Telemundo’s ‘El Señor’ finale attracts 3.6 million viewers

Telemundo’s original productions are starting to pay dividends for NBCUniversal.

Monday night’s series finale of the Spanish-language telenovela, “El Señor de los Cielos,” (translated as “The Lord of the Skies”) attracted 3.6 million viewers, making it the second-highest-rated ending for a telenovela in Telemundo’s history.

Shot primarily in Mexico City, the novela was based on the true story of Aurelio Casillas, a powerful Mexican drug lord of the 1990s.

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The prime-time series, one of the most expensive ever for Telemundo, was a co-production of Telemundo Studios and the Colombian venture Caracol TV. The show featured actors Rafael Amaya, Ximena Herrera, Fernanda Castillo and Gabriel Porras.

Telemundo said the final episode of “El Señor” was the top program in Spanish-language television during the 10 p.m. time slot, out muscling industry leader Univision Communications.

Nielsen ratings data revealed that “El Señor” also attracted a larger audience than for “Siberia,” the original offering by NBC, Telemundo’s big sister network.

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Throughout its nearly four-month run, “El Señor” averaged 2.3 million viewers an episode, according to Nielsen data. It ranked second only to Telemundo’s blockbuster 2011 telenovela “La Reina del Sur,” which delivered more than 4 million viewers in its final episode.

“The novela performed well throughout its entire run,” Telemundo spokesman Alfredo Richard said of “El Señor.” “It was very competitive to Univision as well as the major English-language networks. This was a big production for us and demonstrated that 10 p.m. continues to be a stronghold for Telemundo.”

On Tuesday night, Telemundo unveiled its latest telenovela, “Santa Diabla,” which was primarily shot at Telemundo Studios west of Miami.

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