Roku expands Spanish original content

Roku is teaming up with Jennifer Lopez, Jaime Camil and Juanpa Zurita as it expands its Roku Originals in Spanish.

Lopez brings back Thanks a Million as Un Millón de Gracias for a third season and shot entirely in Spanish featuring 10 celebrities that will give away $100,000 to someone that has inspired them. Celebrity guests include Chiquis, Gina Torres, Jaime Camil, Javier “Chicharito” Hernández, Lauren Jauregui, Michael Peña, Michelle Rodriguez, Pau Gasol, Sofia Reyes, and Wilmer Valderrama.

Camil will narrate and executive produce Desde La Raíz that explores the origins of Mexican products like coffee, chile, corn and mezcal.

Social media star Zurita will face challenges in each episode of Carpe DM with Juanpa as he pushes his body and mind to the limit across the United States.

“The deep engagement we have seen within the Spanish-language content category on The Roku Channel in the U.S., as well as the exceptional growth of the service in Mexico, are all signs of the strong appetite for free ad-supported streaming amongst Spanish-speaking and bilingual audiences,” said David Eilenberg, Head of Content, Roku Media.

Eilenberg continued, “We’re committed to delivering high-quality, culturally relevant original programming to tens of millions of viewers, and we are thrilled to welcome such an exceptional new group of on-camera and off-camera creative voices to our Roku Originals lineup.”

The Roku Channel launched Espacio Latino in June 2022 to help users find Spanish-language content. Existing Roku Originals titles are available for audiences to watch in Spanish and are very popular with users.

In the second half of last year, Roku’s Spanish-language Roku Originals made Roku a top-three Spanish-language content provider by reach on The Roku Channel. It was in October 2022 when The Roku Channel launched in Mexico and it quickly became Roku’s largest international market.

Find out more about the new shows below.

Carpe DM with Juanpa
Can I fly a jet, ride a bull, jump a Monster Truck? A lot of us have these strange curiosities buried in the back of our minds or saved in our inboxes for later. Yet we do nothing.

Mexican adventurer, social media star, and actor Juanpa Zurita is out to change that. In each episode of the bilingual series Carpe DM with Juanpa, he will face challenges that push his body and mind to the limit all across the United States. Along the way, Juanpa will show all of us the transformative power of stepping outside your comfort zone and bringing your inner adventurer to life.

The six-episode series is produced by INE Entertainment and ARCO. Eric Day, Mark Koops, and Sarah Davies executive produce for INE. Juanpa Zurita and Brenda Tubilla executive produce for ARCO. Dave Lingwood is also set to executive produce.

Desde la Raíz
“Desde la Raíz” means “from the root.” With the help of narrator and executive producer Jaime Camil, the docu-series Desde la Raíz explores, in its first season, the origins and meaning of quintessential Mexican products like coffee, chile, corn, and mezcal. “It’s a love letter to México and some of the country’s richest heritage and legendary commodities,” said Camil.

The Mexican-born actor-producer Jaime Camil is an international superstar and one of the most beloved Mexicans in his country, starring in award-winning films (“7 DÍAS,” “Pulling Strings,” “200 Cartas”), mega-hit telenovelas (“Por Ella Soy Eva,” “La Fea Más Bella”) and U.S. series and films including “Jane the Virgin,” “Schmigadoon!,” “KIMI,” and soon-to-be-released “SNAG.” He has also recorded four platinum selling albums and led many musicals in Mexico City and the U.S. Jaime also voiced Papá in the Disney-Pixar Academy Award-winning animated feature “Coco,” which is one of the top-grossing films of all time in Mexico.

The four-episode series is produced and directed by Paulina Gamiz for Cultura Contrabando and Gus Sánchez for Low Budget Films, with Jaime Camil’s ECABA and Zero Gravity Management’s Ray Jimenez also serving as executive producers. Paulina’s keen eye for capturing intimate human stories and her ability to evoke deep emotions through visual storytelling is complemented by Gus’s exceptional technical prowess and ability to create visually stunning sequences that leave a lasting impact.

The series will be shot in several iconic places throughout the gorgeous Mexican landscape and Los Angeles.

