quarters of the pact.

“The reasonable value of broadcasting MundoMax programming on the station and the promotional work for these time periods is at least $525,000,” KM LPTV contended. 

KM LPTV Of Chicago-13 is represented by Belinda Vega and Gerard Fox of Los Angeles-based Gerard Fox Law.

MundoMax did not respond to repeated queries by Multichannel News.

From 2011 through 2013, I Love Jenni was perhaps the biggest draw for the Spanish-language pay TV network then known as mun2.

That series’ run came to a tragic end in December of 2012, when its star, Mexican-American entertainer Jenni Rivera, was killed in a plane crash.

Now, the reality-TV legacy of the woman who commanded a huge legion of fans for her banda and ranchera music and her work for the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence will be continued by her five children. NBC Universo, the network that replaced mun2 in February of 2015, will bow “celeb-reality” series The Riveras on Sunday, Oct. 16, at 10 p.m. ET.

The show focuses on Chiquis, Jacqie, Mikey, Jenicka and Johnny Rivera “as they step up and pull together to pursue their biggest dreams with humor and love.”

“We want to show the world you can continue moving forward despite adversities,” Chiquis Rivera, Jennu Rivera’s eldest daughter, said. “Yes, life without our mother has been painful and difficult. We have weak moments, but at the end of the day we come together as family to figure it out.”

The 10-episode season of The Riveras is executive-produced by Gloria Medel Solomons for NBC Universo and Blank Paige Productions.

“We are excited to give viewers access to Jenni Rivera’s biggest legacy, her children, and to witness their evolution,” NBC Universo senior vice president of programming and production Bilai Joa Silar said. =“Chiquis, Jacqie, Mikey, Jenicka and Johnny are spreading their wings and doing their best to make their mother proud. We are confident our audience will fall in love with The Riveras.”

The first episode of The Riveras will also be available on video-on-demand platforms and via the network’s authenticated NBC Universo NOW website and apps, which require a subscriber login.

As advertisers who wish to reach multicultural audiences increasingly embrace “total market” approaches, Spanish-language TV networks have largely abandoned the standalone upfronts held each May (except for Univision Communications, which has no bigger English-language sibling to tie into).

ESPN Deportes shifted to this approach, rolling its upfront into ESPN’s company-wide effort.

Now, the Worldwide Leader has extended that approach to programming, bringing one of ESPN Deportes’s most-popular studio shows to its network English-language ESPN2. On Monday, Sept. 26, ESPN2 bowed a weekly, hour-long version of Nacion ESPN at 5 p.m. ET,

The interactive talk show, which draws much of its content from viewer interactions via ESPN’s social media platforms to, is hosted by Jorge Sedano, co-host of the Mornings with Keyshawn and Jorge and LZ radio program on ESPN Radio’s KSPN-AM in Los Angeles; Bernardo Osuna, the network’s boxing reporter and host of ESPN Deportes’s A Los Golpes; and ESPNDeportes.com reporter and baseball expert Marly Rivera.

What’s notable is that the program affords the hosts the opportunity to provide viewers “information they want in the most authentic manner and in the language they prefer.”

That’s historic, as bilingual programming on a broadcast or cable network geared primarily for non-ethnic viewers hasn’t been seen often. In Quebec, it’s been banned by the government for nearly 40 years.

But this is the U.S., and marketers seeking to reach what market research firm Geoscape has coined the “new American mainstream” now have what ESPN Deportes vice president and general manager Freddy Rolón said is a vehicle designed to “speak to the audience in a way that resonates with their evolving multicultural lifestyles and interests. [This] strengthens our commitment to better serve a diverse sports fan base while also generating opportunities for advertisers with a total market approach.”

Toyota is the show’s presenting sponsor, extending its existing ties to ESPN’s SportsNation and the ESPN Deportes edition of Nación ESPN. As the lead sponsor, Toyota will be featured across all elements of the program, including graphics, segments, promotions, and media presence during telecasts and across the show’s digital and social media platforms.

“Toyota and ESPN have a decade-long partnership, working together on industry-leading programming, from SportsNation to Nación ESPN on ESPN Deportes,” Lisa Materazzo, GM of media strategy and engagement at Toyota Motor Sales, said. “Bringing Nación to the ESPN2 audience evolves how we reach a Hispanic audience in a smart, compelling way.”

