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Telemundo grants NBCUniversal and USA Network options to develop two of its original scripted drama series

April 24, 2014

Maribel Ramos-Weiner


Telemundo announced it has granted NBCUniversal Entertainment an option to develop El Señor de los Cielos (The Lord of the Skies) and USA Network an option to develop the upcoming novela Mujer de Acero (Woman of Steel). On the heels of multiple cross-company initiatives including the reality competition shows La Voz Kids and Top Chef Estrellas, the weekly news segment Access Hollywood Al Rojo Vivo, and the multiple simulcasts between NBC’s Today show and Telemundo’s morning show Un Nuevo Día, among others, NBCUniversal’s Hispanic Enterprises and Content Division continues to develop business and content opportunities across the company’s multiple brands. “These agreements are further examples of our continuous efforts to work across the NBCUniversal brands to integrate and leverage our resources and expertise. This marks the first time that NBC and USA have optioned content from Telemundo, and demonstrates the growing interest in the telenovela format in the general market,” said Joe Uva, Chairman, Hispanic Enterprises and Content, NBCUniversal. “The telenovela format has a long history of delivering compelling episodic dramas and storylines that transcend culture and generations. We’re fortunate to have a library of stellar content that we can tap into with Telemundo,” said Jeff Wachtel, President and Chief Content Officer, NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment.El Señor de los Cielos will be developed by Universal Television for NBC Entertainment.“USA has always been known for its signature original dramas, and we are constantly looking for new formats as we roll out the next generation of shows on our network. This is a great opportunity for USA to partner with our sister network, and develop extraordinarily popular Hispanic content for the English language audience,” said Chris McCumber, president of USA Network. Mujer de Acero is an original production by Telemundo Studios set to premiere this fall. It tells the story of a woman who goes from a simple housemaid to rocking the foundation of the Mexican government. The series will be developed by Universal Cable Productions for USA Network.