2019
17th Annual Hispanic Television Summit, New York, October 30th
beIN SPORTS: offering the best live sports
Condista: 20 years at the forefront
Edye: SVOD for preschoolers in Spanish
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pp. 18 and 19
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VIPS
Lisette Osorio
Adapting to the needs of each territory For Lisette Osorio, VP International Sales at Caracol Television, that is celebrating this year its 50th anniversary, new possibilities have opened up. “We found that the international market´s new dynamics enable the existence of a greater diversity of formats for different platforms. This scenario has opened the doors for us to new creative possibilities, to which we are responding together with our producer and our digital team, adapting to the needs of each territory,” expresses Osorio.
César Conde
Telemundo partners with Quibi to produce daily news programming Telemundo partnered with Quibi to produce daily news programming for the mobile platform when it launches in April 2020. As a part of the partnership, Telemundo is developing two exclusive shows for Quibi’s curated news and entertainment programming, Daily Essentials for the Hispanic audience. “Telemundo’s partnership with Quibi is a great example of our company’s commitment to continue innovating and providing multi-platform news content to our growing audience at a time when they need it most,” mentioned César Conde, Chairman NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises and NBCUniversal International Group.
Adrián Santucho
Alliances are key for expansion Amidst an expansion stage, 360 Powwow adds the executive Adrián Santucho to its roster as Chief Creative Officer (CCO) and announces several ongoing projects in the areas of fiction and unscripted. “We are super focused on the number of opportunities that are appearing in the market. We are in a moment of expansion when we believe alliances are the key and for this, we are working with a team of writers led by Andrés Gelós and Natacha Caravia, on the scripted side. We continue with the alliance that 3CV had with Sinapsis, we will bring it to Powwow and continue working on non-scripted,” expressed Santucho enthusiastically.
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CHIEF-EDITOR: Ríchard Izarra MAIN EDITOR: Maribel Ramos-Weiner EDITORS: Marcela Tedesco, Cynthia Plohn, Jaime Quintero, Cristian Vergara Vargas, Aliana González, Miryana Márquez, Manuela Walfenzao, Mairim Unamo, Maye Albornoz, Erika Della Giacoma, Ernesto Ecarri, Fernando Moura, Carmen Pizano, Alfredo Yánez, Florantonia Singer TRANSLATION: MarÍa Carolina Leandro NOVELAS AL AIRE: Federico Bianchi SALES & CUSTOMER SERVICE: Roko Izarra, Sebastián Novacovsky, Mara Fernández, Amy Ibar, Javier Adrián PRODUCTION: Andrea Jurado DATA: Sonia González, Melba González, Ricardo Pacheco, Andrea Heneche, Andrea D'Marco ADMINISTRATION: Luis Gomes, Desirée Vásquez, Luciana Conde, Gueilyn Méndez ART: Beatriz Díaz H. PHOTOS & VIDEOS: Ida Febres, Alfredo Piñero, Manuel Mejía, Jesús Ramírez, Alioth Chacón SYSTEMS: Miguel Tortello SUSCRIPTION: María Alejandra Pacheco, Enza Mobilia, Joe Justiniano SOCIAL MEDIA: Maye Albornoz, Érika Díaz, Geanfranco Gerardi, Kyria Vásquez
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VIPS Gustavo Ordóñez
The reinvention of a whole genre Gustavo Ordóñez, SVP, Programming, and Research at Univision, highlights that El Dragón, a W Studios production together with Lemon Studios, brings the reinvention of a whole genre. “We feel there is going to be a watershed in the history of TV, that is why we have promoted this series as the most important in modern TV,” commented and added that they are hoping this production helps Univision reach its 28th consecutive season in the first audience place.
Ailing Zubizarreta
Hyperfocus on Generation Alpha After the great reception of the productions of the children’s division of Cisneros Media with projects such as Zoofari for Nickelodeon US and Nick Jr. Latin America; as well as Opa Aventuras for Nat Geo Lab, the company is focused on developing original properties in this area, to be able to sell them to multiple windows and build their own catalog. “Right now we are hyper-focused on Generation Alpha and in digital content, even if it is for linear,” says Ailing Zubizarreta, VP Creative Services and Content Development at Mobius.Lab Media.
Greg Hart
Prime Video Channels for Mexico Amazon launched Prime Video Channels for Mexico. “By simplifying our customers’ entertainment experience all within the Prime Video app, we can make it even easier for them to select, subscribe and enjoy their favorite TV shows and movies from our channel providers” said Greg Hart, VP of Amazon Prime Video. The first channels to be available will be HBO, STARZPLAY, Paramount+, MGM, TV Azteca, Acorn TV, Pongalo, Noggin, CBeebies and Love Nature.
