Netflix Pens Historic Deal With Univision For ‘El Chapo’ Series
Netflix signed a deal with Spanish-language broadcaster Univision today, a first for the streaming company, which would see the Netflix original series Narcos rebroadcast on TV. Additionally, the Univision Netflix partnership will see the co-development of a series based on the life of notorious drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.
The Netflix Univision deal will see cross-broadcasting of Netflix’s Spanish-language content on Univision networks and will provide an opportunity for both companies to collaborate on new TV series that will be jointly broadcast on Univision networks and Netflix, reports the Hollywood Reporter.
“El Chapo is a great example of how Univision continues to innovate and evolve with premium storytelling formats. The IP we’ve developed from more than 50 years of award-winning news and investigations gives us unique and innovative ways to tell stories in a way no other network can,” said Randy Falco, the president and CEO of Univision Communications.
Netflix strikes deal for reruns of two of its original series to air on broadcast TV https://t.co/HDZZDFZ9ks via @WSJ
— Shalini Ramachandran (@shalini) May 17, 2016
The first joint venture between Univision and Netflix will be a series based on the life of notorious drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who was recently apprehended by Mexican authorities. The series would premiere on Netflix after first airing on the Univision network of UniMás in 2017. The Univision-Netflix deal is the first deal of its kind between an online streaming service and a traditional broadcast network.
“We are thrilled to partner with the award-winning Univision Story House on the timely and globally relevant drama series based on the life story of El Chapo,” said Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s chief content officer.
Netflix has been producing its own content for years now, but recently, the streaming company has been experimenting with making its premium content (series like Narcos and Marseille) available to TV broadcasters. According to Bloomberg, Netflix signed a similar deal with French broadcaster TF1, which screened the first two episodes of the Netflix series starring Gerard Depardieu, Marseille. The TF1 deal wasn’t as broad as the Univision deal, which not only includes rebroadcast of Netflix content but also the development of new properties in conjunction with Univision.
“No other media company understands Hispanic American audiences like Univision and this promotional partnership speaks to our ability to reach and engage our growth consumer with unmatched scale and depth,” said Randy Falco of Univision.
Netflix first tested the waters of Spanish-language TV with last year’s critically acclaimed Narcos, which takes place in Colombia and chronicles the efforts of two DEA agents to catch the world’s most notorious drug trafficker, Pablo Escobar. Narcos was nominated for a Golden Globe last year, and Netflix reportedly hopes to expand its market share into Spanish-speaking homes with the new Univision deal.
Netflix and Univision just say yes to a drama series about El Chapo: https://t.co/oEcRcnlgv8 pic.twitter.com/X5nlte00LL
— Vulture (@vulture) May 17, 2016
“Narcos is a huge global success on Netflix and sampling the series to every single Spanish-speaking living room in the U.S. will give additional viewers the opportunity to fall in love with its unique storytelling,” said Ted Sarandos.
Narcos features brilliant performances from a stellar international ensemble cast featuring Brazilian actor Wagner Moura (Pablo Escobar), American actor Boyd Holbrook, and Spanish actor Pedro Pascal, who play real-life DEA agents Steve Murphy and Javier Peña.
“Promoting these shows on Univision is a great way to further reach Hispanic audiences and help them discover Netflix,” said Ted Sarandos.
The upcoming Netflix-Univision joint production El Chapo will reportedly tell the story of El Chapo’s rise and subsequent capture by Mexican authorities. The real life Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was apprehended this year after evading international authorities for years. El Chapo was arrested, imprisoned, and famously escaped via a tunnel dug underneath the prison, only to be captured again after a meeting with American actor Sean Penn, which the Inquisitr covered previously.
[Photo by Eduardo Verdugo, File/AP Images]
