Telemundo is a leading American Spanish-language television network owned by NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, a division of NBCUniversal (a subsidiary of Comcast). It delivers Spanish-language content across the United States and internationally, with programming distributed to over 100 countries in more than 35 languages. As a major media outlet, Telemundo plays a significant role in shaping Hispanic culture and providing news and entertainment to a vast audience.
On March 28, 1954, WKAQ-TV signed on. It was originally founded by Ángel Ramos.
On April 14, 1983, Ángel Ramos sold WKAQ-TV to John Blair & Co.
In 1984, the network was founded as NetSpan, marking the beginning of the Spanish-language television network before its rebranding.
In 1984, the owners of WNJU and KSTS formed NetSpan, the second Spanish-language television network in the continental United States.
In 1986, Reliance Group Holdings acquired the Telemundo brand when it purchased John Blair & Co.
In 1987, NetSpan was renamed Telemundo, adopting the branding of WKAQ-TV in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
In 1987, Reliance Capital Group executives merged all stations into the Telemundo Group and rebranded NetSpan as Telemundo. Additional stations were purchased in San Francisco, Houston, and San Antonio.
In 1987, Telemundo debuted its first news program, Noticiero Telemundo-HBC, through an outsourcing agreement with the Miami-based Hispanic-American Broadcasting Corporation.
In May 1992, Telemundo underwent a management change, appointing Joaquin Blaya – former Univision president – to head the network.
On October 10, 1993, GEMS Television was originally launched, under the ownership by Empresas 1BC, featuring programs aimed at Latino females.
Between 1988 and 1993, the new network started producing telenovelas from Miami, ending a cycle that started in Puerto Rico in the 1950s.
In 1993, Telemundo underwent an extensive rebranding, introducing the signature framed "T" letter logo and the slogan "Arriba, Telemundo, Arriba". The network also began to produce its own original telenovelas.
In December 1994, Telemundo Puerto Rico originally launched as Telenoticias, a Spanish-language cable news channel originally serving Latin America.
In 1994, parent company Telemundo Group experienced major financial challenges, filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
In September 1995, Telemundo launched a Saturday morning block called Telemundo Infantil.
In 1995, Telemundo opened its first network studio on the West Coast at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood and began daily production of three shows.
In June 1996, the partnership sold Telenoticias to CBS, which rebranded the network as "CBS Telenoticias."
In late 1996, following the sale of its cable news channel Telenoticias to CBS Cable, Telemundo entered into a content partnership with the channel to produce newscasts for the broadcast network.
On August 11, 1997, Telemundo revamped its prime time schedule by cutting an hour of its prime time telenovela lineup and moving local newscasts to 10:00 p.m. (or 9:00, depending on the time zone) against Fox, WB, UPN and independent stations. Movies were also added to the lineup.
On November 25, 1997, Liberty Media and Sony Pictures Entertainment purchased a majority interest in Telemundo from Reliance Capital Group for $539 million.
In 1997, Liberty Media and Sony Pictures Entertainment acquired controlling interest in Telemundo, signifying a shift in ownership and strategic direction.
After the sale received FCC approval on July 31, 1998, Sony and Liberty formed Telemundo Communications Group, a 50/50 joint venture. The network launched an image campaign using the slogan "Lo mejor de los dos Mundos".
On September 15, 1998, Telemundo introduced Nickelodeon en Telemundo, a block featuring Spanish dubs of Nickelodeon programming.
On September 28, 1998, Telemundo's revamped evening lineup premiered, including sitcoms, traditional scripted dramas, and game shows. Telenovelas were removed from prime time. Remakes of English language series were included, such as Angeles and Un Angel en la Casa, and Spanish language versions of The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game, and Candid Camera. The police procedural Reyes y Rey was added. Movies were added in prime time on Tuesday and Thursday nights as part of the showcase "Cinemundo".
By the February 1999 sweeps period, Telemundo's ratings for the overhauled prime time lineup sharply fell by 42 percent, resulting in a loss of more than $1 million in potential revenue.
In July 1999, Jim McNamara was tapped as Telemundo's president and chief executive officer, and Alan Sokol as chief operating officer. Their programming strategy reverted to a more traditional approach to Spanish-language television.
In September 1999, Telemundo began moving its programming and marketing from Santa Monica to Hialeah, Florida, consolidating all network operations at the Hialeah offices. Management staff relocated, while other employees were offered relocation or resignation, resulting in some Santa Monica positions being eliminated.
In 1999, Joe Peyronnin founded Telemundo's news division.
