Univision Continues to Make Inroads Into Big Four's Primetime 18-49 Audience

By John Consoli -- Broadcasting & Cable, 10/16/2012 2:56:24 PM

Spanish-language broadcast network Univision's growing competitiveness with the Big Four English-language broadcast networks has been well documented. During the first week of the new fall season, Univision out-delivered one or more of the Big Four-ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox-on five out of seven nights among adults 18-34. During the second week of the season, it did so on six out of seven nights, and also out-delivered one or more of the English-language broadcast nets on four out of seven nights among adults in the coveted 18-49 demo.

But Univision's inroads into primetime viewership look even more impressive when the particular English-language network shows they are outdrawing are identified. And Univision is actually winning these demo battles with the same three novelas each night at 8, 9 and 10, while the broadcast networks are, for the most part, running a variety of different series each night.

A series-by-series examination of Nielsen ratings data for the first two weeks of the broadcast season finds that Univision's 8 p.m. novella, Por Ella Soy Eva (For Her I'm Eva), a romantic comedy, rated better than five English-language dramas and six sitcoms in the 18-49 demo; its 9 p.m. novela, Abismo de Pasión (Abyss of Passion), a remake of a 1996 Mexican novela, out-rated 10 English-language dramas and seven sitcoms, including two head-to-head; and its 10 p.m. novela, Amor Braví­o (Fierce Love), has drawn a larger 18-49 audience than seven English-language series, including two head-to-head.

Por Ella Soy Eva at 8 p.m. has averaged 3.9 million viewers and a 1.7 18-49 rating with a median age audience of 38; Abismo de Pasión at 9 p.m. has averaged 4.5 million viewers with a 1.9 18-49 rating and a median age of 40; while Amor Bravío at 10 p.m. has averaged 3.5 million viewers with a 1.4 18-49 rating with a median age of 40.

Por Ella Soy Eva averaged a higher 18-49 rating over the first two weeks than NBC's Grimm, CBS' CSI: NY, Blue Bloods and Made in Jersey, and Fox's Fringe and The Mob Doctor.

Abismo de Pasión drew a higher 18-49 rating than those six, along with ABC's Private Practice, NBC's Parenthood, and CBS' The Mentalist and The Good Wife. It also drew a higher rating in the demo that myriad sitcoms, beating Fox's Raising Hope and Ben and Kate, and NBC's Guys with Kids, Up All Night, 30 Rock, Animal Practice and Parks and Recreation.

Amor Bravío averaged a higher 18-49 rating head-to-head on Thursdays and Fridays at 10 p.m. than news magazine Rock Center with Brian Williams and CBS' Blue Bloods, respectively. It also drew a higher rating in the demo than did CSI: NY, Made in Jersey, Fringe and The Mob Doctor.

Univision also has the younger median age audience compared to the Big Four English-language networks. CBS' median age audience through two weeks was 58, compared to 55 last season; ABC is 55, up from 54; NBC is 48, and flat; Fox is 43, up from 42; while Univision is 40, up from 37.

Although Univision has made inroads vs. the English-language networks, it is not immune to viewer fragmentation, particularly with new Hispanic network MundoFox making its debut this fall. During last season's first two weeks, Univision's 8 p.m. novela Teresa was averaging a 2.3 18-49 rating, 26% higher than Por Ella Soy Eva. Its 9 p.m. novela, La Fuerza del Destino, was averaging a 2.1 18-49 rating, 10% higher than Abismo de Pasión, while its 10 p.m. novela, Rosa Guadalupe, was averaging a 1.4 18-49 rating, flat compared to Amor Bravío.

But even with those declines, the Spanish-language network is still showing that it can draw with the Big Four in the 18-49 demo on certain nights against a growing number of series. That's because viewership on the English-language networks is down even more. All the broadcast networks are showing hefty double-digit declines except for NBC, which is up in the 18-49 demo overall by 11%. But most of its series are down. The increase is primarily due to its airing two weekly editions of the hit singing competition series The Voice, which was not on last fall.

Some of Univision's novelas can now be tapped for product integrations. While novelas such as Abismo de Pasión, which Univision buys from Televisa after it airs in Mexico, are not available for integrations, Univision is now producing some of its own novelas and marketers could get their brands into some of those.