Niños Ricos, Pobres Padres

With record ratings (up 32 percent among adults 18 to 49) under its belt this season, Spanish-language broadcast network Telemundo announced a batch of new shows for the 2009-10 season. At the same time, the network is expanding its relationship with Mexican media company Televisa, confirming that it will launch a jointly owned and Telemundo-branded cable network with Televisa in Mexico in August.

New prime-time telenovelas for next season in include Ninos Rico, Pobres Padres about the travails of a teen who finds herself suddenly transported to the elite world of Mexico City’s ruling class. Also picked up is a drug-trafficking saga called The Queen of the South based on the novel of the same name by Arturo Perez-Reverte.

Also on tap for next season is Perro Amor about cousins and lovers who toy with one anothers' lives and loves. Another telenovela, Rosalinda y Primitivo focuses on two half-brothers born under wildly different circumstances. El Clon features star-crossed lovers from the Latin and Moroccan cultures. Victorinos tells the story of three men with the same name born on the same day but with different fates.

Telemundo executives have been talking to advertisers since January about the upcoming new season and program plans and branded entertainment opportunities within the new shows. But as of today, the network had no client deals to announce for the new season. “There is a lot of interest and talks with advertisers are ongoing,” said Mike Rodriguez, svp ad sales for the network. The recession has impacted ad spending levels across most ad sectors and there has been wide spread speculation that upfront dollars could be down double digits. Whether ad budgets for Spanish language TV hold up any better, or not, “is the $64,000 question,” he said.

Telemundo president Don Browne said that the network’s decision several years ago to focus on original programming has helped the company become the No. 2 producer of Spanish-language content in the world behind Televisa, providing it with a robust new after-market revenue stream. The new strategy, coupled with ratings growth and projected growth in the Hispanic population along with comparable gains in spending power within the segment ($900 billion annually now growing to $1.2 trillion by 2012) all make it “a good time to be in the Hispanic television business,” said Browne.

And the cable network that the two companies will launch in Mexico in August will be a 50-50 joint venture but will be branded Telemundo Cable and feature content produced by Telemundo. The venture is part of the expanding relationship between the two companies outside the U.S., where Telemundo competitor Univision has exclusive access to Televisa content. Browne said that the cable venture would help provide future Telemundo product that airs in the U.S. with some built-in recognition by airing in Mexico, just as Televisa programs airing on Univision here receive by airing in Mexico first.

Separately, Telemundo-owned mun2, the cable network targeted to young bilingual Latinos, is unveiling today a new branding campaign (with the tagline “You’re On”) as well as two new programs that will debut in 2010. The new campaign and programs follow word from the network earlier this month that it had surpassed 30 million U.S. household subscribers for the first time.