Telemundo facts for kids
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| Type | Free-to-air television network |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Affiliates |
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| Headquarters | Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | Spanish |
| Picture format | 1080i HDTV (re-scaled to 16:9 1080i for some affiliated channels) |
| Timeshift service |
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| Ownership | |
| Owner | NBCUniversal (Comcast) |
| Parent | NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises |
| Key people |
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| Sister channels |
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| History | |
| Founded | 1984 |
| Launched | June 19, 1984 |
| Former names | NetSpan (1984–1987) |
Telemundo is a major American TV network that broadcasts in Spanish. It is owned by NBCUniversal, which is part of Comcast. Telemundo creates and shares TV shows and content across the United States and in over 100 other countries.
The network started in 1984 as NetSpan. It changed its name to Telemundo in 1987. This new name came from a TV station in San Juan, Puerto Rico, called WKAQ-TV, which was already known as Telemundo. In 2001, NBC bought Telemundo.
Telemundo creates shows for Latin American audiences. These shows include telenovelas (Spanish soap operas), sports events, reality television shows, news programs, and movies. Telemundo also runs other channels like Universo, which is for younger Hispanic viewers. Telemundo's main office and production studios are in Miami, Florida.
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| 1912 | Universal Pictures is founded |
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| 1926 | NBC is founded |
| 1928 | Walter Lantz Productions is established |
| 1943 | MCA Inc. establishes Revue Studios (later Universal Television) |
| 1953 | NBC begins first compatible color broadcasts, preceding other networks by nine years |
| 1956 | NBC's first peacock logo debuts |
| 1963 | American Cable Systems is founded |
| 1964 | Universal Studios Hollywood opens |
| 1967 | NBC broadcasts the first Super Bowl |
| 1968 | American Cable Systems rebrands to Comcast |
| 1972 | Comcast began trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) |
| 1975 | Universal releases Jaws |
| 1980 | PolyGram renames Casablanca Record & Filmworks to PolyGram Pictures MCA Videocassette‚ Inc. (Later Universal Pictures Home Entertainment is established |
| 1982 | Universal releases E.T. The Extra Terrestrial |
| 1984 | Walter Lantz Productions' assets are sold to Universal Telemundo is founded |
| 1985 | Universal releases Back to the Future |
| 1986 | General Electric buys RCA for $6.4 billion, including NBC and a stake in A&E |
| 1989 | NBC relaunches Tempo Television as CNBC |
| 1990 | Universal Studios Florida opens Law & Order premieres on NBC Sky Television and British Satellite Broadcasting merge to form British Sky Broadcasting Universal Cartoon Studios (later Universal Animation Studios) is established |
| 1993 | Universal releases Jurassic Park |
| 1994 | DreamWorks Animation is founded |
| 1996 | NBC and Microsoft replace America's Talking with MSNBC |
| 1997 | Barry Diller purchases Universal's domestic television assets |
| 1998 | Seagram acquires PolyGram Filmed Entertainment Universal Television is renamed Studios USA Television |
| 1999 | PolyGram Filmed Entertainment is folded into Universal Pictures Universal Studios Florida expands to become Universal Orlando Resort Law & Order: Special Victims Unit premieres on NBC |
| 2001 | Grand opening of Universal Studios Japan Universal releases The Fast and the Furious Vivendi purchases Studios USA |
| 2002 | NBC acquires Telemundo and Bravo Studios USA assets are folded into Universal Focus Features is formed Comcast acquires AT&T Broadband for $44.5 billion |
| 2003 | Universal becomes the first studio with five summer releases breaking the $100 million mark |
| 2004 | GE and Vivendi merge NBC and Universal into NBCUniversal |
| 2005 | The Office premieres on NBC Comcast sets up a joint-venture with PBS, Sesame Workshop & HIT Entertainment to form PBS Kids Sprout Comcast & Time Warner Cable jointly acquire Adelphia Cable assets for $17.6 billion |