Since 1999, Telemundo has served as the official U.S. broadcaster of the Billboard Latin Music Awards.
On September 5, 2000, the Nickelodeon en Telemundo block was relegated to Saturday and Sunday mornings to accommodate Hoy En El Mundo.
In 2000 Telemundo shifted its late local and national newscasts to the traditional 11:00 (or 10:00) p.m. time slot as part of its Monday through Friday prime time slate.
In 2000, Telemundo Internacional was relaunched as a bilingual entertainment channel.
Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, Telemundo created Hoy en el Mundo on ABC News to inform viewers of national and international events.
On September 30, 2001, the Nickelodeon blocks were discontinued ahead of the expiry of Telemundo's program supply deal with Nickelodeon.
On October 11, 2001, National Broadcasting Company, Inc. purchased Telemundo Communications Group from Sony and Liberty Media for $1.98 billion, increasing to $2.7 billion by the sale's closure, plus the assumption of $700 million in debt. The deal was met with skepticism from some industry experts due to Telemundo's smaller Hispanic audience reach compared to Univision.
In 2001, NBC purchased Telemundo, integrating the network into a larger media conglomerate.
In 2001, Sony, Liberty, and Reliance announced their intention to sell Telemundo Communications Group. Several companies, including Viacom, Hispanic Broadcasting Corporation, The Walt Disney Company, and AOL Time Warner, expressed interest in acquiring the network, with National Broadcasting Company, Inc. later joining the negotiations.
In 2001, Telemundo parents Sony Pictures Entertainment and Liberty Media purchased GEMS and relaunched it as mun2.
On April 12, 2002, the acquisition of Telemundo by National Broadcasting Company, Inc. was finalized. Jim McNamara and Alan Sokol remained in their leadership roles at the network following the completion of the acquisition.
On September 8, 2003, Telemundo became the first Spanish-language network in the United States to add English captions during the premieres of its programs, La Cenicienta and Amor Descarado.
From 2003 to 2014 Telemundo held the Spanish language rights to Miss Universe and Miss USA Pageants.
In 2004, under NBC ownership, Telemundo increased focus on original programming and product placement. Telemundo's owned-and-operated stations began producing local early morning newscasts. The Telemundo "T" logo was updated, and Telemundo Communications Group formed Telemundo Television Studios. The network invested $100 million per year in programming production.
On October 10, 2005, Telemundo replaced Hoy en el Mundo and En la Madrugada with Cada Dia with Maria Antonieta.
In 2005, NBC Universal considered launching a Mexican version of Telemundo. This consideration led to a legal dispute with TV Azteca over allegations of interfering with the production of Telemundo's reality show Quinceañera: Mamá Quiero Ser Artista in Mexico, and a news story accusing General Electric and Grupo Casa Saba of fraud.
In 2005, Telemundo ceased importing telenovelas from Latin America and started producing its own, partnering with RTI Colombia and Argos Comunicación. The network hired actors from various countries and began hiring American-born Hispanic actors. Jim McNamara retired as CEO and was replaced by Don Browne.
On September 9, 2006, Telemundo debuted Qubo, a weekend morning block of educational programming formed as a joint venture between NBC Universal, Ion Media Networks, Corus Entertainment, Scholastic, and Classic Media.
In September 2006, Univision surpassed UPN and The WB (which then shut down and were replaced by The CW) to become the fifth highest-rated network in total viewership.
In 2006, Joe Peyronnin leaves his position as executive vice president of Telemundo's news division.
In 2006, the channel was reformatted as Telemundo Puerto Rico, becoming a national superstation feed of San Juan O&O WKAQ-TV.
On January 8, 2007, when Qubo spun off into a standalone 24-hour channel, the network utilized the CC3 channel to provide Spanish subtitles for certain programs with Spanish audio tracks.
In March 2007, NBC Universal announced a restructuring of Telemundo's entertainment division to compete with Univision's ratings dominance. The company also intended to sell WKAQ-TV in Puerto Rico and KWHY-TV in Los Angeles to finance the acquisition of Oxygen Media.
On December 21, 2007, NBC Universal announced that it would no longer seek a buyer for WKAQ-TV. Telemundo Puerto Rico would remain within the NBC corporate umbrella.
In 2007, Telemundo replaced the weekend editions of Al Rojo Vivo and Noticiero Telemundo with feature films and reality-based series.
On March 18, 2008, Grupo Televisa and NBC Universal announced a ten-year multiplatform agreement. This agreement allowed 1,000 hours of Telemundo programming, including news, entertainment, specials, and sports, to be broadcast over Televisa's free-to-air channels and SKY México starting in April.
