For the first time ever, Univision placed higher in the Nielsen TV ratings for the February sweeps period than the one-time No. 1 network, NBC.
“Univision continues to set new milestones while our English-language competitors continue to see declines,” says Randy Falco, President and CEO of Univision Communications.
Univision’s rating success parallels a long-predicted increase of Latino population in the U.S., which might have been a factor for the network’s solid following.
NBC fell to fifth place, while Univision, which placed fourth, boosted its sweeps in part thanks to prime-time telenovelas such as “Por Ella Soy Eva,” “Amores Verdaderos” and “Amor Bravio”. Adding to its prime-time programming, Univision aired two specials on singer Jenni Rivera, who died in a plane crash in December. Popular Spanish-language TV personality Don Francisco hosted one of the specials, which included interviews with Rivera’s family.
Sweeps are measured three times a year — in February, April, May and November — for four-week periods each year.
NBC landed the No. 1 spot last November with an average rating of 2.8 among adults 18 to 49 years old. Key to NBC’s November success was its prime-time lineup, including Sunday Night Football, The Voice, Revolution, and Go On.
This is in sharp contrast with NBC’s February 1.2 rating in the same category. The network had high hopes on the second season of Smash, the debut of the scripted series Do No Harm, and the White House comedy 1600 Penn, all of which lacked the expected audience support.
Univision averaged a 1.5 rating and bested NBC most nights of the sweep. The Doral-based network had in the past ranked higher than the Big Three television networks — ABC, CBS and NBC. In July 2010 and 2012, it ranked higher than CBS, but this is the first time it has come in fourth in an in-season sweep.
“We look forward to continuing this momentum and to providing viewers across the country with the content they crave each and every day,” says Falco.
[…] effort to push for more outreach to Latino audiences is due to the increase of popularity with Spanish-speaking networks, like Univision. And with Latinos making a huge impact […]