Gillette, Allstate and Taco Bell are also on board as inaugural sponsors of Nación ESPN. Each sponsor will have unique integrations across the show’s features and segments.

There’s a new battle taking shape between the U.S.’s top two Hispanic-targeted broadcast television networks, and it has nothing to do with reality programming or telenovelas.

With Telemundo making gains through a major investment in local news operations at its O&Os as well as its national newscasts, Univision has responded by launching the only national broadcast-TV newscast airing at noon ET, regardless of language.

What’s more noteworthy is that Noticiero Univision Edición Digital (Noticiero Univision Digital Edition), which bowed Sept. 12, is the first newscast conceived and produced for live simulcast on no less than five different platforms: the live TV broadcast is simultaneously streamed on Univision.com, Facebook Live, YouTube and Periscope. 

According to Univision, the “one of a kind” digital edition of Univision’s Noticiero Univision newscasts not only fills the “noon news gap for Spanish speakers across the nation” but also caters to the “millions of Hispanic digital natives and adopters who increasingly prefer to get their information through diverse platforms.”

Univision also promises to provide to viewers the day’s top stories “in a refreshingly bold, out-of-the-box format that matches the vibrant style of its two new anchors.”

The newscast is helmed by Javier Olivares, a Chilean reporter and journalist most recently with Telemundo-owned WSCV in Miami, and Carolina Sarassa, a Univision News correspondent whose career included a role as a news anchor at the now-defunct MundoFox.

“This new show totally breaks the mold of traditional newscasts in its scope, reach, content, production, style and even schedule,” Patsy Loris, executive vice president and executive news director for Univision News, said. “Edición Digital will fill a need in the Latino audience and will also be another important piece of Destino 2016, Univision’s comprehensive election coverage, as we enter the final weeks in the race for the White House.”

Friday nights are getting a little sudsier, thanks to AMC Networks’ female-targeted WE tv.

Starting Friday, Oct. 7, at 10 p.m. ET, WE tv will air the eight-episode My Life Is a Telenovela, a “docu-reality” series that turns the camera on the drama transpiring between the actors on a fledgling Telemundo soap opera when they’re not reciting lines from the script.

Set in Miami, the series follows a group of “beautiful, talented and hard-working Hispanic actors” working in the hyper-competitive world of telenovelas. Hour-long episodes will run through December.

Stars include veteran actress Sissi Fleitas, a former model and presenter on the now-concluded Univision Saturday-night staple Sábado Gigante. Fleitas has also been featured on the cover of Playboy magazine in Latin America.

Also featured on the series are Telemundo telenovela actress Maria ‘Raquenel’ Portillo, who first gained fame as “the Mexican Madonna;” Venezuelan actor Enrique Sapene [Borderline; Hacienda Heights]; Mexican actor Gustavo Pedraza [Eva La Trailera; El Talisman]; former Sábado Gigante co-host Alina Robert; and Liliana Rodríguez Morillo, the outspoken and temperamental daughter of José Luis Rodriguez “El Puma.”

In the premiere episode, several female cast members are vying for the same role in a telenovela being produced for NBCUniversal-owned telenovela, “resulting in jealousy, betrayal, backstabbing, rivalry and fireworks on both sides of the camera.”

My Life is a Telenovela is produced for WE tv by Matador, a New York- and Los Angeles-based production company founded in 2012 by longtime friends Jay Peterson and Todd Lubin. Since its launch, Matador has produced nearly two dozen TV series, including Spike’s Lip Sync Battle, GSN’s horror-themed competition series Hellevator, and History’s “comedic historical series” Great Minds. Matador is also responsible for HBO’s Emmy-nominated documentary Banksy Does New York, as well as sports and feature documentary specials, virtual reality content and digital programs across several networks.

My Life is a Telenovela is executive produced by Peterson and Lubin, alongside Jerry Carita and Megan Sanchez-Warner. Nathan Carpenter is co-executive producer, while executive producers for WE tv are Lauren P. Gellert and Suzanne Gladstone Murch.

