In this study we present and discuss p-n heterostructures for photodetection. The hybrid structures consist of CeO2:ZnO-Cu2O, featuring different concentrations of CeO2, fabricated by using hydrothermal co-growth for CeO2 and ZnO, and sputtering deposition for Cu2O. As the concentration of CeO2 in the ZnO pristine nanorods was increased, the structural, optical and functional features of the materials showed relevant changes, in terms of crystalline domains and optical bandgap. After Cu2O deposition, the ternary materials were tested as UV photodectors, showing very good performance in terms of fast response and decay times. Specifically, we found that the CeO2:ZnO-Cu2O devices maintain a stable current under light irradiation, whose value was dependent on the CeO2 amount incorporated in the ZnO 1D nanostructures. Among all tested configurations, the 5.5 % hybrid CeO2:ZnO-Cu2O exhibits the highest current efficiency, accompanied by rapid rise and decay times. Our investigation suggests that the CeO2:ZnO-Cu2O configuration holds great potential for optoelectronic applications, particularly in the development of UV photodetectors.