| 2006 | USA Network begins 13-year streak as #1 cable network in total viewers |
| 2007 | Illumination is founded |
| 2010 | Universal releases Illumination's first film Despicable Me |
| 2011 | Vivendi divested in NBCU; Comcast buys 51% of NBCU from GE, turning it into a limited liability company NBCUniversal Archives is founded |
| 2012 | Universal celebrates its 100th anniversary NBCUniversal divests its A&E Networks minority stake |
| 2013 | Comcast buys GE's remaining 49% of NBCU Comcast/NBCU assumes full ownership of Sprout |
| 2014 | Comcast attempts to acquire Time Warner Cable for $45.2 billion NBCUniversal reaches a new long-term deal with WWE |
| 2016 | NBCU acquires DreamWorks Animation |
| 2017 | Sprout relaunches as Universal Kids |
| 2018 | Comcast acquires Sky after a heated bidding war with 21st Century Fox |
| 2019 | NBCU acquires Cineo Lighting |
| 2020 | NBCU launches Peacock |
| 2021 | Grand opening of Universal Beijing Resort |
| 2023 | The Super Mario Bros. Movie becomes Illumination's highest-grossing film |
Contents
Telemundo's Journey: How It Grew
Originally, this TV network was called NetSpan when it started in 1984. It became Telemundo in 1987. This happened after the network's owners bought a TV station in San Juan, Puerto Rico, called WKAQ-TV, which already used the name "Telemundo." WKAQ-TV first went on air on March 28, 1954. It was started by Ángel Ramos, who owned a big newspaper and a radio station in Puerto Rico. He wanted all his media businesses to have names related to "mundo" (which means "world" in Spanish). So, he named his TV station "Telemundo," meaning "Teleworld" or "World TV."
Starting as NetSpan (1984–1987)
In 1984, the owners of two TV stations, WNJU in New Jersey (serving New York City) and KSTS in California, created NetSpan. This was the second Spanish-language TV network in the United States. Another station, KVEA in Los Angeles, joined them in 1985. The company that partly owned KVEA later bought the "Telemundo" name when they purchased the company that owned WKAQ-TV in Puerto Rico and WSCV in Miami. In 1987, all these stations were combined to form the Telemundo Group. Soon after, NetSpan was renamed Telemundo.
Becoming Telemundo (1988–1997)
Between 1988 and 1993, Telemundo grew by adding or partnering with TV stations in places like Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Washington, D.C.. The network began making its own telenovelas in Miami. The first one was Angélica, mi vida, which was about three families from different Latin American backgrounds. This was the first time such a show was made in the U.S. for the network.
In 1992, Joaquin Blaya, who used to be the president of Univision, took over Telemundo. He wanted to make more local shows. In 1993, Telemundo changed its look and introduced its famous "T" logo. They also started a new slogan, "Arriba, Telemundo, Arriba" ("Upwards, Telemundo, Upwards"). More original telenovelas like Marielena and Guadalupe were produced, and other countries wanted to show them too.
To get more viewers and address concerns about their shows not connecting enough with American Latinos, Telemundo decided to make more programs in the U.S. In 1995, they opened their first studio on the West Coast in Hollywood. Here, they started producing daily shows like La Hora Lunática (a talk-variety show) and El y Ella (a talk show about gender issues).
In 1997, Telemundo changed its evening schedule. They cut an hour of telenovelas and moved local news to an earlier time. They also started showing movies during prime time on some nights.
Liberty Media and Sony Pictures Join (1997–2001)
On November 25, 1997, Liberty Media and Sony Pictures Entertainment bought most of Telemundo. They wanted to attract viewers who spoke both Spanish and English. Telemundo launched a new campaign with the slogan "Lo mejor de los dos Mundos" ("The Best of Both Worlds").
The new team tried to change Telemundo's shows to attract a younger audience. They even removed telenovelas from their main evening schedule for a while in 1998, replacing them with sitcoms and game shows. Many of these were Spanish versions of popular American shows like Charlie's Angels and Who's the Boss?. However, these changes did not work well, and Telemundo's viewership dropped.