The soapy series is not the only show Matador is producing for AMC Networks:Geeking Out, starring Kevin Smith and Greg Grunberg, is being produced for sister channel AMC.

Univision Communications and its millennial-targeted Fusion Media Group have agreed to combine forces to present a two-day mini-convention of sorts, just three weeks before the end of the 2016 presidential campaign.

The Oct. 14-15 event, titled RiseUp AS ONE,  will feature what Univision calls “a heavyweight lineup of artists, musicians, influencers and thought leaders” joining together to “celebrate music, diversity and unity through performances, talks and cultural expositions.”

The two-day Latin confab opens Friday, Oct. 14 ,with a series of thought leadership discussions “on issues related to unity and inclusion.”

On Saturday, Oct. 15, “RiseUp AS ONE” will conclude with a free ticketed concert featuring as-yet-unnamed headline acts.

The Univision broadcast network will air the three-hour live concert with Spanish-language commentary, while the Fusion pay TV network will do the same with English-language hosts. The coast-to-coast telecasts, originating from a yet-to-be-disclosed city, will air from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. (ET).

Company-wide promotion of RiseUp AS ONE is already underway, on Univision and UniMás television stations, and across the Univision Communications portfolio of radio stations and digital assets.

RiseUp AS ONE is the brainchild of Univision chief news, entertainment and digital officer Isaac Lee. The event will provide Latinos with an opportunity “to celebrate who we are and the way we live,” he said. The event is designed to engage its audience on Univision and its Fusion Media Group properties by celebrating the global dimension of friendships between neighbors and the “diversity that is — and has always been — at the heart of the American experience,” he added.

Camila Jimenez Villa, co-president and chief content officer of Fusion Media Group, added: “Through RiseUp AS ONE, we continue our focus on serving a new majority whose influence is rapidly growing. This rising generation wants meaningful content and experiences that reflect their values and passions.  We answer that call through an event that will serve as an awakening to the power of inclusivity in a changing America.”

Details on the location of the events will be unveiled in coming weeks, along with announcements regarding the concert’s headliners and supporting artists.

Los Vaqueros are coming to three Azteca América stations in the Lone Star State.

The National Football League's Dallas Cowboys have struck a deal with Azteca América that will make O&Os KDVF in San Antonio, KDAF in Austin and KYDF in Corpus Christi official Spanish-language partners of one of pro football's most-storied franchises. 

Under the two-year deal, announced late in July, the three stations will telecast live, Cowboys-produced preseason games announced by Victor Villalba and Luis Fernando Pérez. The 2016 broadcast schedule is comprised of Cowboys games versus the Miami Dolphins on Friday, August 19, at 7 p.m. (CT), the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday, August 25, at 9 p.m. (CT) and the Houston Texans on Thursday, Sep. 1 at 7 p.m. (CT). Pregame shows will precede the Cowboys' home games against Miami and Houston.

Once the regular season kicks off, the stations will air a monthly, Spanish-language edition of Cowboys Report.

Luis Hernandez, GM of KVDF, tells Multichannel News the games are fully produced by Cadena de Plata Radio, the Cowboys' Spanish-language radio and television network, with sales opportunities and promotional efforts left to the Azteca América stations.

“The team already has a dedicated effort to reaching the Hispanic market, as the Cowboys are a very beloved and respected club in the Hispanic community,” Hernandez said. “They are the most popular of the two NFL teams in Texas.”

A section of the Dallas Cowboys’ official website — Somos Cowboys, sponsored by Ford — is dedicated to Spanish-speaking fans. The regularly updated @somoscowboys Twitter feed is also available for Spanish speakers, as is the Somos Cowboys Facebook page.

Telemundo-owned KDVA in San Antonio aired the team's Spanish-language preseason games last season; Austin and Corpus Christi are new Spanish-language markets for the team. In addition to Dallas-Fort Worth, other Cowboys Spanish-language markets are Abilene, Bryan-College Station, El Paso, Lubbock, McAllen-Harlingen-Brownsville, and Waco.

