The Surprise #1 Rated Network

The last week of August is traditionally a slow time for broadcast viewers. The week of August 27, 2012 to September 2, 2012 was no exception. There were news events: The Republican Convention and Hurricane Isaac. But there were almost no new programs on broadcast networks. So which network delivered the most viewers from the highly coveted Adults 18-49 and 18-34? The answer: Univision. That's right, the Spanish-language network was #1 and it wasn't even close in those categories. Univision delivered 17% more audience than its nearest rival, ABC. It's ironic that while the Republican Party scheduled speeches from several Hispanic politicians in an attempt to woo the Latino vote, they might have been better off buying ads during Univision's most popular telenovelas: Por Ella Soy Eva (For Her I'm Eva) and Amor Bravo (Fierce Love). This won't last, of course. Football starts this week, and the fall television season soon after that. But, as I've said in other posts, this is a revolutionary development in American broadcast. A niche channel with a large, dedicated audience, like Univision, can outdraw the general entertainment channels. What's true for Spanish-language television may also be true for your niche content. Does this mean we should all learn Spanish and make telenovelas? No, although it never hurts to learn a second language. If we all made telenovelas the competition would drive the price down. However, it does demonstrate that popular success can come from unexpected areas. Aiming your content at a dedicated niche audience may lead to more popular success in the long run than trying to create content that's all things to all people. There are many different routes to become #1. Find the one that works best for you.