LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Paving the way for its worldwide television debut in the first quarter of 2012, Simon Fuller’s XIX Entertainment, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, and Jamie King, in collaboration with BlackBerry®, today announced the first three of 21 broadcast network deals with Univision in the U.S., Televisa in Mexico, and Caracol TV in Colombia for ¡Q’VIVA! THE CHOSEN. Other broadcast partners will be announced soon. Additionally, American Airlines, founding member of the oneworld® alliance, has signed on as an exclusive category sponsor.
¡Q’VIVA! THE CHOSEN, which is currently being filmed in English, Spanish and Portuguese, will air simultaneously in 21 countries on the most important networks throughout the Americas.
“¡Q’VIVA! THE CHOSEN will be a spectacular showcase of Latin music and performance arts,” said Simon Fuller of XIX Entertainment. “We are bringing together all the most powerful brands and networks throughout the Americas to broadcast ¡Q’VIVA! THE CHOSEN in a unique collaboration where each country will programme the show simultaneously. It will be a powerful statement confirming the growing importance of Latin culture.”
As part of the landmark agreements, Univision, one of the top five networks in the U.S. regardless of language and the only broadcaster to grow in the 2010-2011 season, has signed on to air ¡Q’VIVA! THE CHOSEN in one-hour weekly episodes in Spanish.
“Univision is known as the home for Hispanic America, which is why we are thrilled to bring ¡Q’VIVA! THE CHOSEN to our audiences in the U.S.,” said Ronald Day, Senior Vice President of Programming for Univision Networks. “This acquisition builds on our legacy of engaging our audiences with the best entertainment available in the industry and further demonstrates the strength of our partnership with Televisa.”
In Mexico, XIX production and distribution partner Endemol has locked in Televisa, the largest media company in the Spanish-speaking world, to air ¡Q’VIVA! THE CHOSEN. Televisa will air weekly 1-hour episodes of the show via its flagship network Canal de las Estrellas, which has 258 affiliates across the country.
“We are excited to have ¡Q’VIVA! THE CHOSEN on one of our channels and strengthen our relationship with producers such as Simon Fuller,” said Eduardo Clemesha, General Manager of New Content for Televisa.
For the Colombia market, XIX and Endemol have secured Caracol TV, one of the leading networks in Colombia, which has been the leader in tune-in market share and daily ratings since it began operations as a private network in 1998.
"This is a great way for Caracol TV to bring the best talent in the world to Colombians. Jennifer López and Marc Anthony are without doubt successful stars in their own right, and that coupled with Caracol’s experience in this programming format will make ¡Q’VIVA! THE CHOSEN an unforgettable event,” said Camilo Acuña, Senior Director of Programming at Caracol TV.
Philippe Maigret at Endemol who brokered the production and distribution partnership with XIX for ¡Q’VIVA! THE CHOSEN says: "The commitment from these leading broadcasters underlines the international appeal of ¡Q’VIVA! THE CHOSEN. It is extremely exciting to have such significant pick up at this early stage and we look forward to making further announcements from Latin America and the rest of the world in the near future."
American Airlines, the official airline of ¡Q’VIVA! THE CHOSEN, will showcase its variety of products and services in several episodes of the series. American’s integrations will occur organically at various airports throughout the U.S. and Latin America where the three hosts will be traveling in search for talent.
“American Airlines has proudly served Latin America for more than 20 years, and today we are the premier airline for the region – serving 46 destinations in 17 countries,” said Rob Friedman, American’s Vice President of Marketing. “Our commitment to ¡Q’VIVA! THE CHOSEN gives us the opportunity to fly the show to the many destinations we serve as they uncover the remarkable talent that lives in this region, and we can demonstrate to our customers and employees how much we value these markets and their diverse cultures.”
Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, and Jamie King are proud to announce that they are shooting ¡Q’VIVA! THE CHOSEN from October 2011 to January 2012, and traveling throughout Latin America to meet the most outstanding Latin singers, dancers, musicians, and performers that they have discovered via their personal networks, grassroots efforts, and an unprecedented social media campaign on YouTube and Facebook. The groundbreaking series will document their extraordinary transcontinental road trip to bring viewers the drama and intense emotions of the incredible stories and personal journeys that they will uncover.
“Very soon the world’s heart will beat to the tune of Latin rhythms and we’re looking forward to experiencing history in the making,” said Jennifer Lopez. “It is with great pride that we embark on this amazing and very personal mission to discover and celebrate the most captivating talent the world has ever seen.”
Marc Anthony added: “I am thrilled to have these partners on board as I head to the region and excitement for ¡Q’VIVA! THE CHOSEN continues to grow. These alliances will ensure that the beauty of Latin music, artistry, and dance is seen by millions and will open doors for the next generation of Latin superstars.”
“There’s never been a show that is both global and local in scope,” said show director Jamie King. “When ¡Q’VIVA! THE CHOSEN airs on these networks millions of people in each country will not only see something unique to their region but will also be unified by the experience."
The international talent search for ¡Q’VIVA! THE CHOSEN is well underway. Since June 1st the public has been nominating their country’s best singers, dancers, musicians, and performers on Facebook (facebook.com/qvivathechosen), and talented people across the Americas have been uploading their video auditions on YouTube (youtube.com/qviva). Nominations and submissions are being meticulously reviewed each week leading up to Marc and Jennifer’s visits to the various countries.
“Marc and Jennifer’s commitment to celebrating their cultural roots with ¡Q’VIVA! THE CHOSEN has been truly impressive. They are passionate about this project and excited by the opportunity to put together an incredible array of talented artists for a spectacular live show to be directed by acclaimed show director and series co-star Jamie King, who most recently directed Britney Spears' Femme Fatale tour, Rihanna's Loud tour, and the Michael Jackson Immortal Tour by Cirque du Soleil," said Fuller.
Official show sponsor BlackBerry has launched a ¡Q’VIVA! THE CHOSEN online content hub at www.blackberry.com/qviva, which will be the official home of all show information, photos, videos, applications, highlights and more. This is also part of the exclusive entertainment content that will be offered on the ultra portable BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet, which is already available in Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela, Chile, Argentina, Panama, Puerto Rico and Peru, and is expected to reach other Latin American countries soon.
Additionally, ¡Q’VIVA! THE CHOSEN and BlackBerry will bring auditioning to the streets in select markets across Latin America to give those without access to technology the opportunity to video record their auditions on a BlackBerry PlayBook and upload them directly to the official YouTube page. Specific information will be announced soon.
“We are proud to sponsor ¡Q’VIVA! THE CHOSEN and to share in its mission to discover and bring the best Latin American talent to the world,” said David Añón, Sr. Director of Marketing, Latin America at Research In Motion, the company behind the BlackBerry wireless solution. “Together we are bringing the audition booths as well as our BlackBerry PlayBooks to the streets to help those who may not otherwise have the necessary resources to participate.”
For more information on ¡Q’ VIVA! THE CHOSEN, please visit www.qvivathechosen.com. For more information about the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet and BlackBerry® smartphones, please visit: www.blackberry.com. For broadcast footage and high-resolution photography, please visit www.epk.tv/view/#/campaign/q-viva/
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