Univision Communications Inc launches UVideos App for BlackBerry 10

NEW YORK and WATERLOO, ON – BlackBerry® (NASDAQ: BBRY; TSX: BB) and Univision Communications Inc. (UCI), the leading media company serving Hispanic America, on Monday (26) announced that Univision has purchased 2,000 BlackBerry® Q10 smartphones to upgrade all corporate issued BlackBerry smartphones. In addition to upgrading their entire mobile fleet, Univision is offering new BlackBerry® 10 apps on the BlackBerry® World™ storefront.

Univision has more than 60 local broadcast TV stations and nearly 70 radio stations, and uses BlackBerry as the backbone of their enterprise mobility and app development roadmap. When evaluating the latest smartphones available in today’s competitive marketplace, Univision chose to invest in BlackBerry because of the clear enterprise-ready benefits, including security, user experience and total cost of ownership.

“The new BlackBerry 10 operating system is an enterprise-friendly and enterprise-ready platform for getting things done,” said Univision CIO Christopher Furst. “BlackBerry has listened to the functionality we have asked for and continues to develop products that enable Univision to support employees working remotely.”

With BlackBerry Q10 smartphones, Univision employees have the classic BlackBerry QWERTY keyboard, re-engineered with predictive typing that’s paired with a touchscreen display. Employees are able to continue to be efficient in the workplace no matter where they are with features such as super-fast browsing speeds and Documents To Go that enable customers to update charts in spreadsheets, make last minute edits to documents and give interactive presentations. BlackBerry® Balance™ also enables employees to access both personal and work data, without compromising security.

“At BlackBerry, our goal is to arm enterprise customers such as Univision with a mobile platform that keeps them moving and connected to their business,” said Stephen Bates, Senior Vice President of Global Enterprise Accounts at BlackBerry. “Univision has an international, fast-paced workforce and that’s why they chose BlackBerry 10 as their mobile device platform. The BlackBerry Q10 smartphone’s advanced hardware, communications and multimedia features, along with long battery life, means employees can confidently stay ahead and take action all day long.”

Univision’s BlackBerry 10 App Offering

The desire for culturally relevant digital video for Hispanics is at its peak as more than 75 percent of the U.S. Hispanic population own a smartphone and consumption of online video has soared 282 percent over the last five years. Through the UVideos app offering on BlackBerry World, customers can now enjoy thousands of hours of the most popular content among Hispanics in both Spanish and English on BlackBerry 10 smartphones.

About BlackBerry

A global leader in wireless innovation, BlackBerry® revolutionized the mobile industry when it was introduced in 1999. Today, BlackBerry aims to inspire the success of our millions of customers around the world by continuously pushing the boundaries of mobile experiences. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, BlackBerry operates offices in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. BlackBerry is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market (NASDAQ: BBRY) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: BB). For more information, visit www.blackberry.com.

About Univision Communications Inc.

Univision Communications Inc. (UCI) is the leading media company serving Hispanic America. Its assets include Univision Network, one of the top five networks in the U.S. regardless of language and the most-watched Spanish-language broadcast television network in the country reaching 96% of U.S. Hispanic households; UniMás, a leading Spanish-language broadcast television network reaching 89% of U.S. Hispanic households; Univision Cable Networks, including Galavisión, the country’s leading Spanish-language cable network, as well as Univision tlnovelas, a 24-hour cable network dedicated to novelas, Univision Deportes Network, a 24-hour cable network dedicated to sports, ForoTV, a 24-hour Spanish-language cable network dedicated to news, and an additional suite of six cable offerings – De Película, De Película Clásico, Bandamax, Ritmoson, Telehit and Distrito Comedia; UVideos, the first bilingual digital network serving Hispanic America; Univision Studios, which produces and co-produces reality shows, dramatic series and other programming formats for the Company’s platforms; Univision Television Group, which owns and/or operates 62 television stations in major U.S. Hispanic markets and Puerto Rico; Univision Radio, the leading Hispanic radio group which owns and/or operates 69 radio stations in 16 of the top 25 U.S. Hispanic markets and Puerto Rico; Univision Interactive, a network of products and offerings including Univision.com, which continues to be the No. 1 most-visited Spanish-language website among U.S. online Hispanics, Univision Móvil, a longstanding industry-leader with unique, relevant mobile products and services, and Univision Partner Group, a specialized advertising and publisher network. Headquartered in New York City, UCI has television network operations in Miami and television and radio stations and sales offices in major cities throughout the United States. For more information, please visit Univision.net

Related story:

Built for BlackBerry reintroduced to the developer community

BlackBerry  re-launched the “Built for BlackBerry” program for developers, which rewards apps that embody the BlackBerry 10 signature app experience with a designation of “Built for BlackBerry

The re-launch of Built for BlackBerry seeks to establish a strong platform for developers, as well as deliver a signature BlackBerry 10 experience to all customers. The BlackBerry 10 experience requires vendors to abide by BlackBerry 10 guidelines in order to deliver a familiar experience to consumers without complicating BlackBerry app development. The revitalized effort hopes to create a basis for partnerships with developers, expand quality and function of apps, as well as serve as a medium to further propel business success. In addition to its proposed goals, BlackBerry has created a set of criteria that establishes requirements for developers in an effort to provide clarity, as well as maintain quality and performance of apps on BlackBerry World.

By building a signature BlackBerry 10 experience, the needs of both developers and customers are readily achieved through a single platform. This experience integrates BlackBerry HUB and OS, providing users with seamless performance and at the same time, increasing the percentage of apps available to BlackBerry users. By fusing the needs of customers and establishing a framework for app development, apps can readily become more discoverable and meet the diverse needs of BlackBerry users.

The link between developers and BlackBerry not only serves to increase the percentage of apps and maintain performance standards, but also strives to increase app exposure by regular placement on BlackBerry World carousels and microbanners. The implementation of the BlackBerry 10 experience is simple to use and makes it accessible for native, HTML5, and Air apps.

Since its inception, daily downloads have increased by 230% and paid daily revenue have increased by nearly 190%. By establishing set criteria, developers can easily achieve Built for BlackBerry status, a designation that demonstrates to consumers that BlackBerry apps deliver a signature BlackBerry 10 experience

Currently, more than 500 BlackBerry World apps have met the Built for BlackBerry criteria and have received designation. By promoting such apps and cultivating relationships with developers, BlackBerry users and developers can converge on a single platform that extends the signature BlackBerry 10 experience.

For more information, visit the dedicated site at:  http://developer.blackberry.com/builtforblackberry