Telemundo Shares Upfront Strategy

Telemundo Enterprises will offer more than 900 hours of original content for the 2019-2020 season, the network announced. That includes Super Series El Señor de los Cielos, limited series No Te Puedes Esconder and the return of popular series El Final del Paraíso, La Doña and Enemigo Intimo.

Telemundo reality shows include La Voz and Exatlon, and the network will air a Spanish-language version of the NBC game show The Wall.

Cesar Conde, chairman, NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises and NBCUniversal International Group, said the 900 hours of programming is comparable with what the network offered in 2018-2019.

“Hispanics are no longer just a demographic story. They are trendsetters driving social, cultural, digital and, most importantly, economic impact. Almost 60 million strong, Latinos are without question a business imperative for growth regardless of industry or category,” said Conde. “Our audience asked us for more and Telemundo listened by redefining Hispanic media and leading the way, setting a new standard of excellence with the biggest and best scripted, reality, sports and news content in the industry. Only NBCUniversal and Telemundo can connect with this growing influential audience, across genres, across platforms, and across languages.”

NBCUniversal presents its upfront show May 13. Telemundo will host an event for advertising clients and business partners at The Hammerstein Ballroom in New York May 13 featuring Pitbull.

“Marketers cannot underestimate the power of the Hispanic audience, and no other media company can offer the expertise, authenticity and capabilities that Telemundo and NBCUniversal provide,” said Laura Molen, president, advertising sales and partnerships, NBCUniversal. “Alongside our unparalleled content, we are committed to setting new standards for delivering engagement, scale, and impact for our partners by providing the best content, data and distribution all under one roof. As advertisers look ahead this upfront season, Telemundo is a critical part of any media plan.”

Super Series include new show Operación Pacífico, starring Majida Issa and Mark Tacher. It is about a prominent federal agent who leads an investigative unit for the national police.

El Señor de los Cielos returns for its seventh season. Amado Casillas has turned himself in to the authorities to avoid falling into the hands of Mexican law. As he is about to be transferred to court to hear his charges, his family has prepared a surprise no one is expecting.

“It’s a show viewers can’t live without,” said Ronald Day, executive VP of entertainment.

The second season of Enemigo Intimo picks up two years later. After re-establishing the cartel Mil Cumbres, Roxana turns herself in and is serving a five-year sentence.

The second season of La Doña has Aracely Arámbula as the lead.

The second season of Falsa Identidad will bring Diego and Isabel back to Mexico, forcing them to see each other, and their enemies, again.

Telemundo will air the Sin Senos Sí Hay Paraíso spinoff, El Final del Paraíso.

In terms of limited series, 10-part No Te Puedes Esconder, is a thriller exploring the life of a nurse who is trying to rebuild her life, a former policeman turned into a hitman, a photographer obsessed with death, a politician with forbidden relationships and a group of idealistic friends.

On the unscripted side, The Wall will be hosted by Marco Antonio Regil.

After the successful first season of La Voz, the Spanish-language version of NBC’s The Voice, the show returns. John de Mol created La Voz.

Season three of competition series Exatlon Estados Unidos will air.

Telemundo partnered with E! on entertainment news show LatinX Now! The series shifts from weekly to daily.

Live specials include Billboard Latin Music Awards.

News features the first Democratic presidential primary debate June 26-27 in Miami, in partnership with NBC News and MSNBC.

Telemundo Deportes will have the 2020 Olympic Games from Tokyo July 24-29, 2020. Its “Summer of Soccer” includes both the Women’s World Cup and Copa America. The World Cup starts June 7, 2019. 

Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.