'Sabado Gigante' Canceled: Don Francisco-Hosted Show Ending in September 2015
Saturday nights are going to change for the many Latinos who have routinely tuned into Univision.
The successful, highly rated Univision variety show "Sabado Gigante" will end this fall, Univision announced Friday. The show enjoyed 53 years on the air.
"Sabado Gigante" was created and hosted by Don Francisco, a character created by Mario Kreutzberger. He started the show in Chile in 1962 and eventually brought it to the United States, specifically Miami, where the show is filmed.
Although the show will end on Sept. 19, Don Francisco will continue to offer his talent to Univision by hosting entertainment specials and campaigns, such as TeletónUSA. Francisco will also help Univision look for and develop new on-air talent and professionals.
Don Francisco and his team have worked to adapt the show over the years and have kept viewers tuned in. The show is still No. 1 on Saturday nights among Hispanics and has made history in the U.S. television industry.
The show includes a mixture of humor, amateur talent contests, audience games, celebrity interviews, Latin music stars and much more. Characters like La Cuatro and El Chacal became iconic, and even their catchphrases have become a part of popular culture.
"During my 40 years in the industry I have met few people with the same energy, creativity and passion for television and the audience as Mario, and I join in celebrating him and his team at 'Sábado Gigante' for the great success and the milestones achieved in broadcast television," said Randy Falco, president and CEO of Univision Communications Inc.
Alberto Ciurana, president of Programming and Content for Univision Communications Inc. also praised Don Francisco for being a "beloved entertainer ... and inspirational force in the television industry throughout his career."
Ciurana thanked Don Francisco for his decades of work on the show. He also said that he is grateful that Francisco will keep working for Univision.
"'Sábado Gigante' will forever be a staple in Hispanic television history, and we join Mario's fans in wishing him all the best as he enters his next chapter," Ciurana added.
Francisco thanked his team for the success of "Sabado Gigante."
"Over the past five decades, hundreds of professionals have been part of our 'Sábado Gigante' team, which allowed for the first 24 years of accolades in Chile, and the following 30 years of success in the United States and the world."
The reason for "Sabado Gigante" going off the air is unknown but ratings had been declining in recent years, according to Billboard.
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