Don Francisco quit "Sábado Gigante" eight months ago, but it appears a multi-year offer from NBC Universal was enough to coax him out of retirement.

The iconic Chilean television host is making the jump to Telemundo as part of a revamped Sunday primetime lineup, network executives announced Monday during NBC's Upfront presentation in New York City. The new slate features a kids' talent show, a show with extraordinary animals, and Francisco's eponymous talk show "Don Francisco Te Invita."

Unlike the Univision program he headlined for 53 years, Francisco's newest venture will substitute zany antics for interviews and games with featured guests.

As Telemundo Network President Luis Silberwasser put it, this is one of numerous measures NBC Universal is taking in appealing to the country's ever-growing Hispanic community.

"Our programming strategy, fortified by the success of Super Series and bio-musicals, has strengthened our positions as the network that is redefining Hispanic TV with innovative formats and original productions," Silberwasser said in a press statement. Our strategy of bringing new ideas, stories, and formats to Hispanic viewers is working, and will stay on that path."

Reaching Bilingual Viewers

Producers are differentiating themselves from rival Univision by creating content that appeals to U.S.-born Spanish speakers.

Whereas many of Univision's lengthy dramas are filmed in Mexico, Telemundo's programs will run between 60 to 80 episodes, with stories that resonate with many of the network's bilingual viewers.

Telemundo delved into Spanish musical dramas last year -- some based on the lives of Latino singers Juan Gabriel and Celia Cruz -- to considerable success. Their newest venture "Guerra de Idolos" follows suit -- and somewhat resembles "Empire," -- in telling the story of dysfunctional, yet successful managers behind a family-owned music business.

Instead of airing miniseries' and dramas nightly, a tradition among Spanish-language networks, some will air weekly as to give viewers less of an obligation.

Drug lord drama "El Senor de los Cielos" returns for a fifth season, this time with a spinoff titled "El Chema." Bio-series "Hugo Chavez, El Comandente" explores corrupt former Venezuela President Hugo Chavez, and miniseries "El Cesar" tells the rags-to-riches story of Mexico-born boxer Julio Cesar Chavez.

Telemundo partner network NBC Universo has it's own share of bilingual-driven content. Apart from airing season three of the wildly popular "Walking Dead" series, they will premiere a realty show based on late Latina singer Jenni Rivera's family. "The Riveras" is an English-language show with Spanish subtitles.

Why Networks Should Target Latinos

A 2011 Nielsen study found 78 percent of Spanish-language-dominant homes viewed television in Spanish. Only three percent of English-language-dominant homes tuned to these programs.

The Latino demographic is detrimental to television networks' longevity. They need compelling content trumping what streaming services offer, given that Spanish programming doesn't exist on services like Hulu and Netflix.

Only 75 percent of the country's top 200 advertisers invested in Spanish-language networks, according to Nielsen. This, despite estimates that Latinos have more than a $1 trillion in purchasing power and will account for 30 percent of the U.S. population by 2050.