After these changes didn't succeed, Telemundo brought in new leaders, Jim McNamara and Alan Sokol, in 1999. They went back to a more traditional Spanish-language TV approach. They made a deal with TV Azteca to show their telenovelas and brought back a block of telenovelas to their evening schedule. They also added reality shows and news programs.
During this time, Telemundo launched popular shows like Laura en América (a talk show) and the telenovela Yo Soy Betty, La Fea ("Ugly Betty"). They also started Protagonistas ("Protagonists"), a reality show where aspiring actors lived together to win a role in a telenovela.
NBC Takes Over (2001–2009)
In 2001, NBC bought Telemundo. This was a big deal, and some experts thought NBC paid too much. But under NBC, Telemundo focused more on making its own original shows. They also updated their "T" logo. Telemundo started producing its own dramas instead of just buying them from other Latin American countries. They hired famous actors from Mexico, Colombia, and other countries, and later, American-born Hispanic actors who spoke Spanish.
In 2005, Don Browne became the new CEO of Telemundo. In 2007, NBC Universal planned to change Telemundo's entertainment section. They also thought about selling the original Telemundo station in Puerto Rico, WKAQ-TV, but later decided to keep it.
Becoming Part of Comcast (2011–Present)
In 2010, Comcast announced it would buy most of NBC Universal, and this deal was finished in 2011. This meant Telemundo became part of Comcast.
On May 14, 2012, Telemundo launched a new look and a new logo. The new logo had two red shapes forming a "T," representing the "two worlds" that Latino Americans live in (their Latin roots and their life in the U.S.). Telemundo had great success in 2012 with shows like Rosa Diamante and Pablo Escobar. They even launched a "social novela" called Secreteando on Facebook.
Over the years, many popular TV personalities moved from other Spanish-language networks to Telemundo, including news anchors and sports commentators. This helped Telemundo become more competitive.
In 2013, shows like La Patrona and El Señor de los Cielos were very popular. Telemundo also launched La Voz Kids ("The Voice Kids"), a singing competition for children. With El Señor de los Cielos, Telemundo started a new "Super Series" format. These are action-packed telenovelas that are like English-language drama series, with shorter seasons and stories that relate more to American audiences.
These new shows helped Telemundo close the gap in viewership with its main competitor, Univision. By 2015, Telemundo was much closer in ratings, especially among younger adult viewers. On July 21, 2015, Telemundo even beat Univision in viewership for one night among a key age group.
Telemundo's TV Shows
Telemundo broadcasts many hours of programming each week. On weekdays, it shows general entertainment from early morning until late night. On Saturdays, it has a children's programming block called MiTelemundo, which includes educational shows. The rest of the time, the network shows movies or infomercials.
While Telemundo provides a main schedule, many local stations also create their own shows. These are usually local news programs or public affairs shows. Most Telemundo stations show local news in the early and late evenings on weekdays.
Most of Telemundo's shows are new telenovelas and series made by its own production company, Telemundo Studios. However, some shows come from other companies. Telemundo's schedule doesn't usually include sitcoms, but they have had some in the past. Variety shows, which are common on Spanish-language TV, have been less frequent recently, though La Voz Kids is an example. In 2015, two new variety shows, Si Se Puede and ¡Qué Noche! con Angelica y Raul, also debuted.
On weekdays, daytime programming includes reruns of old Telemundo telenovelas and acquired shows. Afternoon shows feature newsmagazine, reality, and court series like Caso Cerrado ("Case Closed"). Telemundo also often airs Spanish-dubbed English-language movies, especially on weekends and holidays. They also show Spanish films from Latin American countries, usually late at night.
English Subtitles for Shows
Telemundo offers English subtitles for many of its shows, especially during prime time on weekdays. These subtitles are available through closed captioning. Telemundo creates these translations itself. The goal is to attract Hispanic viewers who might not be fluent in Spanish, as well as other non-Spanish speakers. Shows with English captions have a special symbol on screen at the beginning, showing which caption channels offer Spanish or English subtitles.
