When it comes to television opportunities, actor and host Mario López could be a Golden Boy.
While that notion may be up for debate, it’s no lie that the veteran Latino star has signed on as the executive producer for MundoFox’s newest primetime entry, Los Golden Boys.
López is sharing executive producer duties with boxing legend Oscar de la Hoya; the docu-reality series features current world champion boxer Leo Santa Cruz, former world champion Abner Mares, and up-and-coming fighter Antonio Orozco. The series, which bowed March 8, airs Sundays at 10 p.m. on Fox Hispanic Media’s Spanish-language broadcast network.
A MundoFox original production, Los Golden Boys is a behind-the-scenes look into the world of championship boxing and the daily struggles that fighters must contend with both in and out of the ring.
“We are extremely excited to welcome Oscar De La Hoya and Mario López to the MundoFox family,” MundoFox president Ibra Morales said. “Los Golden Boys is a riveting look at the lives of these young athletes who are achieving the American Dream with their talent and determination.”
Lopez’s deal with MundoFox follows a March 4 upfront call in which Fuse Media president Bill Hilary announced that Hispanic millennial-targeted NUVOtv — rechristened in 2011 from Si TV — will be folded into the Fuse music network in third-quarter 2015. Si TV Media purchased the 73 million-subscriber music and entertainment channel from the Madison Square Garden Co. for $226 million in April.
As reported by Multichannel News, the new Fuse channel will continue to work with NUVOtv chief creative officer Jennifer López, who will develop an unscripted show for the reborn Fuse.
There was no mention of Mario López, who Nuvo TV signed to a development deal in 2013. Under the deal, NUVOtv green-lighted the second season of the interview series Mario Lopez One-on-One, as well as a new dance competition series with the working title Salsa in the City. He was to also develop three new series for the network, network officials told Multichannel News.
The reimagined Fuse will focus on millennials; Hispanics represent a significant percentage of this age group, thus the network’s insistence that the NUVOtv’s concept isn’t going away.
“We also did a lot of research on NUVO and found that young, Hispanic people do not want to be put in a corner and pigeon-holed, but rather want to be recognized as part of the new America, and that’s what they want to celebrate,” Hilary told Multichannel News.
While NUVOtv’s programming philosophy is expect to take hold at Fuse, the channel is expected to morph into a music-centric offering dubbed “FM.” The target audience will remain multicultural adults aged 18-34.
