Univision 41 top rated Saturday Nights.

Univision 41 (WXTV), New York’s premier Spanish-language TV station, is celebrating a number of notable records in the just-completed May Sweep period, the four contiguous springtime weeks in which the audiences of TV stations nationwide are measured to set advertising rates. The May 2006 sweep runs from April 27 to May 24, 2006.

Univision 41 is New York’s top rated TV station on Saturday nights regardless of language according to Nielsen Station Index (NSI) Local People Meter (LPM) ratings for the May 2006 sweep. For this feat Univision has the long-running hit, “Sabado Gigante,” seen Saturdays from 8 pm to 11 pm, to thank. “Sabado Gigante” with host Don Francisco is number one among New Yorkers aged 18 to 34 with 89,000 viewers (2.0 NSI LPM rating) and number one among New Yorkers aged 18 to 49 with 184,000 viewers (2.0 NSI LPM rating) regardless of language. That beats ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, and every other TV station or network in New York.

In more good news for Univision 41, its 6 pm local news is shaking up the traditional ABC, CBS, NBC news race. “Noticias Univision 41” (Univision 41 News) with anchors Rafael Pineda and Denisse Oller seen weekdays from 6 pm to 6:30 pm is number two among New Yorkers aged 18 to 35, 18 to 49, and 25 to 54 regardless of language. The Univision 41 newscast is seen by 46,000 (1.0 NSI) New Yorkers aged 18 to 34, 128,000 (1.4 NSI) aged 18 to 49, and 117,000 (1.3 NSI) New Yorkers aged 25 to 54 (tied with WNBC). WABC/7 leads in all three categories.

In New York’s prime time viewing race, Univision has jumped from seventh place to fifth in the May 2006 sweep compared to its performance in the May 2005 sweep among the key prime time audience group, viewers aged 18 to 49 regardless of language. Univision finished the May 2006 sweep in New York with an average of 163,000 viewers aged 18 to 49, a 1.8 rating. It beat The WB Network and UPN in New York as well as Telemundo. In May 2005, UPN was fifth, The WB was sixth, and Univision was seventh with 158,000 viewers, a 1.7 NSI rating.