Telemundo was the first Spanish-language network in the U.S. to offer English captions, starting in 2003. This helped them gain a small group of loyal English-speaking fans. The subtitles were briefly stopped in 2008 due to budget cuts, but they were brought back in 2009 because viewers wanted them.
Programs that have English captions during their first broadcast usually have them for repeats too. Most shows with English captions are telenovelas, but some other shows like the court program Caso Cerrado also have them. Other networks in the U.S., like Univision and Azteca, have also started offering English captions for some of their programs.
News Programs on Telemundo
Telemundo has its own news division called Noticias Telemundo ("Telemundo News"). This division produces a main evening newscast called Noticiero Telemundo, which airs daily. They also create a morning news and lifestyle show called Un Nuevo Día ("A New Day"), and a late afternoon newsmagazine called Al Rojo Vivo con Maria Celeste. There's also a Sunday morning talk show called Enfoque ("In Focus").
The news division started in 1987 with a program called Noticiero Telemundo-HBC. Later, Telemundo partnered with CNN to produce its news. After 2001, following the September 11 attacks, Telemundo created more news programs to keep viewers informed about national and international events.
Sports on Telemundo
Telemundo also has a sports division called Telemundo Deportes. This division creates sports content for Telemundo and Universo. They show soccer matches from Liga MX and Olympic qualifying games. Through a partnership with NBC Sports, Telemundo also has the Spanish-language rights to the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. They also broadcast Spanish play-by-play for Premier League soccer and the NFL game "Sunday Night Football". Telemundo also has a weekly late-night boxing series called Boxeo Telemundo.
In 2014, Telemundo Deportes won the rights to broadcast the FIFA Men's and Women's World Cup in Spanish until 2026. This deal also includes other FIFA tournaments.
The division also produces three weekly sports talk and magazine shows for Telemundo: Titulares Telemundo ("Telemundo Headlines"), Ritmo Deportivo ("Rhythm Sports"), and the late-night sports talk show Titulares y Mas ("Headlines and More").
Children's Shows on Telemundo
For most of its history, Telemundo's children's programming has included animated and live-action shows from American and international producers. These often include Spanish-dubbed versions of shows originally made in other languages.
In September 1995, Telemundo launched a Saturday morning block called Telemundo Infantil ("Telemundo Kids"). In 1998, they introduced Nickelodeon en Telemundo, which showed Spanish versions of Nickelodeon programs. This block ran on weekday mornings and then on weekends until 2001. It was replaced by Telemundo Kids, which had a mix of shows from different companies.
In 2006, Telemundo launched Qubo, a new weekend morning block of educational shows. This was a joint project with other companies. Qubo showed Spanish-dubbed versions of programs that also aired on NBC.
On July 7, 2012, after Comcast bought NBC Universal, the Qubo block was replaced by MiTelemundo. This block showed Spanish versions of programs from NBC's Saturday morning block, NBC Kids. Since January 2018, MiTelemundo has aired only on Saturday mornings and now features Spanish versions of shows from "The More You Know" block.
Special Events on Telemundo
Telemundo broadcasts several annual special events and awards shows. From 2003 to 2014, they had the Spanish-language rights to the Miss Universe and Miss USA pageants.
Since 1999, Telemundo has been the official U.S. broadcaster of the Billboard Latin Music Awards. These awards honor Latin music artists and are chosen by viewer votes. In 2012, Telemundo also started the Premios Tu Mundo ("Your World Awards"). This show lets viewers vote for their favorite Hispanic and Latino achievements in TV, film, music, fashion, and sports.
In October 2015, Telemundo also became the main broadcaster for the Latin American Music Awards, a Latin music version of the American Music Awards.
Telemundo Stations Across the U.S.
As of June 2018, Telemundo owns and operates 28 TV stations. It also has agreements with 66 other TV stations across 50 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. This makes Telemundo the largest Spanish-language TV network in the U.S. by the number of stations it reaches. Telemundo's signal reaches about 57% of all homes in the United States that have a TV.
