Upfronts 2014: Telemundo Plans 800 New Original Hours, Brand Repositioning for mun2

Telemundo is looking to maintain its status as the top producer of original Spanish-language content for U.S. audiences.

The Hispanic broadcaster, which unveiled its new president Luis Silberwasser, announced during its upfront Tuesday night a programming slate featuring over 800 original hours.

The new programming is toplined by novelas Los Miserables based on the classic novel and Dueños del Paraíso, which features the return of popular Hispanic actress Kate Del Castillo, who starred on the net’s La Reina Del Sur. Both will be part of Telemundo’s weeknight lineup. Overall, Telemundo will debut five new novelas.

Sundays will feature an all-reality lineup, with new musical competition series Yo Soy El Artista joining NBCUnversal adaptations La Voz Kids and Top Chef Estrellas. Both were greenlit for new seasons. This summer, Miss Latina Universo will be on the Sunday lineup as well.

Next month, the Spanish-language broadcaster will debut ISA, its first production out of its multiplatform studio Fluency, which was announced during last year’s upfront. Telemundo unveiled the next two projects from Fluency: The Home Team (working title), about a group of strong-willed Indiana high school girls who are tested on and off the soccer field; and Nobody Walks In LA (wt), which centers on three young friends who get caught up in a heist in Los Angeles.

Beginning in 2015, Telemundo and mun2 will become the official Spanish-language home of the FIFA World Cup, featuring more than 550 hours across all its platforms. This fall, Telemundo Sports and NBC Sports will launch a new extensive digital experience in Spanish-language sports, with top tier live matches, up-to-the-second results, interviews, and exclusive analysis, which will live on www.deportestelemundo.com.

Telemundo also announced a partnership with Mashable, the first Hispanic video pact with the digital property. The initiative will put the most popular content from Mashable -- in both English and Spanish -- on Telemundo digital and social media platforms, including Video on Demand.

“Now that Telemundo and mun2 are fully integrated into the world of NBCUniversal, there has never been a better time for marketers to connect with Hispanic consumers with unprecedented scale and power, regardless of language,” said Rosen.

Joe Uva, chairman of Hispanic Content and Enterprises, also unveiled a new multi-platform brand positioning of the mun2 cable channel, which also has a new president in former Comcast Cable exec Ruben Mendiola.

Starting in 2015, mun2 becomes the home of major sporting events including the 2016 Summer Olympics from Rio and the FIFA World Cup. In addition, mun2 will become the official Spanish-language home of the NASCAR Mexico Toyota Series.