It was a bittersweet end for “Sábado Gigante.” Don Francisco’s final show got great ratings, but it also meant the longtime staff and crew would be out of a job.
“Sábado Gigante ¡Hasta Siempre!” attracted 6.7 million viewers who tuned in to all or part of the final three and half hour live broadcast and averaged 3.4 million Total Viewers 2+, nearly 1.4 million Adults 18-49 and 666,000 young Adults 18-34.
Although a company spokesperson refused to acknowledge how many people were employed on the show and how many lost their jobs, a “Sábado Gigante” staffer with knowledge of the situation confirmed more than 100 people worked on the weekly program and that most did not get reassigned within the network.
The longest-running variety show on television in the world, according to the Guinness Book of Records, “Sábado Gigante” aired for a total of 53 years.
Mario Kreutzberger, better known as Don Francisco, started hosting the show in his native Chile before it debuted on Univision in 1986. The network canceled the show in April.
On September 26, the first Saturday after the show’s final episode, Univision will air the documentary “El Último Gigante” (The Last Giant), an in-depth biography of Mario Kreutzberger, revealing intimate details of his life and humble beginnings, leading up to his start as a television personality.
“El Último Gigante” airs Saturday, September 26, 2015 at 8:55 pm ET/PT (7:55 p.m. CT)
Local ratings highlights:
“Sábado Gigante ¡Hasta Siempre!” made Univision the No. 1 broadcast station in the 8:00pm-11:30pm time period among:
- Viewers 2+ in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, San Francisco and Sacramento
- Young Adults 18-34 in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Houston, Chicago, San Francisco, Phoenix and Sacramento
- Adults 18-49 in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Houston, San Francisco, Phoenix and Sacramento
“Sábado Gigante ¡Hasta Siempre!” ranked as the No. 1 broadcast program in primetime on Saturday among:
- Viewers 2+ in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, San Francisco, Phoenix and Sacramento
- Young Adults 18-34 in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Houston, Chicago, San Francisco, Phoenix and Sacramento
- Adults 18-49 in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Houston, San Francisco, Phoenix and Sacramento
Source: The Nielsen Company, NSI (09/19/15), “Sábado Gigante” aired Saturday 8:00-11:30pm E/PT, 7:00-10:30p.m. CT. Primetime is defined as ABC/CBS/NBC/IND/SLTV Saturday 8:00p.m.-11:00p.m. (7:00p.m.-10:00p.m. CT) and FOX/CW Saturday 8:00p.m.-10:00p.m. (7:00p.m.-9:00p.m. CT). Live+SD. Rankings based on average impressions.
Source: Nielsen, NPM, Saturday (09/19/2015) 8:00pm-11:28pm. Univision’s “Sábado Gigante: Hasta Siempre” based on NPM Fast National Ratings and English-language broadcast networks and Telemundo based on NPM Fast Affiliate Ratings. Reach based on NPM Fast Cume, Persons 2+, 6+ minute qualified audience (short term and long term visitors included). Live+SD.