Don Francisco says it's time to close Sabado Gigante with dignity

After receiving standing ovation from his emotional audience, Don Francisco, the popular host of Sabado Gigante, tried to explain why television's longest-running show is now coming to an end.

Created by its boisterous host, the weekly three-hour show, which means "Giant Saturday" in English, has long been Univision's most popular programme. But on Friday, Univision announced its last show would be September 19.

"As many of you know, yesterday Univision announced that after 53 years on the air, our programme will close at the end of this season," Francisco said on Saturday to his audience, some of them in tears.

"This Sabado Gigante allowed all of us who work here to fulfil impossible dreams, and it is the time to end this story with dignity, at the best level ... and with the highest ratings. We are second, first, third nationally every week. Times have changed, we know that, and because of that we need to look for new challenges," he added.

"To us, I reiterate, this is not a moment of sadness. On the contrary, this is a moment of triumph," the Chilean-born Francisco said.

With an average of 2.2 million viewers, the show remains No 1 on Saturday nights among Hispanics in the United States and was up this season among younger viewers, according to the Nielsen company. The show also is broadcast to more than a dozen countries throughout Latin America.