Carnival Corporation, Univision Announce Second Season of "La Gran Sorpresa"

Following highly popular inaugural season, travel program's second year will feature Univision star Clarissa Molina joining Poncho de Anda as co-hostSecond season launches with holiday special on Dec. 22 featuring Latino pop singer Nacho, followed by first show airing on Jan. 11

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Carnival Corporation & plc

Dec 06, 2018, 10:56 ET

MIAMI, Dec. 6, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), the world's largest leisure travel company, today announced that the second season of the popular series "La Gran Sorpresa" ("The Great Surprise"), produced in partnership with Univision Communications, Inc., will launch in festive style with a one-hour Christmas special airing December 22 at 10 p.m. ET/PT (9 p.m. CT) on the Univision Network.

The second season of "La Gran Sorpresa" will premiere on Univision's sister network UniMás on Fridays at 8 p.m. ET/ PT (7 p.m. CT) beginning January 11 with an encore on Univision Network on Sundays at 5 p.m. ET/ PT (4 p.m. CT) starting January 13.

The inaugural series was hosted by award-winning television host Poncho de Anda. In season two, he will be joined by Univision's "El Gordo y la Flaca" personality Clarissa Molina, who made her film-acting debut in November in the romantic comedy "Qué León" with Puerto Rican urban artist Ozuna.

The Christmas special, airing Saturday, December 22 on Univision Network, will feature a high-energy performance by Latin GRAMMY® Award winner Nacho. In addition, de Anda and Molina will recap the best moments from season one, take viewers behind the scenes on how the surprises came together and offer a sneak peek at the upcoming second season.

"La Gran Sorpresa" uses the power of travel to reunite families as they overcome hardships created by illness, separation and other challenges. For the new season, the series surprises a number of families as they sail aboard ships from Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises and Holland America Line – three of Carnival Corporation's nine global cruise line brands – to popular destinations including Ketchikan, Alaska; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Barcelona, Spain; and Monte Carlo.

"We are very excited to extend our partnership with Univision on 'La Gran Sorpresa' and build on the strong connection the show established in its first season with the Hispanic community," said John Padgett, chief experience and innovation officer for Carnival Corporation. "The show offers an authentic reflection of the positive impact cruise vacations can have and the way these extraordinary experiences unite families. We cannot wait to unveil the surprises in store in season two."

"We are proud to partner once again with Carnival Corporation and its award-wining cruise line brands to bring inspiring and powerful stories that resonate with our Hispanic audience," said Steve Mandala, president of ad sales and marketing, Univision. "The heartwarming narratives amongst stunning landscapes featured in the second season of 'La Gran Sorpresa' are truly spectacular, and we are thrilled to provide a front-row seat to our viewers for this unparalleled experience."

"La Gran Sorpresa" is the seventh Ocean Original series created by Carnival Corporation, and the fifth to appear on network or cable TV in the U.S. and the first to engage the growing Hispanic community in the U.S. The series builds on other Ocean Original series the company has produced and that have aired on network and cable TV in the U.S., and is part of its focus on expanding awareness of and increasing demand and consideration for cruise vacations.

The company currently produces three other travel series that appear weekly on ABC and NBC stations, and rank as number one or number two in their time slot. Cruise vacations continue to see strong growth every year, including a record 28 million guests expected across the industry in 2018, underscoring the popularity of cruises as one of the fastest-growing segments of the vacation industry. The strong ratings are further evidence that interest in cruise vacations continues to gain momentum.

Ocean Original series produced by Carnival Corporation and now in their third season include "Ocean Treks with Jeff Corwin" and "Vacation Creation" on ABC; and "The Voyager with Josh Garcia" on NBC.

As part of its effort to immerse guests in the travel experience, Carnival Corporation has launched OceanView^® Mobile – the first free travel app with originally produced content from a travel provider. The free streaming app features more than 100 Ocean Original episodes from the company's four original TV series, as well as two direct-to-digital streaming original series, "GO" and "Local Eyes." OceanView content is also available on more than 80 of the company's 103 cruise ships.

About Carnival Corporation & plc

Carnival Corporation & plc is the world's largest leisure travel company and among the most profitable and financially strong in the cruise and vacation industries, with a portfolio of nine of the world's leading cruise lines. With operations in North America, Australia, Europe and Asia, its portfolio features Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn, P&O Cruises (Australia), Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises, P&O Cruises (UK) and Cunard.

Together, the corporation's cruise lines operate 104 ships with 237,000 lower berths visiting over 700 ports around the world, with 21 new ships scheduled to be delivered through 2025. Carnival Corporation & plc also operates Holland America Princess Alaska Tours, the leading tour company in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon. Traded on both the New York and London Stock Exchanges, Carnival Corporation & plc is the only group in the world to be included in both the S&P 500 and the FTSE 100 indices.

In 2017, Fast Company recognized Carnival Corporation as being among the "Top 10 Most Innovative Companies" in both the design and travel categories. Fast Company specifically recognized Carnival Corporation for its work in developing Ocean Medallion™, a high-tech wearable device that enables the world's first interactive guest experience platform capable of transforming vacation travel into a highly personalized and elevated level of customized service.

Additional information can be found on www.carnival.com, www.fathom.org, www.hollandamerica.com, www.princess.com, www.seabourn.com, www.aida.de, www.costacruise.com, www.cunard.com, www.pocruises.com.au, and www.pocruises.com.

About Univision Communications Inc.

Univision is the leading media company serving Hispanic America. The company’s broadcast assets include Univision Network, one of the top television networks in the U.S. regardless of language and the most-watched Spanish-language broadcast network in the country; UniMás, a leading Spanish-language broadcast television network; and Univision Local Media, which owns and/or operates 64 television stations and 58 radio stations in major U.S. Hispanic markets and Puerto Rico. Univision Cable Networks consists of Univision Deportes Network (UDN), the most-watched Spanish-language sports cable network in the U.S.; Galavisión, the most-watched U.S. Spanish-language entertainment cable network; Univision tlnovelas, a 24-hour Spanish-language cable network dedicated to telenovelas; ForoTV, a 24-hour Spanish-language cable network dedicated to international news; and an additional suite of cable offerings – De Película, De Película Clásico, Bandamax, Ritmoson and Telehit. Univision’s cable portfolio also includes FUSION TV, an English-language news and lifestyle cable network; an investment in El Rey Network, a general entertainment English-language cable network. The company also owns and operates several premier digital destinations including Univision Now, a direct-to-consumer, on-demand and live streaming subscription service; Univision.com, the most-visited Spanish-language website among U.S. Hispanics; and Uforia, a digital music application featuring multimedia music content. The company’s assets also include the digital brands associated with the Gizmodo Media Group and The Onion. For more information, please visit corporate.univision.com.

SOURCE Carnival Corporation & plc