Univision will finish the 2010-11 TV season as the fastest-growing broadcast network among persons 18 to 49.
The Spanish-language media leader, lifted by novelas, reality series and awards shws, has averaged 1.9 million persons 18 to 49 in primetime this season, which ends officially on May 26, according to Nielsen data. That was up 8% from the 2009-10 season.
All of the other broadcast networks lost viewers in the group advertisers covet most during the recently completed season, said Univision officials, as ABC (-9%), CBS (-8%), Fox (-4%), NBC (14%) and CW (-5%) were down with this key demo group.
Univision ranked as the top network on Friday nights among persons 18 to 34 and persons 12 to 34 during primetime for the fourth consecutive broadcast season, with 96% of its primetime viewers watching live, according to network officials.
Univision's ratings strength came in large measure from its novelas. Soy Tue Duena (Women of Steel) became the most watched Spanish-language novela in U.S. television history, ending its run on Dec. 27, 2010, with a reach of 9 million viewers (Hispanic and non-Hispanics).
In addition, the two-hour broadcast of the finale of Eva Luna, Univision Studios' first novela production, in collaboration with Venevision, on April 11, delivered 9.1 million viewers 2+ to rank among the top 10 novela finales of all-time on the Univision among viewers and persons 18 to 49.
Univision's award shows also beat out several English-Language award shows. The 11th Annual Latin Grammy Awards delivered a record 6.2 million total viewers making it the No. 1 network in all of TV among all persons 18-34 and persons 12-34 that night. The awards special averaged more Hispanic 18-to-49 and 18-to-34 viewers than the combined audiences of the latest editions of the Oscars, Golden Globe Awards and the Primetime Emmys, according to Univision officials.
"Univision's programming strategy continues to deliver higher audience levels in primetime, further establishing the popularity of our content and boosting our competitiveness vs. ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox," said Cesar Conde, president of Univision Networks, in a statement."We look forward to continued momentum this summer as we present more exclusive content and first-run programming."
