Univision Ranks as the #2 Broadcast Network among Adults 18-49 and Adults 18-34

Univision's primetime telenovelas continued their strong performance last week going up against the Olympics on NBC.

· At 8 p.m., Univision’s novela POR ELLA SOY EVA (For Her, I’m Eva) helped Univision rank as the #2 network for the hour (M-F) among Adults 18-34 and #3 among Adults 18-49. “Por Ella Soy Eva” delivered 2.8 Million Total Viewers 2+, 1.4 Million Adults 18-49, and 803,000 Adults 18-34.

  * The novela was the highest rated non-Olympic show among Adults 18-34 for the entire week.

TELENOVELA WATCH: EL ROSTRO DE LA VENGANZA Premieres July 30, ROSA DIAMANTE Expands, LA QUE NO PODÍA AMAR Nears End; Plus, PABLO ESCOBAR, UN REFUGIO PARA EL AMOR, PREMIOS TU MUNDO

EL ROSTRO DE LA VENGANZA PREMIERE
EL ROSTRO DE LA VENGANZA premieres this Monday at 10:30 p.m. ET on Telemundo, the third telenovela to premiere on the network this month.  Bizarrely, the television promos for the show vaguely state the start time as “after PABLO ESCOBAR;” EL ROSTRO DE LA VENGANZA looks to be a mystery telenovela, but does the time the show is airing really have to be kept a mystery as well?

Univision Set To Finish July Sweeps No. 1 In Adults 18-34 Demo

The Univision Network announced today that it will close the July 2012 sweep period as the No. 1 network among Adults 18-34 and the No. 2 network, ahead of ABC, CBS, NBC and the CW, among Adults 18-49 in primetime. Univision also finished as the No. 1 network on Friday nights for the eighth consecutive July sweep among Adults 18-34 and for the fifth consecutive July sweep among Adults 18-49.

With an average audience of 3.5 million Total Viewers 2+, 1.7 million Adults 18-49 and 922,000 Adults 18-34 in primetime, Univision has out-delivered at least one or more of the English-language broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and the CW) on every night of the July 2012 sweep thus far among both Adults 18-34 and Adults 18-49.

TELENOVELA WATCH: POR ELLA SOY EVA, PABLO ESCOBAR First Thoughts Plus, UNA MAID EN MANHATTAN, CORAZON APASIONADO

POR ELLA…SOY EVA (weeknights at 8 p.m. ET on Univision) premiered this week, a Televisa comedy telenovela that breaks up the similarly toned, mostly dramatic telenovelas currently on Univision’s primetime schedule.  I confess, I’m generally not a fan of Televisa’s comedies, and through three episodes of POR ELLA, that hasn’t really changed.

TELENOVELA WATCH: UN REFUGIO PARA EL AMOR's Breakneck Pace, LA QUE NO PODÍA AMAR, UNA MAID EN MANHATTAN; Plus, Start Dates For PABLO ESCOBAR and POR ELLA..SOY EVA

UN REFUGIO PARA EL AMOR (weeknights at 7 p.m. ET on Univision) continues to zip along at a breakneck pace as this week Rodrigo (Gabriel Soto) and Luciana (Zuria Vega) married in a civil service.  It was a clever move by the writers, giving the audience a week of romance, a great deal of it familiar telenovela tropes like the make out session in a stream, though tossing in an odd little excursion assisting a woman in childbirth.  The pair are still planning a big church wedding, which in a Mexican telenovela, is the wedding that counts.  As Luciana says, they are wed by laws of man, soon, they will be wed in the eyes of God.  Of course, with church weddings typically serving as the climax of the telenovela, and with Rodrigo’s jilted fiancée Gala (Jessica Coch) and her mother Julie (Frances Ondiviela) digging dirt on Luciana, it seems doubtful that church wedding will go as Rodrigo and Luciana intend.

RATINGS: Univsion #3 Broadcast Network In A18-49 For Third Time In Four Weeks

Univision's primetime line-up of telenovelas continues to gain traction in the Nielsen ratings (as well as the We Love Soaps Primetime Soap of the Week Poll).  The network still believes in the Friday cliffhanger and it has paid off.  Below is this week's ratings release from the network with some amazing numbers especially the season-to-date tallies.

TELENOVELA WATCH: EMPERATRIZ Coming To Azteca America; Plus, Short Takes!

EMPERATRIZ (weekdays at 1 p.m. ET, no English friendly options), a 2011 telenovela starring Gabriela Spanic, makes its U.S. premiere this Monday, May 14th on Azteca America.

A remake of a 1990 Venezuelan telenovela of the same name, EMPERATRIZ tells the story of Emperatriz Jurado (Spanic), a poor woman who falls in love with a rich man, Armando Mendoza (Omar Fierro), only to be abandoned by him, taking with him their newborn daughter. Emperatriz swears vengeance on Armando and vows to get her daughter back. The cast includes Bernie Paz as the male lead, Sergio de Bustamante as the villain, and Adriana Louvier as Emperatriz’s daughter.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Ana Brenda Contreras On Her Career, The Telenovela Process & More!

Actress and singer Ana Brenda Contreras is an up and coming star most recently playing the lead in the Televisa soap opera LA QUE NO PODIA AMAR which aired on Univision.

In 2002 at age 15, Ana Brenda moved from Texas to Mexico City to participate in the reality show POP STARS.  In 2005 she began starring in telenovelas playing supporting characters over the next four years: Juanita in BARRERA DE AMOR, Claudia in DUELO DE PASIONES, Violet in JURO QUE TE AMO, and Maura in SORTILEGIO.

In 2010, she portrayed Aurora in the remake of TERESA which lead to her being cast as Ana Paula, the lead protagonist in LA QUE NO PODIA AMAR.

We Love Soaps recently spoke with Ana Brenda about her career to gain some insights into the life of an up-and-coming telenovela star.  She told us she always wanted to be an entertainer.

NEWS ROUNDUP: Jen Lilley's 'Awkward' GH Start, Johnny Depp Praises Jonathan Frid, Lohan on GLEE

GENERAL HOSPITAL's Jen Lilley: Replacing Kirsten Storms was 'awkward'
"In a word, awkward. It’s really wonderful now. … The analogy I always use [is] if Michael C. Hall wasn’t Dexter — and that’s my favorite show — [but] if Michael C. Hall wasn’t Dexter because he was sick, and let’s say, oh gosh, name one of the best actors ever. Dustin Hoffman. If he was filling in for him, I would be like, ‘Uh uh. No. You’re not Michael C. Hall. Get out of there.’

Univision Continues Ratings Surge Thanks to Telenovelas

Univision continues to surge in the primetime ratings thanks to its lineup of telenovelas. The network sent out the following press release on Monday detailing the ratings for last week.

Univision was the #3 network during primetime last week among Adults 18-34, out-delivering ABC (+32%) and NBC (+33%). Furthermore, for the eighth time out of the last nine weeks Univision has ranked #3 or higher among A18-34.