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Carnival Corp.'s latest TV programming ties in with Spanish-language Univision

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Carnival Corp. & plc is partnering with Univision Communications, the leading Spanish-language network in the US develop a prime-time series that uses travel to reunite families as they overcome hardships created by illness, separation and other challenges.

'La Gran Sorpresa' ('The Great Surprise') is a one-hour program is hosted by award-winning television personality Poncho de Anda. For the first six episodes, de Anda will be joined by personalities including Univision Deportes' Karina Banda, 'Despierta America's' Franscisca Lachapel and Maity Interiano, and Ligia Uriarte of Univision's primetime dramedy, 'Mi Marido Tiene Familia.'

The series surprises a number of families as they sail aboard ships of Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises and Holland America Line to destinations including Cozumel, Mahogany Bay in Honduras and and Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas.

'Our partnership with Carnival Corporation and its award-winning cruise line brands will further deepen their efforts by engaging Hispanic America with stories that resonate and unite families,' said Steve Mandala, president of advertising sales and marketing, Univision Communications.

'Showcasing the extraordinary experiences our guests enjoy while on a cruise vacation for a full hour in prime time will position us to significantly expand the awareness of and demand for cruising within a burgeoning demographic that inherently values everything cruise vacations represent—family, friends, culture and fun,' added John Padgett, chief experience and innovation officer, Carnival Corp.

'La Gran Sorpresa' is the seventh Ocean Original series created by Carnival Corp., the fifth to appear on network or cable TV in the US and the first to engage the growing US Hispanic community. The aim is to expand awareness cruising and increase demand.

The company currently produces three other travel series that appear weekends on ABC and NBC stations, and rank as number one or number two in their time slot. Ocean Original series now in their second season include 'Ocean Treks with Jeff Corwin' and 'Vacation Creation with Tommy Davidson and Andrea Feczko' on ABC and 'The Voyager with Josh Garci'" on NBC.

In the fall, Carnival Corp. announced it had created OceanView, an over the top digital streaming channel, free on major digital streaming platforms Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and Roku. The streaming channel features more than 100 Ocean Original episodes plus two new 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.