While Hernandez could not speak of the reasons behind the Cowboys’s shift from Telemundo to Azteca América in San Antonio, he notes that the Cowboys were impressed by his stations’ “ability to be pretty nimble and to pre-empt network programming in order to run live team broadcasts.” He added that Azteca’s corporate executives saw the opportunity to gain viewers with the Cowboys and raised no objection to pre-empting network programming.

Sales efforts are a bit lagging, Hernandez admitted. “We’re a little behind the eight-ball, as most Fortune 500 brands completed their media planning in late June," he said. "We have four of five brands that have expressed interest, and they represent a combination of local, national and regional brands. Texas brands are a natural match, of course.”

Hernandez said he expects to reveal the sponsors by the second week of August, while continuing to work closely with local businesses to create customized programs.

“We are very excited to be aligned with Azteca América as the provider of our Spanish-language broadcasts for the Dallas Cowboys preseason games and Cowboys-related programming,” Cowboys executive vice president Jerry Jones Jr. said. “We have always been grateful for the loyal fans who have watched our Spanish-language broadcasts through the years, and that is especially true for the strong fan followings in San Antonio, Austin and Corpus Christi.”

Villalba’s first turn at calling Cowboys games in Spanish came in 1996, as a color commentator for the team’s radio broadcasts. A season later, he added the roles of producer and host of the team’s Spanish-language TV broadcasts to his resume. After a stint away from the team, he returned in 2002, with affiliate relations expanding to Mexico a year later. He’s been with the Cowboys ever since, and since 2005 also serves as the Spanish-language play-by-play announcer for the National Basketball Association’s Dallas Mavericks.

On-air partner Perez has been with the Cowboys since 2004. From June 2009 to November 2013, he also served as co-host for Zona ESPN on ESPN Deportes Radio AM 1540 in Dallas.

Since the 2012 NFL season, all of the league’s broadcasting partners have added Spanish-language coverage of some regular-season games, either through SAP on a Spanish-language network. Some games aired by NBC also air on NBC Universo; select Fox telecasts also air on Fox Deportes; and ESPN Deportes airs all of sister network ESPN's Monday Night Football games. ESPN Deportes also aired a Spanish-language telecast of Super Bowl 50 on Feb. 7, through a sublicensing deal with English-language rightsholder CBS.

New for the 2016-2017 season, the Denver Broncos have teamed up with Telemundo O&O KDEN in Denver for Tiempo Extra con Los Broncos, a 30-minute live highlights show beginning Sunday, Aug. 14, and running through Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. It’s the first-ever team-focused broadcast on Spanish-language television in Denver.

Other teams that have forged pre-season Spanish-language coverage agreements in recent season include the Green Bay Packers, with WYTU in Milwaukee; and Miami Dolphins, with Azteca affiliate WWHB in West Palm Beach.

Meanwhile, the Chicago Bears in June inked a Hispanic marketing agreement with local shop PACO Collective, which has been working with baseball's Chicago White Sox since 2010.

“Professional football is the most popular sport in America, and yet, when it comes to Hispanic audiences we still have to invite this segment through culturally relevant content and conversations to evolve from fans to family,” Paco CEO Ozzie Godinez said in a statement. “We’re going to be helping the Chicago Bears make sure they gain the most Hispanic engagement in Chicagoland and across the U.S. by appealing to the sense of community that drives NFL fan support and game attendance.”

Some 8.7% of NFL game viewers are Hispanic, according to Nielsen. That’s up from 5.5% in 2004.

Research conducted for ESPN shows the NFL as the second-most popular sport among Latino television viewers, behind soccer. Among Latinos who prefer to consume media in English, however, the NFL is by far the leader.

In related Azteca América news, the network is mourning the loss of veteran executive Roel Medina, who died unexpectedly at his home July 30 in Katy, Texas at the age of 55. Medina had served as GM of Azteca’s KYAZ in Houston since 2012.

Prior to joining Azteca Houston, Medina spent 11 years at Telemundo, where he served as a station general manager in Houston, Dallas and San Antonio, respectively. He earlier worked for Univision, where he was Director of Marketing and Creative at KXLN in Houston.

“Roel Medina was creative force and a hard working executive who was ‘one of a kind,’” Azteca América CEO Manuel Abud said. “Above all, he was a man of deep convictions and a big heart. He was deeply committed to the Texas communities his stations served.”

