Telemundo Media launches Digital & Social push for 2013 Billboard Latin Music Awards.

Telemundo Media announced the launch of multiple digital and social media initiatives in what represents its most ambitious effort to connect and engage with music fans during the broadcast of the 2013 Billboard Latin Music Awards airing tonight, Thursday April 25, at 7pm/6c live from the BankUnited Center at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. This year’s highly interactive initiatives include over six hours of live-streaming starting with the Red Carpet show, followed by a Social Media Reporter show presented by State Farm and Sprint’s Backstage Show. In addition, music fans will be able to tap the Awards show’s exclusive zeebox experience, participate in Pepsi and Trendrr’s “El Pulso”, take part in the show’s first-ever “Momento del Fan”, interact with Telemundo’s first Keek profile and view custom branded videos via Toyota’s mobile hub.

Below are highlights of Telemundo’s expanded digital and social media offerings:

As zeebox’s exclusive Hispanic partner, Telemundo kicks off its first 2013 initiative with the Latin Billboard Music Awards. This year, fans that download zeebox will be able to have an exclusive second-screen experience starting with the Red Carpet. As viewers at home watch artists being interviewed on TV, they can find out exactly what categories the artists are finalists in, as well as catch exclusive interviews from rehearsal week. During the awards, zeebox users can test their prediction skills and guess which artists win each category minutes prior to seeing the actual winner on-air. Inside the zeebox experience, users will also be able to watch the backstage livestream with artist interviews throughout the night, participate in “El Pulso” and share special graphics including some of the lyrics of key performances to their Twitter and Facebook profiles; all giving the zeebox users an exclusive engagement throughout the entire night.

Over six hours of Live-streaming starting from the Red Carpet (hosted by Al Rojo Vivo’s Quique Usales and KVEA’s Entertainment Reporter Jessica Carrillo), followed by the Social Media Reporter show presented by State Farm (hosted by Un Nuevo Día’s Alessandra Villegas and Telemundo.com’s Maxx Guetta) and culminating with Sprint’s Backstage Show (with co-host of La Voz Kids, Jorge Bernal, Jessica Carrillo, Maxx Guetta and radio personality Humberto “El Gato” Rodriguez).

Telemundo joined forces with Pepsi and Trendrr to bring music fans “El Pulso”, the most real-time buzz about their favorite stars at the Latin Billboard Music Awards. “El Pulso” will rank artists based on their Twitter popularity throughout the night. Fans will be invited to support their preferred artists and help them get to the top of the list, by tweeting them using #Billboards2013. Live fan tweets will also be curated and featured on-air throughout the show to make sure the TV viewers’ voice is represented.

For the first time in Spanish language television, Telemundo will present “El Momento del Fan”, a live segment on the awards show dedicated to music’s super-fans. Starting two weeks ago and through the first hour of the awards, @LatinBillboards will ask fans to send a picture with their favorite artist, using #Billboards2013. Select photos will be featured in a special visualization in one of the performances so that social media fans can have their “30 seconds of fame” during Latin music’s biggest night on Telemundo. Fans can also upload these photos via Instagram, using #Billboards2013.

Toyota has custom branded videos of celebrity interviews captured throughout the week via unprecedented access at rehearsals, red carpet and the Billboard Latin Music Awards.

As a celebration of launching its first Keek profile, Telemundo will upload special clips live from the Latin Billboard rehearsals. A special video was posted this week, to which followers replied via “keekbacks” with who they wanted to see. Telemundo will use this platform as a vehicle to provide users exclusive and real-time content from behind the scenes.