The new approach, reflecting the changing dynamics of Hispanics across the country, can be seen in the network debut of the Cuban-born television personality Cristina Saralegui as the host of a Sunday variety show, and in a crop of new telenovelas intended to reflect the sensibilities of acculturated Hispanics.
In each case, the programs will feature a sprinkling of English and be available with English subtitles — something not as readily found on the competing Univision.
As Telemundo’s president, Emilio Romano, put it after joining the network in October, his goal is to “focus on a more acculturated, more bilingual” audience, without alienating the core Spanish-dominant viewers.
“If you think about Telemundo as a narrower broadcast network, you quickly get to the place where, like all broadcast networks, your mandate must be to go for the widest possible audience,” said Lauren Zalaznick, the chairwoman of entertainment and digital networks and integrated media for Telemundo’s parent company, NBCUniversal.
Bilingual Hispanics, defined as speaking English more than Spanish or Spanish and English equally, are 82 percent of the United States Hispanic population, according to a report released this year by Scarborough Research, a consumer research firm.
This group has more disposable income than the more Spanish-speaking recent immigrants, with 12 percent of acculturated Hispanic families earning $75,000 to $100,000 a year, the study said.
Telemundo’s efforts to capture viewers in that category speaks to a larger goal within NBCUniversal under the new ownership of the nation’s largest cable provider, Comcast Corp.
As a cable and broadband provider, Comcast foresees Hispanics driving growth in new cable subscriptions, an otherwise mostly flat business. The 2010 Census results showed more than half the total population growth in the United States from 2000 to 2010 was because of the increase in the Hispanic population. In 2010, Hispanics accounted for 50.5 million people residing in the United States, up from 35.3 million a decade ago.
The change in demographics has been noted by advertisers, who have flocked to Spanish television in growing numbers. In the 2011-12 season, advanced advertising sales at Telemundo spiked 25 percent from the previous year to more than $400 million, and the price that advertisers pay per 1,000 viewers doubled, according NBCUniversal.
Advertisers also may be attracted by the fact that Hispanics watch more TV as a family, with Spanish-speaking grandparents often gathered around the TV with their predominantly English-speaking grandchildren, according to the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies. Shows that incorporate both languages and cultures can hook multiple generations.
“You may have a home full of generations with different perspectives,” said Roberto Orci, chief executive of Acento, a Los Angeles-based advertising agency aimed at Hispanics.
Telemundo hopes to capitalize on that with Ms. Saralegui, who came to the network after more than two decades as Univision’s daytime queen. Known as “Oprah Winfrey with salsa,” her mix of saucy, Spanglish celebrity interviews and girl talk is seen as central to Telemundo’s plans.
The platinum blonde’s “Pa’lante con Cristina” made its debut on Oct. 9, and attracted 1.2 million viewers, according to Nielsen. Univision’s Sunday-night “¡Mira Quién Baila!” — a Spanish-language take on “Dancing With the Stars” also available with English closed-captions — averages 3.9 million viewers. On an average night, Univision has 3.8 million viewers compared with one million for Telemundo.
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