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MIAMI, FL. (Recording Academy) - The Latin Recording Academy, the global organization behind the prestigious Latin music award and producers of the Latin GRAMMYs, and Spanish-language television network Univision today announced a new, multi-year partnership, which commences with the production and airing of the 6th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards on Nov. 3, 2005.
The Latin Recording Academy - which presents 43 awards including Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year, Song Of The Year, and Best New Artist - will continue to spotlight the best and brightest in Latin music with dynamic performances and flawless production values, while reaching an enormously diverse audience of dedicated music fans.
"This is a very exciting time for The Latin Recording Academy and the Latin GRAMMY Awards as we continue to evolve our organization and our show," said Latin Recording Academy President Gabriel Abaroa. "We are delighted to be forging this new relationship with Univision - the leader in Spanish-language entertainment - and we are looking forward to working with their team on the next phase of the Latin GRAMMYs. Additionally, we thank The Recording Academy and our good friends at CBS for their historic and continued support of our Academy's mission."
"We are truly delighted to be partnering with such an esteemed organization as The Latin Recording Academy," said Alina Falcon, Executive Vice President and Operating Manager, Univision Television Network. "The Latin GRAMMYs is a great addition to our network. This announcement underscores the fact that the best way and place to reach all young Hispanics is in Spanish, on the Univision Network. With our expertise among this coveted audience and in this genre, coupled with the excitement generated by the Latin GRAMMYs, we are confident that this will be an outstanding success on our network."
"The Latin GRAMMYs have introduced Latin artists who have become international superstars over the past five years, while evolving into one of the leading awards in Latin music," said Recording Academy President Neil Portnow. "This new partnership is an organic progression that will help spotlight and focus on the music and our mission as we salute Latin music makers across the globe."
The Univision Network is known for specials and award shows that repeatedly draw higher ratings than English-language programming. Over the last few years, while total U.S. Hispanic viewers 18 - 34 to English-language Broadcast Network award shows were down 28%, total viewing for the same demographic to Spanish-language award shows was up 58%. The trend is unmistakable - year after year, Univision's Spanish-language awards shows succeed in producing higher ratings by drawing larger numbers of younger audiences.
Univision will handle production of the music celebration in conjunction with The Latin Recording Academy. John Cossette, recent executive producer of the Latin GRAMMY Awards and current executive producer of the GRAMMY telecasts, will act as a consulting producer. Additional announcements about the 6th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards telecast will be made later this month.
The Latin Recording Academy is an international, membership-based organization comprised of Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking recording artists, musicians, songwriters, producers and other creative and technical recording professionals. The organization is dedicated to improving the quality of life and cultural condition for Latin music and its makers. In addition to producing the Latin GRAMMY Awards to honor excellence in the recorded arts and sciences, The Latin Recording Academy provides educational and outreach programs for the Latin music community. For more information about The Latin Recording Academy, please visit www.LatinGRAMMY.com.