Telenovelas, Musical Competition Part of Telemundo’s New Programming Slate

NEW YORK: Telemundo’s upcoming programming season is set to include new originals across all platforms, among them five new prime-time novelas and a Sunday night musical competition show.

The telenovelas are Mrs. Acero, about a woman who becomes the “queen of organized crime” after finding that her dead husband lived a double life; Los Miserables, a modern-day telling of a Victor Hugo classic starring Mexican actress Aracely Arambula; Owners of Paradise, which is inspired by the drug wars in South Florida during the 1980s; Land of Kings, an adaptation of the Colombian telenovela Pasión de Gavilanes; and The Gardener, which focuses on an illegal immigrant living in Los Angeles.

The network will also see the premiere of Yo Soy El Artista, a weekend prime-time musical competition co-produced with Spain’s Reset TV. Contestants must undergo demanding auditions and days of massive eliminations in order to earn a spot in a music school. Once there, they’ll have to coexist and learn to grow along with their instructors as they demonstrate their talents week after week. Another new reality competition show, Miss Latina Universo, will give 14 Hispanic women the chance to compete in the 2014 Miss Universe Pageant representing all U.S. Hispanics.

Returning series include a third season of the scripted program The Lord of the Skies, a third season of the singing competition La Voz Kids and a second season of Top Chef Estrellas, a Spanish-language adaptation of Bravo Media’s culinary competition. Additionally, the news program Noticias Telemundo will expand into the weekend with new half-hour editions that will include in-depth analysis of the past week’s top stories.

Other deals announced at the network’s 2014/2015 Upfront presentation include Telemundo acquiring the exclusive media rights for the U.S. of all home games of the popular Mexican first division soccer team Pachuca, starting next month. On the digital front, the channel unveiled plans to launch a new online experience in Spanish-language sports through a partnership with NBC Sports, as well as the debut of two projects from Fluency, a multiplatform production studio. Those projects are the 90-minute specials The Home Team and Nobody Walks in LA (both working titles).

Telemundo also secured the first Hispanic video partnership with Mashable, which will lead to English and Spanish content from that site premiering on Telemundo’s digital and social media platforms.

“With our continued commitment to high-quality content and innovation, new leadership at the helm of the Telemundo network and mun2, and the power of NBCUniversal, no other media company is better positioned now and for the future to grow and super serve our audience, our advertising partners and our distributors,” said Joe Uva, the chairman of Hispanic enterprises and content at NBCUniversal.

“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 Mike Rosen, the executive VP of advertising sales for Telemundo Media. “That is why our Total Market Innovation approach is so special, as no media company delivers on the promise of ROI like NBCUniversal, the most uniquely diverse, game-changing media company in the marketplace, now and in the future.”