Karina Dolgiej
BBC Studios’ new VP of Content Sales for US Hispanic & LatAm Global content leader BBC Studios has appointed Karina Dolgiej as VP of Content Sales. In this role, which reports to SVP & General Manager, Latin America and U.S Hispanic James Wildbore, Dolgiej will be responsible for ensuring optimal distribution of BBC Studios’ content across broadcast and digital channels in Spanish-speaking Latin America and the U.S. Hispanic market, as well as overseeing the sales teams in Miami and Mexico City.
TV SUMMIT 2019: Portada: Vme • Gatefold: Condista • 2-3: RCN • 9: Atresmedia Internacional • 11: SOMOS Next •17: MEXICANAL • 23: Ve Plus • 27: PRODU • 33: CNN en Español • Contraportada: Bein Sports
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VIPS
Andrew Semchenko
Learning English while enjoying favorite movies Following its teaching concept of combining education with leisure, the English Club TV Team released its new Film Set program. This show was specifically developed for the Entertainment slot of the channel for viewers to learn English while enjoying their favorite movies. “In this program you will watch some of the finest films from all over the world. In addition, you will learn some fun trivia about each movie and test your language skills in a more informal way. Comedy, drama, romance, thriller, sci-fi and so on –each viewer will find what he loves to perfect his English skills,” said Andrew Semchenko, CEO of the English Club TV Group.
Carolina Angarita
Content and commercial partnership Colombia’s Canal 1 has entered into a content and commercial partnership deal with Discovery through which some of their most popular programs will air on Canal 1 during select dayparts throughout the week. “This partnership highlights the great value of our pay TV content and is also incredibly exciting news for our local ad partners, as it will enable us to leverage our state-of-the-art technology and Canal 1’s reach, connecting advertisers in Colombia in an innovative and efficient way,” said Carolina Angarita Barrientos, General Manager of Discovery Colombia.
Alejandro Rincón
Development deal Endemol Shine Boomdog has signed an overall development deal with actress and producer Kate Del Castillo and her Cholawood Productions team. “We are thrilled to be developing content with Kate and her team that she can both produce and star in. We already have some very promising projects that we will be bringing to the marketplace in the near future,” says Alejandro Rincón, CEO, Endemol Shine Boomdog. Del Castillo will both produce and star in projects that will be jointly developed between Endemol Shine Boomdog and Cholawood Productions.
Ana Bond
Real life drama Sony Pictures Television (SPT) acquired the rights to tell the story of the professional bicycle rider Rigoberto Urán, who will be the center of the project produced by SPT and shot in Colombia and several countries in Europe under the leadership of Ana Bond, SVP and General Director, International Production for Latin America and US Hispanic. Andrés López (El Cartel de los Sapos, El Señor de los Cielos) will write the project. “We are deeply excited to work with Rigo in the production of this real life drama that speaks of human courage,” commented Bond.
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VIPS
James Wildbore
Keeping the attention on US Hispanic BBC Studios continues to be very active in the US Hispanic market. “Our main output cannel in CBeebies. We were thrilled to announce this year distribution on Comcast, which duplicated our subscriber base. We continue selling content in the market and work together with our colleagues in New York to find the best way to do it. Sometimes they are regional negotiations and others, individual negotiations made by us. With the growth of the Hispanic population in the US, this is a market we feel very passionate about and which we continue to serve,” said James Wildbore, SVP and General Manager of BBC Studios for LatAm and US Hispanic
Miguel Somoza
Extreme Reality Series Crude (13x22’), Sabbatical Entertainment’s exclusive extreme reality series, in conjunction with RMG News, has been acquired by Universo. “My relationship with the Raishbrook brothers goes back more than a decade, in which we experienced worldwide success. I have the utmost respect for their unique profession, and in each adrenaline-soaked episode, viewers experience the fearless bravado it takes to bring audiences the Crude reality of the night,” commented Miguel Somoza CEO Sabbatical Entertainment.
Kevin Reilly
WarnerMedia to produce Latin comedy specials WarnerMedia Entertainment has partnered with New Cadence Productions (NCP) that gathers creative Latinos from film and TV in the US, to produce comedy specials. Initially, NCP will produce comedy specials from the HA Comedy Festival in San Antonio, where WarnerMedia Entertainment will be the main sponsor. “The NCP team understands how to make the most of a group of vibrant talents and show ideas, stories, and characters that will resonate in this neglected audience,” said Kevin Reilly, Content Director at HBO Max and president of TNT, TBS, and truTV.