While Telemundo might not have over-the-air stations in some big cities with many Hispanic residents, it does have stations in other areas where Univision doesn't. In some places, Telemundo partners with low-power stations or broadcasts on a subchannel of a full-power TV station. In other parts of the U.S., Telemundo provides a national cable network feed directly to cable and satellite providers. This is for areas that don't have a local Telemundo station.
Other Telemundo Services
Current Sister Channels
Universo
Universo is a TV network for Latinos aged 18 to 49. It shows a mix of sports, scripted series, reality shows, and music programs. It started in 1993 as GEMS Television, focusing on shows for Latina women. In 2001, Telemundo's owners bought GEMS and relaunched it as mun2. This channel had a mix of Spanish and English programs. On February 1, 2015, mun2 was rebranded as NBC Universo, becoming part of the NBC family.
Telemundo Puerto Rico
Telemundo Puerto Rico is a digital cable and satellite network. It started in 1994 as Telenoticias, a Spanish-language news channel for Latin America. After some ownership changes, it became Telemundo Internacional in 2000. In 2006, the channel changed again to Telemundo Puerto Rico, becoming a national channel that broadcasts content from the San Juan station WKAQ-TV.
TeleXitos
TeleXitos is a digital TV channel that started in 2012 as Exitos TV. Back then, it mainly showed reruns of telenovelas that had aired on Telemundo. On December 1, 2014, it changed its name to TeleXitos. It now focuses on Spanish-dubbed reruns of action and adventure series, as well as movies from the NBCUniversal library.
Video-on-Demand Services
Telemundo offers several ways to watch its shows later. These include its TV Everywhere service called Telemundo Now, a traditional video-on-demand (VOD) service, and through streaming services like Hulu and iTunes. If you have Xfinity, you can also watch Telemundo shows on Xfinity on Demand. Old telenovelas are also available on DramaFever, a streaming service.
Telemundo Now
On October 22, 2013, Telemundo launched "Telemundo Now." This service lets you stream full episodes of recent shows and specials on its website or through a mobile app on smartphones and tablet computers. You need to be a subscriber to a participating TV provider (like Comcast or DirecTV) to access these shows. The service also has features like "Mi Lista," where you can save your favorite shows and easily pick up where you left off.
Telemundo HD (High Definition)
Telemundo broadcasts its main signal in 1080i high definition. This is the standard high-definition format for NBCUniversal's TV channels. Some Telemundo stations broadcast in 720p HD, while others still use standard definition (480i) if they haven't updated their equipment.
As of July 2019, Telemundo's network signal comes from NBCUniversal's office in Centennial, CO. Telemundo uses three satellite facilities to send its signal across the country.
Telemundo was the first national Spanish-language broadcaster in the U.S. to offer its prime time shows in high definition. This started on April 23, 2009, with the Billboard Latin Music Awards. Telemundo's owned-and-operated stations in nine major cities were the first to broadcast in HD. The network's scripted prime time telenovelas, like Mas Sabe El Diablo, started airing in HD in September 2009.
Since 2012, almost all of Telemundo's new entertainment and sports shows, as well as specials, are shown in HD. The weekend morning MiTelemundo block has also been in HD since it started in July 2012. Since September 1, 2018, Telemundo has been broadcasting in a wider 16:9 format.
Telemundo Around the World
Mexico
Telemundo shows are available in Mexico, especially in areas close to the Mexico–United States border. This is because the signals from U.S. stations near the border can be easily received in northern Mexico.
In 2008, Televisa and NBC Universal made a deal to broadcast 1,000 hours of Telemundo shows in Mexico. This included news, entertainment, specials, and sports. The shows aired on Televisa's free channels and its cable provider, SKY México. This deal also led to the launch of a Telemundo channel in Mexico in August 2009.
More to Explore
- Univision
- List of Spanish-language television networks in the United States
- List of United States television networks
