• by Fern Siegel , October 1, 2019

Telemundo is challenging Univision’s U.S. dominance in the 2018-2019 season.

The Comcast-owned network says it is headed for first place in weekday prime-time among the key adult 18-49 demo, as well as adults 18-34, according to Nielsen. That slots Telemundo as the No. 5 network in prime, alongside NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox.

Streaming on the Telemundo app also soared. It’s up 130% from last year, propelled by two shows: “La Reina del Sur” and “Betty en NY.”

(“La Reina del Sur” is the top-performing Hispanic series on VOD, while “Betty” generated more than 3 billion engagements cross-platform, according to Telemundo.)

Cesar Conde, chairman of Comcast's NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises and International Group, told Investor’s Business Daily the findings speak to “the emerging influence that Hispanic-Americans are having here in the U.S.” The Census Bureau recorded more than 58.9 million Hispanics living in the U.S. in 2017, with buying power of nearly $2 trillion, per Statista.

Although Comcast doesn't break out numbers for Telemundo, Kagan, a media research arm of S&P Global Market Intelligence, does. It notes Telemundo's net operating revenue almost doubled from 2013 to 2018, from $450 million to $870 million.

Credit Conde’s long-term strategies for improving performance.

IBD says Conde achieved success in two ways. First, he invested in the TV network, including $600 million to secure Spanish-language U.S. broadcast rights for FIFA World Cup soccer games through 2026. He also pushed for better news and entertainment programs, especially shorter original series that would reach millennials, given that the average age for U.S. Hispanics is 26.

"Part of the pivot," Conde told IBD, "was to create the same kind of content audiences are getting on English-language networks, only in a culturally relevant way."

NBCU Telemundo Enterprise comprises Telemundo Network and Station Group, Telemundo Deportes, Telemundo Global Studios, Universo, and a Revenue Strategy & Innovation unit.