Univision Communications Reveals Upcoming Programming Slate

NEW YORK: New telenovelas, digital series and a musical format from Simon Cowell make up the roster of content available on Univision Communications’ multiple networks for the 2014-2015 season.

The Band, from Cowell's Syco Entertainment, will air on the Univision network next year. The show will search the U.S. and Latin America for the newest boy band, with the winners receiving a recording deal with Sony Music Latin and Syco Music.

"I'm delighted to be partnering with Univision on this new format," Cowell said. "They are fantastically ambitious and most importantly for [The Band], they are totally focused on discovering and creating the next music superstars. There is a huge opportunity for this band and we are going to be giving the power via this show to the millions of teenage fans."

The Univision channel will also count on telenovelas such as La Gata, about a young woman living in abject poverty who falls in love with a man from a good family. Other novelas include The Bad Mistress, which follows a love triangle on an indebted family estate; Until the End of Time, the tale of a chocolate-factory heiress who falls for her chauffeur; and My Heart Is Yours, about an exotic dancer who accidentally becomes the nanny to the children of a wealthy widower.

Univision is also set to air the ninth season of the reality show Our Latin Beauty, as well as movies from Pantelion Films, including Eugenio Derbez’s blockbuster Instructions Not Included. Documentaries lined up for the network are This Is Not a Ball, following Brazilian artist Vik Muniz as he creates a artwork using 20,000 soccer balls; Who Is Dayani Cristal?, which delves into the tragic results of the U.S. war on immigration through the eyes of one of its victims; Marmato, chronicling a Colombian town’s confrontation with a Canadian mining company; and Narco Tek, a look inside the technology used by both sides on the war on drugs.

UniMás, the channel developed for Hispanic Millenials, will air dramatic series such as Miss Gunpowder, about a young woman caught between a sincere news reporter and a dangerous but sweet drug-cartel leader; The Drug Lord, which tells the real story of powerful drug trafficker El Chapo Guzmán; Demented Criminal, a thriller inspired by the life of a Venezuelan psychiatrist who abused his patients; The Feast of the Goat, an adaptation of Nobel Prize-winning author Mario Vargas Llosa’s novel; and At the Devil’s Table, centering on a man willing to give up the Cali Cartel to the CIA.

Over at Spanish-language cable network Galavisión, the dramatic series Heroes of the North returns for a third season, as does the paranormal-themed Mystical and Unexplainable.

The media company is also highlighting its sports coverage, with Univision Deportes airing the 12-nation tournament Copa Ora 2015 and gearing up to broadcast the 100th anniversary of the Copa America in 2016, which will be played in the U.S. for the first time. The network will also host the Premios Univision Deportes, an awards show honoring Hispanic athletes across multiple sports.

Finally, UCI will premiere a slew of Televisa-produced series on its UVideos digital platform, including the comedy Sleeping with My Boss, the period dramas Cries of Death and Freedom and The Charm of the Eagle, as well as the cooking show Victoria’s Kitchen.

“Univision is the one company that can offer advertisers the transmedia solutions to engage deeply with Hispanic consumers and build the lasting relationships that will move the needle for their brands,” said Randy Falco, the president and CEO of Univision Communications. “We are Hispanic America’s most trusted media source and are everywhere our audience is—a powerful formula that gives us the ability to help marketers tap into our audience’s passion points and enormous purchasing power like no one else. With our positioning, the spirit of innovation that permeates everything we do and the outstanding programming across broadcast, cable, digital and social platforms we are showcasing today, we are continuing to define our industry while delivering results for our advertisers, partners and audiences.”