Telemundo Internacional Leads NBCUniversal’s South American Expansion

04.21.2017

As part of NBCUniversal International Networks' strategy to expand in Latin America, the company has been increasing distribution of Telemundo Internacional in the region, particularly in South America's southern cone.

Telemundo Internacional first launched in Argentina in 2016 via DirecTV and will soon become available through Cablevisión. With the telenovela La Fan (The Fan), the network garnered wide distribution in other Latin American countries, including Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.

"This penetration strategy relies on the pillars of acceptance and interaction with our audiences, which have been growing strongly in the different markets," says Klaudia Bermúdez-Key, SVP and general manager at NBCUniversal International Networks.

The plan is based on the commitment of advertisers and partners who, according to Bermúdez-Key, "have positively responded to our portfolio strategy in the region and to our unique offer that combines the best international content with local productions via our different on-air and digital platforms." Because of this, Bermúdez-Key says Telemundo Internacional "is an essential part of this process. Its position as one of the greatest Spanish content producers allows us to make the channel grow and to safely invest in markets such as Argentina."

First Foray into Latin America

La Fan, which premiered in January, was the network's first step into Latin America. The comedy tells the history of a woman of humble means, who is obsessed with a famous soap opera actor and who will stop at nothing to be involved in her idol's life. The production stars Mexican actress Angélica Vale who, after 10 years away from the genre, returned to the world of telenovelas.

"Incorporating [La Fan] into our programming is part of a strategy that seeks to provide more and better entertainment to our current audience as well as to attract new audiences we now have the possibility to reach thanks to our most recent agreement with DirecTV," says Bermúdez-Key. "That has allowed us to expand the presence of Telemundo Internacional in countries such as Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, and make a striking entry into the Argentine market."

The series represents just some of the network's diverse programming, which includes international, pan-regional and local mega productions, as well as original productions in Spanish, such as the April 11 premiere of Los Miserables (Les Misérables).

The telenovela, inspired by Victor Hugo's famous novel and adapted by Venezuelan writer Valentina Párraga is filled with action and suspense, and features several Mexican actors including Aracely Arámbula, Erik Hayser, Aylín Mujica, Gabriel Porras, and Aaron Diaz.

Telemundo Internacional's slate also includes action-oriented soap operas, or "super series," such as the telenovela Dueños del Paraíso (Owners of Paradise) and the second season of Señora Acero (Iron Lady). The channel's programming also dives into exclusive broadcasts of live musical events such as the Billboard Latin Music Awards and the Premios Tu Mundo awards ceremony, along with the show Caso Cerrado (Closed Case), hosted by attorney Ana María Polo and devoted to conflict resolution.

Strategic Steps in the Southern Cone According to Bermúdez-Key, Telemundo Internacional is a key piece of NBCUniversal International Networks' growth strategy.

"In countries where [the channel] is already present, such as Mexico, Central America and Colombia, even without having total distribution we can see that it ranks constantly among the top-five and the top-10 channels with very high ratings," says Bermúdez-Key.

To continue to grow its subscriber base in southern South America, Telemundo Internacional inked deals with HBO and DirecTV, allowing it to reach more than 4 million viewers in the region.

Telemundo Internacional's confidence in Argentina is high.

"We have great expectations for this market, which we entered with great strength. We expect to keep on gaining audiences as we increase our penetration," says Bermúdez-Key. "Our main goal is to constantly innovate for the sake of our consumers and advertisers, providing increasingly better entertainment and interaction platforms. The idea is to provide our users with an extraordinary multi-platform experience, through which they can have access to all our content."

Telemundo Internacional lidera la expansión sudamericana de NBCUniversal

Version español: Telemundo Internacional lidera la expansión sudamericana de NBCUniversal