Serenata De Las Estrellas
Hosted by Julissa Bermudez, Serenata De Las Estrellas is a feel-good series that beautifully captures how music can lift us up.

“Serenata De Las Estrellas” enlists some of the biggest acts in Latin music to surprise deserving participants with a life-changing gift and performance that they’ll never forget. Featured artists include singer Chiquis, rapper and singer Snow Tha Product, and rock bands Los Lobos and Ozomatli.

The four-episode series is produced by Den of Thieves. Greice Santo, RJ Cipriani, as well as Jesse Ignjatovic, Evan Prager, Jared Morell, and Jordan Barrow for Den of Thieves, serve as executive producers. Gil Lopez serves as executive producer and showrunner.

La Divina Comida
Each episode of La Divina Comida features a celebrity opening their homes to a group of fellow competitor celebrities as they face off to prove who is the best dinner party host.

Each dinner party will feature four celebrities, the host, and three attendees. The dinner party hosts will be judged not only by their culinary skills, but also by how prepared they are to serve and receive their guests.

Featured celebrity dinner party hosts include Alex Lora, Belinda, Carlos Gatica, Dulce María, Emmanuel, Erik Rubín, Faisy, Itatí Cantoral, José Ángel Bichir, Karol Sevilla, Manu Nna, Margarita The Cumbia Goddess, María León, Michelle Rodríguez, Rafa Márquez, and Verónica Toussaint.

The sixteen-episode series is produced by WarnerMedia Discovery for HBOmax Latin America, and Fernanda Huerta and Edmundo Mora serve as executive producers. It is based on the original format “Celebrity Come Dine With Me,” which is produced for Channel 4 and E4 in the U.K. by MultiStory Media and is distributed internationally by ITV Studios.

Roku Original La Divina Comida will only be available on The Roku Channel in the U.S.

Batalla en Abuela’s Kitchen
Hosted by Colombian influencer Mario Ruiz, Batalla en Abuela’s Kitchen is a cooking competition show that challenges up-and-coming Gen-Z chefs to bring new twists to traditional Latin dishes. The young chefs must prove their culinary prowess against the kitchen’s biggest boss: ABUELA! While there is a friendly rivalry, at its heart, “Batalla en Abuela’s Kitchen” brings together multigenerational chefs through culinary traditions.

In each episode, three Gen-Z chefs face off against each other before the final two contestants compete against an experienced Abuela chef. Featured Abuela chefs include Carla Dawkins (Panama), Eneida Mascetti, (Puerto Rico), Patty Lavalle (Mexico). Chef Margarita Bernal (Colombia), Chef Adolfo Cavalie (Peru), and Chef Octavio Ortega (Mexican) serve as judges.

The six-episode series is created by Dhana Media and executive produced with Allied Management Group. Mari Urdaneta and Liliana Moyano serve as executive producers for Dhana Media; John Pollak serves as executive producer for Allied Management Group; and Luis Balaguer also serves as executive producer. Moira Noriega serves as showrunner and executive producer.

The series launches on June 9 on The Roku Channel in the U.S. and Mexico.

Un Millón de Gracias
Un Millón de Gracias is the third season of English-language Roku Original series Thanks a Million, executive produced by Jennifer Lopez.

Shot entirely in Spanish for the first time, the new season features 10 grateful celebrities, who will each give away $100,000 to someone who has inspired them by being a hero to their community. The catch: That person must give half away to someone they’re grateful to, continuing the chain of kindness.

Celebrities featured in the “pay-it-forward chain” include Chiquis, Gina Torres, Jaime Camil, Javier “Chicharito” Hernández, Lauren Jauregui, Michael Peña, Michelle Rodriguez, Pau Gasol, Sofia Reyes, and Wilmer Valderrama.

The 10-episode series is produced by B17 Entertainment and Nuyorican Productions, with Jennifer Lopez, as well as Rhett Bachner, Brien Meagher, and Aliyah Silverstein for B17 Entertainment and Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas and Larry Del Santo for Nuyorican Productions, serving as executive producers. Alex Davies serves as executive producer and showrunner.

The series launches on August 11 on The Roku Channel in the U.S. and at a later date in Mexico. Deadline