In May 2008, Telemundo canceled Cada Dia after Maria Antonieta Collins announced she would leave the network.
On October 14, 2008, Telemundo briefly discontinued English subtitles due to budget cuts by NBC Universal and the network's transition from analog to digital broadcasts. The network also cited the need to focus on its core Spanish-speaking audience.
On March 30, 2009, Telemundo reversed its decision and reintroduced English subtitles on all prime time novelas after viewers demanded their return.
On April 23, 2009, Telemundo launched Telemundo HD, providing its prime time programming in high definition, beginning with the Billboard Latin Music Awards.
In August 2009, the Mexican cable-satellite version of the Telemundo channel launched as a joint venture between Grupo Televisa and NBC Universal.
In September 2009, Telemundo's scripted prime time telenovelas began upgrading to HD, starting with Mas Sabe El Diablo ("Falling Angel").
Since 2009, Telemundo's archived programs that were made prior to 2009 are originally produced in 4:3 standard definition.
Between 2010 and 2015, Telemundo reduced its ratings gap with Univision in the Adults 18–49 demographic by 54 percent. Telemundo even outperformed Univision on four nights during the 2014–2015 television season when airing sports events and specials.
From 2010 to 2013, Telemundo utilized an off-time scheduling format for its prime time programming, starting programs on a three-minute delay. This was discontinued when conventional start times were restored.
In 2010, Comcast announced its plans to acquire a 51 percent majority stake in NBC Universal for $6.5 billion. This deal would include control of Telemundo.
On January 28, 2011, Comcast completed its acquisition of a 51 percent majority stake in NBC Universal, gaining control of Telemundo as part of the deal.
In February 2011, Un Nuevo Día relocated its production operations to Telemundo's headquarters in Hialeah, Florida.
In October 2011, Emilio Romano was appointed as the president of Telemundo.
During 2011, 85 percent of the network's telenovelas were recorded at the operated studio facility in Miami.
In 2011, Telemundo discontinued its secondary newscast, Noticiero Telemundo Internacional.
In January 2012, Telemundo Television Group originally launched TeleXitos as Exitos TV, featuring reruns of Telemundo telenovelas.
On January 30, 2012, Univision began airing CC3 English captions on its evening programming, primarily its weeknight telenovelas, and select weekend prime time series.
On May 14, 2012, Telemundo announced a new branding campaign, including a new slogan and on-air identity. The network introduced a new logo featuring two partial red spheres forming the letter "T".
On July 7, 2012, Telemundo replaced Qubo with MiTelemundo, programmed by Sprout, featuring Spanish dubbed versions of programs seen on NBC Kids.
In July 2012, ¡Levántate! was retitled to Un Nuevo Día.
Since July 2012, the weekend morning MiTelemundo E/I block has been broadcast in HD.
In 2012, Telemundo debuted Premios Tu Mundo, an awards show honoring the achievements of Hispanics and Latinos in media.
In 2012, Telemundo started including English-language captions in repeat broadcasts airing outside of prime time or as part of the network's late-night novela repeat block.
As of July 2013, Telemundo's schedule does not incorporate situation comedies, variety shows, a common format in Spanish language television in the U.S. and other countries, have had a limited presence on Telemundo's lineup in recent years; with La Voz Kids being the only such show appearing on the network.
In July 2013, Telemundo significantly narrowed its total prime time viewership gap with Univision to 1.2 million viewers.
In October 2013, Emilio Romano abruptly resigned from his position as president of Telemundo.
On October 22, 2013, Telemundo launched "Telemundo Now", a multi-platform streaming service for delayed viewing of programming.
On December 13, 2013 Telemundo signed a distribution deal making cataloged episodes of past telenovelas available on DramaFever.
From 2010 to 2013, Telemundo utilized an off-time scheduling format for its prime time programming, starting programs on a three-minute delay. This was discontinued in 2013 when conventional start times were restored.
In 2013, Telemundo gained momentum with telenovelas like La Patrona and El Señor de los Cielos, along with the musical competition series La Voz Kids. With El Señor de los Cielos, Telemundo launched the "Super Series" format, featuring action-oriented telenovelas with multiple-season continuity.
On May 13, 2014, Luis Silberwasser was appointed as the president of Telemundo Network, LLC, assuming overall responsibilities for the Telemundo network and Telemundo Studios production division.
In July 2014, Telemundo signed a licensing agreement with Dick Clark Productions to become the originating broadcaster of the Latin American Music Awards.
