MIAMI, May 11, 2015 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Discovery U.S. Hispanic today announced its networks’ 2015-2016 Upfront slate, expanding on popular genres such as adventure and motors for Discovery en Espanol as well as beauty, home and cooking on the female-focused Discovery Familia.

Discovery U.S. Hispanic enters this year’s Upfront season with its highest rated quarter on record for its portfolio. Discovery Familia saw significant increases, with growth of +93% YOY and +59% from the previous quarter^[1] and double-digit growth in audience every single weeknight YOY among persons, men and women 18-49^[2]. Discovery en Espanol continued to be the #1 Spanish language cable network in late prime time among its core target of adults, men and women aged 18-49^[3] and tied its highest rated first quarter on record. The channel was also the #1 Spanish language cable network among persons and men 18-49 on Wednesdays and Thursdays.^[4]

“Discovery en Espanol and Discovery Familia provide inspiration and knowledge that connects in remarkably intimate and relevant ways with our viewers, and this season we are inviting advertisers to be a part of the action as we take audiences even farther with some of the most timely and compelling content available on Spanish-language television,” said Ivan Bargueiras, General Manager of Discovery U.S. Hispanic. “At Discovery, we tell the stories that really matter.  We go way beyond the traditional as we travel to some of the most remote corners of the planet, show a new era of space exploration and take very personal journeys alongside bold and alluring new characters.”

Building on its record-breaking momentum, Discovery en Espanol will continue to enhance its key thematic programming nights including automotive and human adventure with new series Cuban Chrome (Motores: Ingenio cubano) as well as Lost and Starving (WT: Perdidos y con hambre) and the ground-breaking documentary Lunar XPrize (WT: Premio lunar or XPRIZE lunar), respectively.  The network is also premiering natural history specials such as To be King (Leyenda de un rey) and Racing Extinction (En vias de extincion).  Returning favorites include Fast N’ Loud (El duo mecanico), Alaska: The Last Frontier (Alaska: La ultima frontera) and Naked And Afraid (Supervivencia al desnudo).  

Discovery Familia will also introduce new shows for its key genres which include home, beauty and cooking.   New shows include Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares (Pesadilla en la cocina de Ramsay), How Do I Look (Cambiame el look), Buying Alaska and new personalities such as Whitney Thore, star of My Big, Fat Fabulous Life (Gran-diosa).  The network will also showcase new seasons of series starring Buddy Valastro which include Cake Boss, Next Great Baker (El desafio de Buddy) and Bakery Boss as well as Pregnant in Heels (Embarazadas y Entaconadas) and What Not to Wear (¡No te lo pongas!).

The highlights of Discovery U.S. Hispanic’s 2015-2016 Upfront offer include:

DISCOVERY EN ESPANOL:
Video and images available at:
https://discovery.box.com/s/rbn2ba6bhcb4gchp2mar5hzbizy75bbu

NATURAL HISTORY SPECIALS:

To Be King (Leyenda de un rey):
Produced by Aquavision Television Productions, this program will document lion behavior as seen within South Africa’s Mapogo pride. Set in South Africa’s Sabi Sands, the program documents the rise of the Mapogos as they grow from a litter of five cubs into fearsome young males, capable of killing more than 100 other lions over the course of a year and taking control of a vast territory. The special features animal trainer Dave Salmoni as well as other predator experts, who weigh in on the social dynamics that exist within lion prides.

Racing Extinction (En vias de extincion):
In this documentary film, Louie Psihoyos and the group behind the Academy Award®-winning film The Cove, assembles a team of artists and activists on a new undercover operation to expose the hidden world of endangered species and the race to protect them against mass extinction. Spanning the globe to infiltrate the world’s most dangerous black markets and using high tech tactics to document the link between carbon emissions and species extinction, the documentary reveals stunning, never-before seen images that truly change the way we see the world.

