Hispanic Summit: ABC's Diverse Offerings
By P.J. Bednarski -- Broadcasting & Cable, 10/19/2006 12:43:00 PM
Seven of the top English-language shows Hispanics watched on broadcast network TV the week of Oct. 9-15 aired on ABC, noted Monica Gil, Nielsen Media Research vice president for communications and community affairs, and maybe, she said, there’s a reason for that because all feature ethnically diverse casts
Speakingat the B&C/MCN Hispanic Television Summit, Gil said the Nielsen ranking (from Nielsen’s Hispanic Television Index) were, in order: Desperate Housewives, Dancing with the Stars, Grey’s Anatomy,Ugly Betty and Lost. And, although she didn’t mention it, the Dancing “results” show and ABC’s Extreme Makeover finished sixth and seventh.
Referring to the first five ABC shows, she noted, “You get the trend. They all have diverse casts.”
There was something else about those shows, added Court Stroud, executive vice president and and general sales manager for Azteca America. Through the summer, ABC bought commercial time on his network and others specifically for those series. “Ugly Betty is a threat,” Stroud said, of the ABC sitcom that is a comedy version of a popular telenovela. Azteca has decided not to accept ABC’s ads for a while. .
