ABC network has announced it's intention to dub or subtitle all of its prime-time shows into Spanish, in order to win lucrative Hispanic market.

The women of Wisteria Lane will soon be known as Las Damas de Casa Desesperadas.

ABC had aired only the George Lopez Show, a sitcom, in both Spanish and English-language versions.

ABC is the first major American network that has made such a direct move to tempt Spanish-speaking viewers to its English-language programming.

Hispanics are the fastest-growing minority in the country. With a population of about 40 million, according to the 2003 census, people who originate from Spanish-speaking countries comprise 13.7% of the US population.


According to Stephen McPherson, ABC's entertainment president, the company "wanted to move beyond toe-dipping and really dive in".
"Almost half of the 41 million Hispanics in this country watch only or mostly Spanish-language television, and we want to bring that audience to ABC", he added.

McPherson has also told Reuters news agency that test screenings of Desperate Housewives to Spanish speakers had exceeded the network's expectations.

"The show couldn't have gotten more press last year, but we were screening for people who hadn't seen the show," he stated.
"What was really interesting was we were trying to ask questions about the differences in subtitles and dubbing, and all they wanted to know was how to get more copies and whether the DVD was going to be available in Spanish", McPherson concluded.