Univision Communications has turned the page under CEO Vince Sadusky.
Prime-time ratings are up. It’s focus for marketers ahead of next week’s Upfront presentations is about “more” live and local content, as well as tech and fútbol.
That said, two big changes are on the way.
With Sadusky telling members of the press at a Tuesday morning pre-Upfront session ahead of Upfront presentations to advertisers on May 13 and 14, he noted that investments reflecting a re-prioritization of goals is being undertaken.
This, he says, is part of Univision’s quest to become the best Hispanic media company in the world.
To accomplish that, Univision is building on its “tremendous momentum” by rebranding what it has been calling the nation’s “No. 1 Hispanic sports network” in what some may view as a cost-cutting consolidation move and others may hail as a revolutionary pan-Latin launch.
As revealed by Univision Deportes President Juan Carlos Rodriguez, the Univision Deportes Network (UDN) is being rechristened as “TUDN,” thanks to a partnership with Univision’s struggling Mexican partner, Televisa.
This effectively creates the “first-ever” network to be “100% American and 100% Mexican”; until now ESPN Deportes and FOX Deportes have had shared operations but separate feeds serving the Mexican and U.S. markets.
TUDN will break that mold, with cross-border distribution. What remains unclear is if advertising will also be cross-border, or if programmatic addressable advertising solutions will allow TUDN to sell Mexican consumers in Mexico, and U.S. Hispanics across the U.S.
The rebranding is a mild surprise, as UDN has been touted as the top-rated Hispanic sports network in the U.S. against a bevy of competitors including beinSPORTS and Gol TV.
According to Rodriguez, more than 50% of soccer viewership in America, regardless of language – and no World Cup rights — is credited to what will be rebranded as TUDN.
The combination of Univision Deportes Network to Televisa’s Mexican operations suggests a consolidation of services. While Univision is “full of excitement” over the initiative, layoffs due to duplication of job tasks may be on the horizon. Familiar faces will remain in the mix, in addition to 20 personalities including TUDN editorial board head Francisco J. Gonzalez.
In English, TUDN will be branded as “Your Sports Network” to marketers. The TUDN brand will be launched later this summer. Also being rebranded is the Univision Deportes Radio network, which will become the TUDN Radio Network.
MÁS REALITY WITH UNIMÁS REBOOT
The other big announcement from Univision came from its CMO and President of Entertainment, Jessica Rodriguez said the company’s second broadcast TV network, UniMás, is getting a big refresh.
Rodriguez said UniMás is getting reprogrammed and relaunched to focus on live news, sports, reality-styled programming and entertainment.
“We’re making a commitment to investing in this network like never before,” she said.
The reboot begins Monday at 10pm Eastern with the “first network newscast in the 10pm hour,” discounting efforts by Estrella TV and Azteca América and Miami-focused efforts from America TeVe.
The Univision Noticias branding will be used for the newscast, hosted by former CNN en Español veteran Patricia Janiot and Enrique Acevedo, the anchor of Noticiero Univision Edición Nocturna. It will take a “first at 10” approach in its consumer marketing outreach.
Meanwhile, Rodriguez hyped up the coming arrival of the “ultimate live marriage reality show,” taking the name Enamorándonos.
“UniMas has always been a wonderful asset for this company, and it has been an underutilized asset for this company,” she said. “It had bright spots – but needed a reboot.”
Asked by one journalists if Enamorándonos will be inclusive of LGBT couples, Univision execs on hand did not provide a definitive answer, only noting that U.S. production will be seen exclusively for the show — a signal that it could be seen.
RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson will be attending NBCUniversal and Univision Upfront presentations in New York on May 13-14.
