NEW YORK - Univision, the nation’s highest-rated Spanish-language television network, plans to announce today the formation of a dedicated studio division and the hiring of an experienced producer to run it.
The move reflects Univision’s effort to produce and own more of its programs. For years, virtually all of the network’s hugely popular serialized soap operas, called telenovelas, have been imported from other countries under a deal with the Mexican media giant Televisa. Over time, the studio will allow Univision to reduce its dependence on overseas producers.
In an interview, Univision Networks’ president, Cesar Conde, called the creation of Univision Studios a “monumental step forward’’ for Spanish-language television in the United States.
Univision already produces variety shows, game shows, and newscasts from a complex in Miami. The formation of a studio “is going to allow us to expand into telenovelas, reality shows, dramas, and the like,’’ Conde said.
About 35 million people speak Spanish in the United States, and Univision is watched by about 3.5 million of them on an average night, making it the nation’s dominant Spanish-language network. The new studio division may help Univision in its competition with the lower-rated Telemundo network, a unit of NBC Universal. When Comcast announced its plan to acquire a majority stake in NBC last week, it said it intended to expand Telemundo’s reach through broadcast and on-demand outlets.