Azteca Station Group executive vice president Enrique Perez added: “Roel made enormous contributions to our station group and company. He was a brilliant, beloved leader, not only for Azteca, but also within the entire Texas television community, which knew him so well and for so long.”

The story of a young girl who dreams of becoming a pilot but gets caught up in Latin America’s narcotics trade has been selected as the inaugural production from W Studios, the recently announced joint venture between Univision Communications and veteran producer Patricio Wills.

La Piloto features a script written by Jorg Hiller, the brainchild behind the Colombian telenovela Tiro de Gracia, developed for UniMás and Caracol Television in 2014.

Inspired by real-life events, La Piloto tells the story of Yolanda, who achieves her life-long dream of flying planes but winds up transporting drugs across Mexico, Colombia and Central America. John Lucio, her boyfriend and former flight instructor, betrays her to avoid going to prison. This fuels Yolanda’s thirst for revenge and, ultimately, motivates her to seek control of the drug-trafficking business.

“We have started casting for this compelling story and are delighted with the phenomenal roster of interested talent to choose from,” Wills, who serves as president of Miami-based W Studios, said. “I’m looking forward to producing a project like this with such a unique and timely storyline.”

Wills is the founder, president and CEO of RTI Colombia and had oversight of Producciones RTI, a joint venture with Telemundo that gave audiences such blockbuster telenovelas as La Reina del Sur.

La Piloto will air on UniMás and is expected to debut in the fourth quarter.

Between May 18 and May 28, ESPN Deportes found itself in the enviable position of being the U.S. Spanish-language broadcast home of the UEFA Europa League finals; Spain’s Copa del Rey final; the German Bundesliga final; and the UEFA Champions League final.

On June 10, the network will launch month-long coverage of the UEFA Euro 2016 tournament, with 51 matches being held in 10 cities across France.

Before you judge ESPN Deportes as only about soccer, the network has a message for you: UEFA Euro 2016 is Más Que Fútbol, or “more than soccer.”

Ahead of the opening match, ESPN Deportes launched an integrated marketing campaign centered on a 60-second spot featuring scenes of Paris interspersed with exciting soccer plays and emotional fans.

The effort focuses on ESPN Deportes play-by-play coverage and does not mention its other coverage of Europe’s quadrennial football championship: ESPN Deportes will air a 30-minute pregame edition of Fuera de Juego; a halftime show; in-between match programming; and a two-hour TV-only presentation of Jorge Ramos y Su Banda, which is simulcast on ESPN Deportes Radio, immediately following the last match of the day.

ESPN will air 40 matches in English, including the opening and title matches (11 games will air on ESPN2). ESPN Deportes will air 45 matches live and six matches on tape-delay.

The Más Que Fútbol spot is also available in English, ESPN Deportes noted, and promotes the tournament coverage on ESPN.

The opening match, featuring host France vs. Romania, airs June 10 at 2:30 p.m. ET. The final is set for Sunday, July 1 at 2:30 p.m. ET.

Univision Communications has launched Udisea, a digital content platform expressly targeting the coveted Hispanic millennial consumer.

The online platform features Spanish-language short-form video content developed exclusively for Univision, including original Web series and various scripted entertainment formats.

Content on Udisea will explore trends that define life on the Internet today, "from chasing romance on Tinder to the hopes of an aspiring YouTuber — today’s millennial celebrity," Univision said in a statement.

Among the short-form content housed on Udisea is the Univision Digital-produced romantic comedy Tenemos Que Hablar (We Need to Talk), which premiered in October and has generated more than 2 million views across Univision.com, YouTube and Facebook.

Now, millennials will have direct access to a digital channel created for them, eliminating the need to go to a top-level digital content hub and conduct a search for what they wish to consume, Univision said.

“Hispanics and multicultural millennials overindex in the consumption of digital, mobile and social content, and our research shows that more than half of Univision users are going online to view videos that are different from what they see on TV,” said Isaac Lee, Univision's chief news and digital officer and CEO of Fusion, the ABC-Univision joint-venture network aimed at millennials. “With the launch of Udisea, we are providing this vast and digital-avid audience a fresh, new platform they can call their own, where they will enjoy original scripted videos and Web series created especially for them.”