NEW UNSCRIPTED SERIES/SPECIALS:

Special: Lunar XPrize (WT: Premio lunar or XPRIZE lunar):
It’s been 46 years since millions of television viewers witnessed man first set foot on the Moon in 1969. In 2016, history will be made again when Discovery partners with XPRIZE on the $30 million Google Lunar XPRIZE to bring an edge-of-your-seat international space competition to homes around the world. In this special, space exploration will reach new heights as teams from all over the world set off on a race of stellar proportions to launch and land a robot on the Moon.

Series: Cuban Chrome (Motores: Ingenio cubano):  
After the 1959 Cuban Revolution and the subsequent U.S. embargo, it has been illegal to import American cars to the island nation – as a result, Cuba’s vintage American vehicles are frozen in time, and each of these cars has a unique story to tell. For Cubans, these cars are not just a means of transportation, but a way of life. Cuban Chrome will give viewers an intimate look into this rarely seen country as they meet the men who put everything on the line to keep these classic cars running.

Series: Lost and Starving (WT: Perdidos y con hambre):
One know it all survivalist and one foodie are starved for a full week before being dropped into the wild. Their only way to get some calories and survive is to eat their way through a five-point checklist of some of the most disgusting foods imaginable. Long legged insects, poisonous plants, ugly animals even frog spawn slime – anything that the surrounding terrain provides.

RETURNING SERIES:

Kindig Customs (Al estilo Kindig):
Dave Kindig, owner and operator of Kindig-It Design turns out one-of-a-kind vehicles for his demanding (and sometimes famous) clientele.  Working on all types and periods of cars we’ll see cars rendered, designed, built, and restored from the ground up before being revealed to the owner.

Fast n’ Loud (El duo mecanico):
Motor mastermind Richard Rawlings and mechanical prodigy Aaron Kaufman are back searching for forgotten and neglected vintage cars. Most assume these old classics are rust buckets – but to this crew, they’re potential goldmines. Richard and Aaron need big projects and, more importantly, big profits to keep the doors open at Gas Monkey Garage in Dallas, Texas.

Alaska: The Last Frontier (Alaska: La ultima frontera):
This series follows the Kilcher family and their unique homesteader community outside Homer, Alaska. The Kilchers, led by patriarchs Atz and his brother Otto, have cultivated and lived on their homestead for four generations. These men, and their wives and children, live off the land, racing the clock during the limited months of summer and fall to hunt, fish, gather and grow enough food to last the harsh Alaskan winter. They proudly choose this rugged lifestyle in hopes that future generations carry on the family tradition of living off the land.

Tricked (Ciencia magica):
Trickster Ben Hanlin redefines magical entertainment mixing candid camera fun with illusion and wonder. Ben brings magic into our hearts as he wows his audience with amazing tricks and warm, charming banter, before taking his cunning conjuring to the world at large. Using the powers of trickery, disguise, illusion and even Twitter, Ben hunts down celebrities to give them the surprise of their lives. Tricked is a funny, friendly feast that will make you look and think twice.

DISCOVERY FAMILIA:
Video and images available at:
https://discovery.box.com/s/o9o9ita3w8wjrohmdmvgs07xn80rh0vk

NEW SERIES:

HOME:

Buying Alaska:
There’s no place on earth like Alaska, and there’s nothing like its real estate.  Selling Alaska features homes that you’ve never seen before with wild amenities and the people who buy them are just as unique.

COOKING:

Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares (Pesadilla en la cocina de Ramsay):
This series showcases USA based episodes of the BAFTA-award winning series in which the famous chef Gordon Ramsay takes on some very different failing restaurants and has one month to turn them around.

Top Chef:
Top Chef is a hit reality competition series that celebrates the culinary arts with a fascinating window into the competitive, pressurized environment of world-class cookery and the restaurant business at the highest level. Each one-hour episode features aspiring chefs who put their culinary skills to the test for the chance to earn the prestigious title of Top Chef. The competing chefs will live and breathe the high-pressure lifestyle that comes with being a master chef, and each week the judges will tell one to “pack up their knives and go.” In the end, only one chef will make it through the spectacular finale episode.

