Telemundo said it is on pace to be the leading Spanish-language TV network in the country during Monday-Friday primetime hours among key demographic groups of adults ages 18-49 and ages 18-34, citing Nielsen. The NBCUniversal-owned network said it's having its best season start ever in weekday primetime, crediting its "super series" dramas including El Chema,Sin Senos Si Hay Paraiso and Señora Acera 3: La Coyote (pictured).

Of note to NBCU's parent, Comcast, Telemundo also will end 2016 as the No. 1 Hispanic video-on-demand network.

For more details, see this Telemundo release. 

The July 18 three-hour finale of Telemundo’s El Señor de los Cielos was a hit with viewers and on social media, the network said.

The season four finale averaged 2.64 million total viewers, 1.48 million adults 18-49 and 753,000 adults 18-34 in the 8-11 p.m. period, Telemundo said, and it “reached” 4.57 million viewers (meaning they watched for at least 6 minutes), per Nielsen. It also was the top-rated Spanish-language program in its time period in Los Angeles, Houston, Miami and New York among total viewers and adults 18-49, Telemundo said.

During its full run, the “super series” (a faster-paced, action-oriented scripted drama designed to run several seasons) averaged 1.96 million total viewers and 1.14 million adults 18-49.

The NBCUniversal-owned network said the El Señor de los Cielos finale also was the top-rated social primetime show in broadcast across all networks, regardless of language. It also generated 150,000 downloads and 321,000 user interactions of NBCU’s Double Acción app, which lets viewers interact with the series as it is playing via specially-produced extra content.

El Señor de los Cielos stars Rafael Amaya as legendary 90s Mexican drug lord Aurelio Casillas, whose ambition was to become one of the richest and most powerful men in Mexico

NEW YORK — Spanish-language television is alive and well, Telemundo president Luis Silberwasser declared at the Hspanic Television Summit here Oct. 22.

“You can see the demand for Spanish-language television is pretty significant,” he told interviewer and Noticiero Telemundoco-anchor María Celeste Arrarás during a session at Park Central Hotel in Manhattan.

Silberwasser added, however, that the reduction in immigration from Spanish-speaking countries has had an effect.

“Clearly there is a shift going on,” he said. “But it has opened also the door, for the number of bilinguals are growing. So for us it’s an opportunity."

He attributed Telemundo’s recent ratings success to original content and innovation, which help them reach the evolving Hispanic audience, including millennials.

For example, the network has launched “Telemundo Súper Series,” shows that differ from traditional telenovelas in that they have fewer episodes, higher-end production and pumped-up action. Súper series El Señor de los Cielos recently launched its second season and, to help audience members catch up, the network released a comic book summarizing season one as well as a digital push preceding the premiere.

“When you try to do something different at a high-quality level, I think Telemundo tends to win," Silberwasser said, "and I think the audience is able to see a shift in the marketplace right now."

Read more at broadcastingcable.com.