Udisea joins Flama, a joint venture launched in October 2013 with digital media producer Bedrock Media, as Univision's second millennial-targeted digital platform. Flama caters to English-speaking Latinos, while Udisea will focus on Spanish-speaking Hispanics aged 15-34.

U.S. Hispanics who prefer to consume SportsCenter in Spanish on ESPN Deportes can now enjoy the technology and look and feel of English-language SportsCenter telecasts, thanks to the launch of a state-of-the-art facility in Mexico City.

ESPN Deportes christened the new, four-studio production center on Dec. 7 at 11:30 p.m. (ET), following the network's Monday Night Football broadcast. Carolina Padron, Ciro Procuna and Jorge Eduardo Sanchez continue as SportsCenter anchors for ESPN Deportes.

The studio is designed to enhance content presentation for the viewer, increase consumer engagement, and provide a better stage for ESPN Deportes anchors, Rodolfo Martinez, vice president of production for ESPN International and ESPN Deportes, said.

The studio upgrade comes 10 months after one of its primary competitors, Fox Deportes, gave a facelift to its own signature in-studio sports news program, Central Fox.

ESPN’s new Mexico City studio space is the result of growth at ESPN Deportes that led to limit studio space, Martinez said in an interview.

“We built our first studios in Mexico City 12 years ago with the objective of serving ESPN Deportes only," he said. "Then, the network produced two shows. Now, we offer 10 hours of programming each day."

By bringing the presentation and technology of ESPN Deportes's version of SportsCenter in line with ESPN’s, U.S. Hispanic sports fans are receiving the best programming available, regardless of their language preference, Martinez said.

“The product and ESPN Deportes’s different platforms have become crucial for the growth of our brand in the U.S.,” he said. “These upgrades were done in Miami, Los Angeles, and in Bristol, Conn., and, come Jan. 4, all of our programming will be presented with full HD migration.”

A sleeker look and feel for SportsCenter isn't the only upgrade on ESPN Deportes’s Christmas Wish List that has been by The Walt Disney Co.

On Dec. 1, ESPN relaunched its Spanish-language websites across the globe, including ESPNDeportes.com, its primary destination for U.S. Hispanics.

Built on the technology infrastructure and design elements seen on ESPN.com, which received its own overhaul in April of 2015, ESPNDeportes.com is now designed to load faster and boasts improved site navigation.

The new ESPNDeportes.com now automatically adjusts to any screen, regardless of device or platform.

“Bringing a uniformly great experience to sports fans all over the world is central to our mission at ESPN,” ESPN executive vice president of digital and print media John Kosner said.

New Spanish-language editions of the ESPN app will come next spring.

Fans of lucha libre can now enjoy a second season of the Mark Burnett-produced Lucha Underground, El Rey Network’s hour-long weekly reality series about the action and stars of Mexican-style wrestling.

Burnett is teaming with United Artists Media Group, El Rey Network chairman and founder Robert Rodriguez and FactoryMade Ventures, a Los Angeles-based "entertainment and media incubator" and El Rey co-owner, on the second season. Production is underway in the Boyle Heights section of Los Angeles.

The series will air Wednesdays at 8 p.m. (ET/PT) staring Jan. 27. Leading up to the second-season premiere, El Rey will air five hours of back-to-back episodes from season one on Wednesdays from 8 p.m to 1 a.m., starting Jan. 6. El Rey will then hand over its entire programming grid to Lucha Underground with a 40-hour marathon of the entire first season from Saturday, Jan. 23, at 10 a.m. (ET) to  Sunday, Jan. 24 at 2 a.m. (ET).

“Mark Burnett and his team have delivered a truly compelling series and we are proud to bring the ancient traditions of lucha libre to life in an unexpected and action-packed format that has become a favorite for wrestling fans everywhere," Rodriguez said.

Meanwhile, El Rey has confirmed that its signature offering, From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series, will return for a third season. El Rey Network's lineup also includes a wide range of cult films and TV series.

Celia, Telemundo’s first “bio-musical,” is helping the network narrow the audience gap with longtime leader Univision on weeknights at 8 p.m.