BEAUTY:

How do I look (Cambiame el look):
The popular makeover series looks better than ever in a revamped version, with a new look and fabulous new host, Jeannie Mai. Two accomplices and a professional stylist will help Jeannie transform one willing fashion victim, one episode at a time.

FAMILY:

Quinceanera:
A series that follows cousins Alexis and Jarling, who are Miami’s premiere quinceanera party planners and dress shop owners servicing Latin American families as they celebrate their teenager’s transition into womanhood. From the cultural rituals of finding the perfect dress and the father daughter dance, to the new American traditions of shooting music videos and mid-party outfit changes – the cousins are constantly working their magic to create memories that will last a lifetime.

NEW PERSONALITIES:

My Big Fat Fabulous Life (Gran-diosa):
Whitney Thore was once a slender dancer, but over the course of just one year at college she gained 200 pounds due to a condition called Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). It took her a long time to deal with the change, but now she is happy with her body, and through her active social life and love of dancing, she lives vivaciously and holds nothing back. She keeps busy with her dance, and though she currently lives with her parents, she is mustering up the courage to strike out on her own in a world that judges people by their size.

New Girls On The Block (Ahora mujeres):
The five part series, New Girls On The Block follows a group of highly inspirational and entertaining women from Kansas City, MO – all friends, some couples – who happen to be transgender. After years struggling with their gender identities, they are finally finding themselves and learning what it means to be the women they always knew that they were. Confronting issues with their relationships, their femininity, their families and friendships, New Girls On The Block is an authentic look at lives in transition.

RETURNING SERIES:

Long Island Medium (La medium):
Theresa Caputo lives in the real world, but she spends most of her time with spirits. Caputo is an average mom from Long Island, N.Y., in every way except one: she talks to the dead. This series chronicles the work Caputo does each day as she helps her varied clients find closure and connect with loved ones who have passed.

Love it or List it (Vivala o vendala):
When a house no longer feels like home, homeowners are left with a big financial and emotional question: renovate or sell? Love It or List It helps fed-up homeowners decide. In each hour-long episode Realtor David Visentin and designer Hilary Farr compete for the homeowners’ final decision to stay or go.

Pregnant in Heels (Embarazadas y Entaconadas):
This reality series follows maternity concierge, fashion designer, and pregnancy guru Rosie Pope as she guides expecting Manhattan mothers through the joys and perils of preparing to have a baby. Viewers join Rosie and her team as they tackle their clients’ pregnancy dilemmas. From shotgun wedding planning to daddy boot camps to getting the baby into British aristocracy, Rosie Pope is the maternity concierge to the most affluent–and hormonal–pregnant women in New York City!

What Not To Wear (¡No te lo pongas!)
¡No te lo pongas! is a makeover reality television series hosted by fashion stylists Stacy London and Clinton Kelly. In each episode, Stacy, Clinton and a team of hair and makeup advisors help revamp the look of individuals who have been nominated by their friends for makeovers.

About Discovery U.S. Hispanic

Discovery U.S. Hispanic, a division of Discovery Communications the world’s #1 pay-TV programmer, is comprised of Discovery en Espanol and Discovery Familia, two networks for Spanish-speaking audiences in the United States. Discovery en Espanol connects viewers to the world and all its wonder and possibilities through quality programming focusing on bold storytelling across core genres including adventure, ingenuity, natural, history, investigation and current affairs. Discovery Familia is dedicated to Hispanic women and what matters in their lives. During the day the network broadcast a Discovery Kids block, which provides a safe environment for children aged 2-6 with entertaining, curriculum-based programming. In the evening, the channel offers programming for women, focusing on home decor, food, health, beauty and parenting. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.