Telemundo has partnered with AT&T on a 13-week sponsored-content project designed to encourage viewers of its 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. telenovelas to chime in on each show’s plot lines and characters during commercial breaks via a dedicated social-media website.
The “digital and on-air variety show” — dubbed AT&T Presenta Suelta la Sopa Novelas — will air in commercial pods during Los Miserables at 8 p.m. and Therra de Reyes at 9 p.m.
Venezuelan presenter Erika De la Vega (Yo Soy el Artista) and Miss Venezuela 2008 Alessandra Villegas (Un Nuevo Dia) will host the AT&T-sponsored vignettes, which began airing Feb. 20 and will continue on Friday nights in the two-hour period through May 22.
Suelta la Sopa will encourage fan interaction during breaks by posing a new question each hour and urging fans to take part at sueltalasopa.com/juega, rather than via Twitter, Facebook or another outside social-media platform. Poll results will be featured in content capsules airing throughout the evening on Telemundo.
“Based on the insight that Telemundo viewers love to take part in live, shared experiences with our original storytelling, AT&T Presenta Suelta la Sopa Novelas is a unique real-time marketing opportunity for AT&T,” Mike Rosen, executive vice president of advertising sales at NBCUniversal Hispanic Group, said. “Developed collaboratively with the innovative marketers at AT&T, this custom initiative offers our viewers the chance to interact live with the network and each other.”
In addition to the Friday offerings, a Suelta La Sopa Novelas weekend wrap-up vignette will also be viewable at sueltalasopa.com/novelas.
An AT&T-branded Suelta la Sopa set was created for the sponsored content.
“We’re excited about this opportunity to collaborate with Telemundo in the development of this first-of-its-kind digital primetime viewing experience around the novela programming our consumers are most passionate about,” Jennifer Jones, vice president of diverse markets for AT&T Mobility, said. “Now, not only does our network make it possible for viewers to stay connected with the entertainment they love, it also offers a whole new multiscreen, real-time viewing experience for their enjoyment.”
Telemundo said it hopes the interactive experience will encourage live viewing and build on its loyal fan base by offering a unique way to engage with its most popular programming.
Ratings for Telemundo’s 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. telenovelas currently lag far behind those for programs on chief rival Univision. According to Nielsen data for the week ending March 8, Los Miserables averaged a 5.6 rating across its primetime broadcasts among all viewers 2-plus in the 8 p.m. hour. By comparison, Univision’s Mi Corazon Es Tuyo scored a 14.2 with viewers 2-plus and was the week’s No. 1 Spanish-language primetime program on broadcast TV.
Tierra de Reyes tallied a 5.3 rating at 9 p.m., while Univision timeslot competitor Hasta el fin del Mundo generated a 13.2 rating, No. 2 for the week among all Spanish-language primetime broadcast-TV shows.