Celia, the biographical novela about the Cuban salsa superstar Celia Cruz, has averaged some 771,000 viewers age 18-49 on weeknights at 8 p.m. during its premiere week of Oct. 12-18, up from Reina de Corazones’s 404,000 viewers in that timeslot a year ago, according to Nielsen estimates. 

Thus, Telemundo now trails Univision by “only” 86,000 viewers in the key advertiser demographic at 8 p.m. A year ago, the gap between Telemundo and first-place Univision was 1.5 million viewers.

For the week ending Oct. 25, Celia was the No. 9 among viewers 2-plus, attracting an average audnience of 1.71 milliom viewers. That’s slightly fewer viewers than Señora Acero, Telemundo’s 10 p.m. “Super Series” telenovela, and slightly less than the 7 p.m. edition of its popular courtroom show Caso Cerrado.

Celia airs opposite Univision’s Antes Muerto que Lichita, a Mexican telenovela produced by Rosy Ocampo for Televisa. The series stars actress and singer Maite Perroni with a theme song sung by veteran Latin pop singer Thalía.

According to Nielsen, Perroni’s telenovela attracted an average 2.03 million viewers aged 2-plus. Considering Perroni’s pull among key Hispanic millennial audiences, Celia will be a bonafide smash if the ratings success continues.

Celia is a first for Spanish-language broadcast television, as it borrows from the success of English-language primetime soaps Empire and Glee by injecting musical performances into the storyline.

Portraying Cruz in her younger years is Jeimy Osorio; newcomer Aymee Nuviola has been cast the older Cruz. Contemporary salsa music star La India is contributing to the show’s soundtrack.

In other Telemundo news, the post-Sábado Gigante war for Saturday-night viewers is on, as the Nov. 7 premiere of ¡Qué Noche! con Angelica y Raul attracted 538,000 adults aged 18-49. By comparison, Sabadazo — Univision’s successor to the long-running Sábado Gigante — attracted some 465,000 adults aged 18-49.

¡Qué Noche! is hosted by veteran telenovela actress Angelica Vale and Raul Gonzalez, who left Univision in March 2014 after a 12-year tenure as a co-anchor on Despierta América, the network’s morning show.

NBC Universo has expanded its universe of successful English-language primetime series that can now be viewed on the network enespañol.

The network will air Heroes, the sci-fi drama that aired from 2006 to 2010 on NBC, at 8 p.m. on Wednesdays as of Nov. 18. Heroes is meant to complement reality show Superhermanos du Stan Lee,which will air back-to-back episodes at 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. NBC Universo describes Superhermanos as “a daring series that showcases people from around the world with real life super powers.”

The show, which airs on History in English as Stan Lee’s Superhumans, is “hosted” by comic-book icon Lee and contortionist Daniel Browning Smith; audio is dubbed into Spanish.

“Featuring a diverse cast, Heroes is an iconic series that incorporates elements of fantasy and action that resonates with our Latino viewers,” NBC Universo vice president of program acquisitions and sourcing Jorge Balleste said in a statement. “We are pleased to add this series to our programming lineup alongside Superhumanos de Stan Lee as we continue to solidify our sci-fi offerings.”

The network also said it will soon add its first Zombinovela to its lineup, with dubbed-in-Spanish episodes of AMC’s megahit The Walking Dead — basic cable’s highest-rated scripted series — set to appear on the network early next year. NBC Universo will begin airing episodes from seasons 1 through 3.

And fans of the irreverent long-running Comedy Central animated series South Park can now follow the adventures of Stan, Kyle, Cartman and others in Spanish on NBC Universo. The series has aired at 10 p.m. on Monday nights since Oct. 26.

“By adding South Park to our already bold programming lineup, NBC Universo is going where no other Spanish cable network has gone before,” NBC Universal vice president of programming Arelys Carballo said in a prepared statement. “South Park adds an exciting twist to our lineup.”

The arrival of more shows bilingual and English-dominant viewers have likely had access to in English for years comes following the Oct. 20 addition of FX’s Prison Break with all-Spanish dialogue to the NBC Universo lineup.

