Netflix Taps Univision to Expand Reach in Hispanic Homes with ‘Narcos,’ ‘Club de Cuervos’ Pact
Netflix has cut an unusual deal with Univision to promote the SVOD service in Hispanic homes by airing the first seasons of Netflix series “Narcos” and “Club de Cuervos” on Univision nets.
The first season of “Narcos” will air on the mothership Univision network later this year in advance of the season two bow on Netflix. Univision’s UniMas will run the first season of Spanish-language dramedy “Club de Cuervos” in advance of that show’s sophomore season premiere.
” ‘Narcos’ is a huge global success on Netflix and sampling the series to every single Spanish-speaking living room in the U.S. will give additional viewers the opportunity to fall in love with its unique storytelling. Promoting these original shows on Univision is a great way to further reach Hispanic audiences and help them discover Netflix,” said Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s chief content officer.
News of the deal came an hour before Univision stages its upfront presentation to advertisers in New York.
Netflix is investing more in Spanish-language programming for its international services and clearly the SVOD giant sees opportunity to reach that audience in the U.S. as well. Netflix has a Mexico-set political drama series with telenovela star Kate del Castillo, “Ingobernable,” in the works, among others.
The deal may raise eyebrows in TV circles as Univision is offering an extremely valuable promotional platform to a competitor. But in a world of fragmented multiplatform viewing, Univision and Netflix may have calculated that there’s not much overlap in their respective audiences and thus less danger of cannibalization.
“No other media company understands Hispanic American audiences like Univision and this promotional partnership speaks to our ability to reach and engage our growth consumer with unmatched scale and depth,” said Univision Communications president-CEO Randy Falco. “We are pleased to work with Netflix and leverage Univision’s unique reach and deep connection with our audience to introduce millions of our viewers to their ground-breaking series.”
(Pictured: “Narcos”)
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