On September 4, 2014, Telemundo restored the Saturday and Sunday editions of Al Rojo Vivo and Noticiero Telemundo, returning them to a daily broadcast schedule.
On December 1, 2014, TeleXitos was relaunched with a focus on Spanish-dubbed action and adventure series and feature films.
On December 24, 2014, NBCUniversal announced that mun2 would be rebranded as NBC Universo, shifting it under the NBC umbrella.
From 2003 to 2014 Telemundo held the Spanish language rights to Miss Universe and Miss USA Pageants.
In 2014, Deportes Telemundo acquired the Spanish language rights to broadcast the FIFA Men's and Women's World Cup for a reported $600 million.
In 2014, the second-season finale of El Señor de los Cielos achieved some of Telemundo's highest viewership for an entertainment program, drawing 3.2 million total viewers.
Telemundo concluded the 2014-2015 season with its highest average total prime time viewership against Univision, reaching 1.46 million, a 23% increase year-over-year, though still behind Univision's 2.29 million.
On February 1, 2015, mun2 rebranded as NBC Universo, coinciding with its Spanish-language broadcast of Super Bowl XLIX.
In February 2015, Univision Communications acquired the Spanish language rights to the Miss Universe and Miss USA pageants from Telemundo.
In May 2015, NBCUniversal created Telemundo Deportes within its NBC Sports Group, superseding Deportes Telemundo.
In July 2015, Telemundo narrowed its total prime time viewership differential with Univision to 238,000 viewers.
On July 21, 2015, Telemundo outperformed Univision in a singular-night demographic, averaging 969,000 viewers in the Adults 18–49 demographic. El Senor de los Cielos 3 also beat Univision's Yo No Creo En los Hombres in the same demographic during the 10:00 p.m. hour.
In September 2015, Donald Trump sold the Miss Universe Organization to WME-IMG after NBCUniversal sold its interest.
In October 2015, Telemundo became the originating broadcaster of the Latin American Music Awards.
As of 2015, Telemundo operates on a 147½-hour network programming schedule. The base programming feed includes general entertainment weekdays and weekends, with a children's programming block called MiTelemundo on Saturday mornings.
In 2015, Telemundo debuted two new variety series: Si Se Puede, an adaptation of the I Can Do That franchise, and ¡Qué Noche! con Angelica y Raul, a family-oriented series created to fill the void left by the cancellation of Univision's Sabado Gigante.
In 2015, the deal to broadcast FIFA tournaments, which was signed in 2014, began with the 2015 Women's World Cup.
On February 9, 2016, SAG-AFTRA claimed that NBC Universal, Telemundo's parent company, had a double standard between its Spanish-language and English-language talent at NBC and Telemundo.
On February 13, 2016, SAG-AFTRA added that Telemundo had been treating its employees like "second-class professionals" due to a lack of workplace guarantees such as fair pay and health insurance.
On May 28, 2016, Telemundo was accused of filming a staged #NeverTrump protest in San Diego, leading to demands for apology and crew dismissal.
In August 2016, Telemundo refused to air an ad placed by SAG-AFTRA detailing the unfair wage gap and lack of benefits Telemundo employees faced, during Premios Tu Mundo.
On September 25, 2016, despite NBC Kids being replaced with Litton Entertainment's The More You Know block on NBC, MiTelemundo initially retained its existing programming.
On January 6, 2018, MiTelemundo moved exclusively to Saturday mornings and became programmed by Litton Entertainment, carrying Spanish dubs of programming from The More You Know.
As of June 2018, Telemundo had 28 owned-and-operated stations and agreements with 66 additional stations, reaching 57.23 percent of U.S. households.
On July 12, 2018, SAG-AFTRA announced it had reached a first-ever tentative agreement with Telemundo Television Studios covering Spanish-language television performers, after fifteen months of negotiations.
On September 1, 2018, Telemundo converted its presentation to a 16:9 presentation, with Al Rojo Vivo being the first program presented in this format.
In 2018, the ZGS Communications, which was the largest operator of Telemundo stations in terms of overall market reach, was purchased by NBC's Telemundo Stations Group, becoming direct O&Os of the network.
As of July 2019, Telemundo's network feed originates from NBCUniversal's corporate office in Centennial, CO, a technical operations facility shared with Comcast.
In 2021, The agreement was renewed including an increase in overnight rest periods, tackling sexual harassment and audition safety.
The deal to broadcast FIFA tournaments which was signed in 2014 ends in 2026.
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