Don Francisco is going back to the network that made him a household name in Spanish language television. TelevisaUnivision confirmed Wednesday that "GIGANTES con Don Francisco" will premiere in October on Univision, marking the 85 year old broadcaster's first regular series on the network since "Sábado Gigante" signed off in 2015.

Mario Kreutzberger, who performs under the name Don Francisco, created "Sábado Gigante" in Chile in 1962 and carried it to Univision's Miami studios in 1986, where it ran another 29 years and became the network's longest running program, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The show closed out its 53 year run on September 19, 2015, with a farewell broadcast that included recorded messages from Shakira and Marc Anthony and an appearance by former Univision anchor Jorge Ramos. Kreutzberger later moved to Telemundo, where he hosted the talk and variety show "Don Francisco Te Invita" from 2016 until its cancellation in 2018, according to Media Moves. Univision first signaled a reunion in May, when TelevisaUnivision told advertisers at its 2026-27 Upfront that Don Francisco would return with a new interview series, though it withheld the title, premiere date and guest list at the time, as Forbes reported from the presentation in New York.

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Don Francisco Builds a New Format Around One on One Conversation

Wednesday's announcement fills in the gaps from May. "GIGANTES con Don Francisco" will feature the host in extended conversations with what TelevisaUnivision describes as major figures from Latin music, sports and entertainment, each episode built around interviews, a live band, reunions with the guest's family and friends, and the chance to win cash prizes and a car. The network says the format leans on nostalgia while aiming for a bigger production scale than a standard interview show. Don Francisco framed the return in personal terms. "Returning to Univision brings a sense of emotion and nostalgia, but above all, it is an opportunity to reconnect with the audience that accompanied us for so many years and with many of the great artists who were part of our history. It will be a reunion between what we experienced together and who we are today. I am very happy to reconnect with you," he said.

GIGANTES con Don Francisco Extends TelevisaUnivision's Push Into ViX

The series also fits into TelevisaUnivision's broader streaming strategy. Full episodes of "GIGANTES con Don Francisco" will land on ViX the day after each television broadcast, with highlights and additional material distributed across Univision's social and digital platforms. That day after streaming window mirrors how the company has been positioning ViX alongside its broadcast slate throughout 2026, a year in which the platform has also leaned on short form vertical titles to reach younger viewers. TelevisaUnivision has not yet named guests or set an exact premiere date for "GIGANTES con Don Francisco," saying only that both will be announced soon.

Don Francisco's return lands at a moment when TelevisaUnivision is betting on familiar faces and live formats to hold Hispanic audiences against a crowded streaming field. "Sábado Gigante" spent decades building the kind of multigenerational following that few current shows can claim, and "GIGANTES con Don Francisco" is a test of whether that connection still translates once the format shrinks from a three hour variety show to a single guest conversation. The next real signal will come once Univision names who sits across from him first.