I recently read this Ad Age article regarding the popularity of Univision’s content on YouTube. It focuses on how popular certain network content is on YouTube. A major point is how Univision’s telenovelas (Latin soap operas) are the most popular fare by far.

Number of views of clips from the 10 most-pirated shows on each major network

1. Univision: 583,750,247 views
2. Fox: 289,074,325 views
3. ABC: 260,299,418 views
4. CBS: 127,334,729 views
5. NBC: 120,890,835 views

However, as one of the commentators noted, many of the Univision videos didn’t seem to come from that network since they had an embedded logo bug for El Canal de las Estrellas, Televisa-owned Channel 2 from Mexico. It is easy to confuse the two network since they broadcast many of the same telenovelas, produced in Mexico and very popular with Univision’s Hispanic audience as well as in many other foreign markets.

As I searched YouTube’s site for telenovelas I also noticed that many of these telenovela videos were hosted by a few specialty YouTube ‘channels,’ who seemed to specialize in the telenovela genre.

1. Laurisgar: 1,415 videos
2. Tvnovelasmx: 1,414 videos
3. Mundomexicotv: 1,077 videos
4. Felsesnovela: 418 videos
5. rBd24RbD: 434 videos

The hosts of these channels seemed to be based in Mexico, and some of them even explained how they posted the videos ‘as soon as the programs were transmitted’ by Canal 2 in Mexico. What I also found noteworthy was although these channels were posting from Mexico, their material appeared to attract more traffic from outside that country. For example, Laurisgar channel is currently ranked as the #5 YouTube channel worlwide, but it doesn’t even place in the Mexican rankings (YouTube channel rankings after changing the ‘country of content preference’). I believe this is because Televisa recently launched in October 2008 its own online video site, TVolucion, similar to Hulu, where Mexican viewers are watching their telenovelas. Also similar to Hulu, this site cannot be utilized by outside of its home country so ‘foreign’ Televisa telenovela fans need to get their fix elsewhere, hence YouTube’s attraction.

However, as the Ad Age also mentions, this situation will probably not last much longer. Univision doesn’t host any digital video online since the rights have not been cleared, and are expected to be settled within a month. Also, just last month, Univision named Kevin Conroy, recently AOL’s executive VP of Global Proudcts and Marketing, to be the President of Univision Interactive Media. Expect further developments from Univision soon, as well as clean-up of YouTube’s telenovela material.