Telemundo’s “Don Francisco Te Invita,” hosted by longtime “Sábado Gigante” host Mario Kreutzberger debuted to strong numbers, but did not beat Univision, which aired the second presidential debate from 9 to 10:30 pm ET, followed by analysis of the live event until 11 pm.
Telemundo did not air the debate. Instead, it kept to its regular entertainment programming and opted to air Don Francisco’s new talk show in its regular Sunday 10 pm ET timeslot.
Despite the tough competition, the show reached a cumulative audience of 2,941,000 total viewers during premiere night, according to Nielsen.
The first show averaged 1,840,000 total viewers and 842,000 adults 18-49. During that same time slot, Univision had an average of 2,364,000 total viewers and 1,127,000 adults 18-49 tuning in to the debate and post event analysis.
Locally in Los Angeles, the show ranked as the #1 Spanish-language program at 10pm, regardless of language.
For more about his new show, you can read my Forbes story on Don Francisco’s comeback, how he answers critics who think he should retire and why Telemundo management believes he’s still a good bet.
Source: Nielsen, L+SD, 10/9/16. Fast national ratings. Fast National cume based on 6+ minute qualifier. NSI, L+SD, 10/9/16, rankings based on preliminary impressions among TEL, UNI, UMA, AZA, ETV, MFX, ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC & CW for 7-11pm ET/PT (6-10pm CT/MT).