Univision's Latin GRAMMY(R) Broadcast Reaches 11.3 Million Viewers

The Univision Television Network’s telecast of the 7th Annual Latin GRAMMY® Awards last night reached over 11.3 million viewers and was also the #1 program in its time period in a number of major markets among key demos including Adults 18-34, 18-49, and Teens 12-17, regardless of language. Airing on the first night of television’s all-important November Sweeps, Univision’s telecast of the awards show attracted 5.7 million average viewers according to Nielsen Media Research’s Fast NTI Ratings. In addition, the broadcast attracted the highest audience of Teens 12-17 in the history of the Latin GRAMMY Awards, with an impressive +57% increase versus last year. In comparison to other awards shows, the broadcast was an unqualified success garnering more total Hispanic Adults 18-49 than the combined audiences of The Academy Awards, The American Music Awards, The Billboard Music Awards, The Emmy Awards, The Golden Globes, and MTV’s Video Music Awards. It also delivered nearly three times the Hispanic Adult 18-49 audience of the Latin Billboard Music Awards. The 11.3 million viewers reached also made it the 2nd highest audience in the history of the network. In key local markets, the numbers were equally impressive. In Los Angeles, the program was #1 for the time period among Persons 2+ and in the key demos of Adults 18-34, 18-49, and Teens 12-17, beating all other stations in the market, regardless of language. In New York, this year’s home to the event, the program was #1 among Adults 18-34, 18-49, and Teens 12-17. It was also #1 among Adults 18-34 in Chicago, Dallas, and San Francisco, and it was #1 in Households in Miami. The popularity of this year’s program was clearly evident even before it started as thousands of screaming, enthusiastic Latin music fans packed the sidewalks along the Green Carpet arrival area at the entrance to Madison Square Garden, this year’s event venue. With an incredible all star line-up of performers and presenters, the completely sold-out, capacity crowd was often brought to their feet, dancing in the aisles and cheering the award recipients who included: Shakira (Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Female Pop Vocal), Ricardo Arjona (Best Male Pop Vocal), Joan Sebástian (Best Banda Album, Best Grupero Album), Osvaldo Villarreal for Conjunto Primavera’s "Aun Sigues Siendo Mia” (Regional Mexican Song of the Year), Calle 13 (Best Urban Music Album, Best New Artist, Best Short Form Music Video), and Fonseca for "Te Mando Flores” (Best Tropical Song), among others. The 3-hour gala extravaganza was co-hosted by internationally acclaimed actress/singer Lucero along with best-selling salsa singer/songwriter and current Latin GRAMMY nominee Victor Manuelle, and featured 12 exciting musical numbers spanning the rich spectrum of Latin music. The evening was punctuated with numerous standing ovations, starting with the night’s first presenter, Adamari López, in her first public appearance since her triumphant battle with breast cancer, and later by Juan Luis Guerra’s surprise appearance joining rock superband Maná for a number. Musical highlights included an exciting opening number featuring Pop recording sensations Shakira and Alejandro Sanz who, after performing individual numbers, recreated their hit duet, "La Tortura” live on stage. In another segment, reggaeton duo Wisin & Yandel kicked off an electrifying medley that included genre superstars Tonny Tun Tun, Ivy Queen, and Hector "El Father” punctuated by fireworks, smoke effects and an elaborately choreographed group of Urban dancers. Later, Puerto Rican pop singer Luis Fonsi was surprised in mid performance by an unannounced appearance of famed ZZ Top lead guitarist Billy F. Gibbons accompanying him on the rest of the number. In one of the most emotionally charged performances of the evening, Latin music superstar Ricky Martin performed his newest hit "Tu Recuerdo” on a New York street set featuring falling snow that segued into the upbeat hit "Pégate” that exploded into a color-filled, high energy dance number after which Martin was presented with the 2006 Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year Award by internationally renowned Spanish singer/songwriter Miguel Bosé. Later, as this was the first time ever that the general public was invited to attend the event, a thoroughly surprised and unsuspecting fan was selected from the audience to join co-host Victor Manuelle onstage to help introduce the international Pop phenomenon RBD’s show-stopping number. Latin music’s biggest night featured a spectacular finale in the form of a Tribute to Salsa featuring a medley of hits performed by some of the genre’s biggest stars including Gilberto Santa Rosa, Andy Montañez, the evening’s co-host Victor Manuelle, and rising star Anais accompanied by New York’s legendary salsa institution, Fania All-Stars. "The incredible ratings success of this year’s Latin GRAMMYs has, once again, firmly established Univision as the home of mega-event television for Hispanics in the U.S.,” said Alina Falcón, Executive Vice President and Operating Manager, Univision Television Network. "The ability to attract and deliver an audience of this size has helped clearly demonstrate Univision’s rightful place as one of this country’s Big Five major networks.” Contributing to the program’s ratings success were no doubt Univision’s unique cross-promotional efforts by its sister networks TeleFutura and Galavisión, its Univision Radio Group, and its popular website Univision.com. This record number made the Latin GRAMMYs the best traffic driver to the website ever. The star-studded extravaganza was also broadcast offering English-language closed-captions, allowing all lovers of Latin music to enjoy this annual celebration of musical artistry. "The 7th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards took New York and the world by storm last evening,” said Gabriel Abaroa, President, The Latin Recording Academy. "In our second year partnering with Univision, we were able to give local New Yorkers access to a great slate of Latin GRAMMY activities as we honored the incomparable Ricky Martin at our Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year Tribute, saluted legends at our Special Awards ceremony, and created a telecast that showcased Latin music across genres, generations and languages. We couldn't be more thrilled with our New York welcome, and we salute our Latin GRAMMY nominees and winners, and all of those who participated in the world's greatest Latin music party.” The 7th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards was broadcast live from New York’s Madison Square Garden on the Univision Network on Thursday, November 2nd, 2006, from 8:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. ET/PT (7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. Central). Univision Communications Inc. (NYSE:UVN) is the premier Spanish-language media company in the United States. Its operations include Univision Network, the most-watched Spanish-language broadcast television network in the U.S. reaching 99% of U.S. Hispanic Households; TeleFutura Network, a general-interest Spanish-language broadcast television network, which was launched in 2002 and now reaches 87% of U.S. Hispanic Households; Galavisión, the country’s leading Spanish-language cable network; Univision Television Group, which owns and operates 62 television stations in major U.S. Hispanic markets and Puerto Rico; Univision Radio, the leading Spanish-language radio group which owns and/or operates 69 radio stations in 16 of the top 25 U.S. Hispanic markets and 4 stations in Puerto Rico; Univision Music Group, which includes Univision Records, Fonovisa Records, La Calle Records and Mexico-based Disa Records as well as Fonomusic and America Musical Publishing companies; and Univision Online, the premier Spanish-language Internet destination in the U.S. located at www.univision.com. Univision Communications also has a 50% interest in TuTv, a joint venture formed to broadcast Televisa’s pay television channels in the U.S., and a non-voting 14.9% interest in Entravision Communications Corporation, a public Spanish-language media company. Univision Communications is headquartered in Los Angeles with television network operations in Miami and television and radio stations and sales offices in major cities throughout the United States. For more information, please visit www.univision.net.