Interestingly, the acquisition of The Walking Dead is the final programming move NBC Universo president Rubén Mendiola made for the network.

Mendiola has left amid a restructuring at NBCUniversal that gives Telemundo president Luis Silberwasser additional duties as head of NBC Universo. Mendiola was named president of NBC Universo in May 2014 and was charged with the network’s transition from mun2.

“We have decided to adjust our cable network’s structure in line with traditional cable channels operating within a portfolio and to ensure we are best positioned for future growth,” NBC Universo said in a statement. “We thank Ruben for all his dedication, passion and hard work in building NBC Universo from the ground up. We appreciate very much all he has done for the company and wish him the best in his next projects.”

The arrest of Larrymania star Larry Hernandez has put the NBCUniverso series, one of Spanish-language television’s most successful unscripted programs, into best-of mode.

On Sept. 25, the regional Mexican music star was prevented from boarding a Southwest Airlines flight from Ontario, Calif. to Denver by airport police who received a warrant for his arrest. The warrant, issued in South Carolina, accused Hernandez of kidnapping, assault, and assault and battery causing injury.

Hernandez is one of Latin music’s top regional Mexican artists, fueled by his controversial “narco corridos” featuring lyrics and themes tied to Mexico’s drug-trafficking subculture. Larrymania — billed as an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at the star’s life — recently started its fifth season on NBCUniverso, with tales of a surprise trip to Hawaii, following a romantic trip to Paris for Hernandez and his now-fiancée, Kenia.

Larrymania is the No. 1 Hispanic cable-TV program among viewers age 18-49 and one of Spanish-language television’s most successful unscripted programs. It wrapped up its third season in August of 2014 with an average audience of 117,000 18-to-49-year-olds tuning in each Sunday at 9 p.m.

In fact, Larrymania’s popularity helped it outlive the network it launched on  — the youth-targeted mun2 — which was rebranded into the general-interest NBC Universo in February of 2015.

By late October, media reports offered further details of what Hernandez is being charged with: Wrapping a man in plastic sheeting; forcing him into his hotel room with “several associates of Hernandez”; and beating him when Hernandez wasn’t paid in full for an August performance in the small agricultural town of Newbury, S.C. Some 9.5% of Newbury’s 10,600 residents are Hispanic.

At first, NBC Universo’s communications team, which had relentlessly promoted every episode of Larrymania with weekly press updates in both English and Spanish, declined comment on Hernandez’s legal situation. When contacted in mid-October by Hispanic Television Update, NBC Universo VP of communications Peter Dobrow said: “NBC Universo continues to air reruns of the series. However at this time we are not commenting on future plans for the series.”

On Nov. 3, NBC Universo affirmed its decision to stick with best-of episodes, noting in a statement that it would air “special programming” each Thursday from 9 to 11 p.m. featuring “many unforgettable moments from the hit reality series’ last four seasons.”

The specials began airing on Nov. 5 and will run through Dec. 3. The programming is in response to “loyal fans that have demonstrated support for their idol,” the network said.

The announcement from NBC Universo came just days after Hernandez broke his silence on YouTube, the media platform that first brought him notoriety. Freed on a $200,000 bond some three weeks after his arrest, Hernandez appeared to be back in his Southern California home.

In the video, Hernandez said: “It’s not, as some in very bad faith have said, because I’m looking to sell an exclusive interview. My interest at no time is one of economic gain for an interest that narrates or reviews what has been a nightmare for me.”

Up next for Hernandez: A Dec. 31 court date to discuss probable cause.

NBC Universo has offered no visibility past Dec. 3 on what it intends to do with Larrymania. But new episodes could be back on the air sooner rather than later, thanks to a new twist in South Carolina.

José Andrade, the alleged victim in the case, was arrested in early November amid accusations of fraud tied to financial loans. While this case is unrelated to that of Hernandez, Andrade’s legal difficulties could greatly hinder the case against Larrymania’s star.

Meanwhile, Hernandez is back in action as a performer: He officially returned to the stage Nov. 13 in Dallas, following a Nov. 5 appearance on Estrella TV’s Premios de La Radio awards show. There, Hernandez was nominated for Best Performer of the Year and as the hottest social-media star of 2015.