Upfronts 2012: Discovery U.S. Hispanic enters game show space

May 16, 2012 by Kevin Ritchie

A reality game show and a docu-series about a professional soccer club are among the four original programs unveiled on Discovery U.S. Hispanic’s 2012 Upfront slate, which includes a total of 17 programs and its Discovery Familia children’s and primetime programming blocks.

The cable net will also air blue chip natural history specials North America and Earthflight, the latter a series produced by BBC that uses Google Earth to allow viewers to see the world through the vantage point of migrating birds. It first aired in the UK last year.

Elsewhere, Batalla de Ingenios is the network’s first reality game show. Billed as a fast-paced engineering competition, it puts 12 competitors through eight elimination challenges inspired by Discovery’s genres of science, nature, survival and real-life experiences, to compete for an ultimate prize of a getting to have a year off from work.

Meanwhile, Hard Kicks will look at soccer fever in the lead up to the World Cup. The series goes behind scenes of professional soccer league PUMAS as it conducts pre-season training and tryouts. Vivir para Contarlo (pictured above), a show about ordinary people that must fight to survive in extraordinary, life-altering situations; and the second season of 2111, a series that projects what Latin American cities might look like in a hundred years time, round out the original programs on the 2012-2013 slate.

Other Discovery series in the line-up include Hispanic versions of Rhino Wars, about anti-poaching units in South Africa, the fishing competition series Top Hooker, the organized crime lifestyle docu-series I Married A Mobster, the crimes of passion show Scorned: Love Kills, the reality hit Gold Rush, and seasons four and five of River Monsters.

The Discovery Familia primetime slate include the original program 10 Years Younger, a makeover show that transforms style-challenged women who have let themselves go while raising a family. Also on the schedule is diet series Eat Yourself Sexy, mystery ailment show Mystery Diagnosis, and private eye series The Locator. The kids programming block will include the second seasons of Fishtronaut and My Big Big Friend.

CLARIFICATION MAY 17:

Discovery Communications originally stated that the show Earthflight resulted from a partnership with Google Earth, however the broadcaster has now clarified that the show only uses Google Earth technology – Google was not directly involved in the making of the show.

Tags: Batalla de Ingenios, Discovery U.S. Hispanic, Earthflight, Hard Kicks, North America, Upfronts 2012, Vivir para Contarlo

For more information in the Contact directory:
Discovery Networks Latin America