Luis Villanueva
New youth series SOMOS Productions and Onceloops will co-produce the new series Maleducadas (15x60’). The youth series is based on a story that combines elements of generational rebellion, mystery and individual search within a musical framework. “In SOMOS Productions we are pleased to partner with Onceloops for Maleducadas. Their experience in handling musical stories and our strengths in this genre are combined in this refreshing and attractive story. This format is very much in line with contemporary consumption habits, guaranteeing wide distribution,” expressed Luis Villanueva, CEO of SOMOS Productions.
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Spotlight
Fuerza Necaxa
Mexicanal: 14 years taking the best of Mexico to the screen
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hen Mexicanal was founded more than 14 years ago, their focus was Mexican audiences in the country. “Today, the focus is on bringing the best of Mexico not only to Hispanic families but also to everyone who feels an affinity and love for Mexico, its culture, its people, and its traditions. Mexicanal is a space where each one of these TV viewers can watch content from an array of states and regions in Mexico and of several topics: culture, traditions, as well as news, sports, and music,” express Ana Lydia, General Manager and Demian Torres-Bohl, VP and Executive Producer of Mexicanal. Given they know contents are key to continue Las Cantinas de Cornelio growing, they focus directly and indirectly in the creation and access, both to contents and to new broadcasting platforms that are viable. “The new season of Las Cantinas de Cornelio for 2020 is coming and we will continue with Fuerza Necaxa and La Liga Mexicana de Jaripeo Profesional (LMJP), contents that are already positioned among the audience, but we are betting on new formats that are adequate. Another point of growth we have identified is the TV viewers that, not being Mexican, like the channel and our contents. Not just Hispanic audience, we also have a considerable Anglo Saxon audience that enjoys and loves beautiful Mexican things they can now see and experience through Mexicanal,” they comment. For the first and second quarter of 2020, they will launch productions such as the docu-reality on prisons in Mexico and the special of the Feria de San Marcos. “To drive this growth of our production company, we are investing in equipment, training and facilities to be able to develop it more effectively,” they end.
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Tiempos de Guerra
Atresmedia: The keys are perseverance and professionalism
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ccording to Mar Martínez, Director of Atresmedia Internacional, the balance of the group of signals—Antena 3, ¡HOLA! TV, Atreseries and Atrescine—in the US is very satisfying. “So far this year, we have managed to close deals that allow mainly the younger signals to expand their presence in different territories. Our goal is to maintain the quality and the appeal of our offer to continue growing, especially in such a competitive market as the US market,” she emphasized. Martínez feels this year they have consolidated the signals ¡HOLA! TV and Atreseries and Atrescine has been strengthened with very important operators. She highlighted the agreements reached with VeriMar Martínez, Director zon for ¡HOLA! TV and with DIRECTV Latin America of Atresmedia Internacional for Atrescine. As for novelties regarding programming, she mentioned that Antena 3 is successfully airing La Voz Kids, while Atreseries has on its screen Tiempos de Guerra, one of Atresmedia’s great productions, starring Amaia Salamanca, who also starred in another of their big titles, Gran Hotel. ¡HOLA! TV is launching new episodes of Coronas y Palacios, an original production program that takes the audience to the members of royal homes in an exclusive way. The signal Atrescine incorporates each month titles that are among the best in Spanish cinema. She recalled that Antena 3 reached the US in 2003. At the moment, it was just to the Time Warner system in New York, and now, 16 years later, they have distribution in the entire country and with all the big operators. Additionally, they have three other channels with different levels of presence in the territory. “Perseverance and professionalism when presenting quality contents that appeal to the Hispanic audience are important. That is the line we have always maintained,” she concluded.
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Spotlight
Dra. Nancy
VePlus with more than 900 new hours of content this year
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ePlus will launch in the upcoming days Front Row Style, a weekly fashion and lifestyle program hosted by Fernando Delfino and Cynthia Lander. This year, the signal has added shows like Dra. Nancy (talk show produced in the Cisneros Studios in Miami), Más de Ti and Más Top. “So far this year, we have incorporated to the screen more than 900 hours of fresh content and new productions to keep the signal attractive and updated,” expressed Carlos Cabrera, VP of Sales Pay TV, Cisneros Media. Carlos Cabrera, VP of Sales, Pay Cisneros successfully consolidated VePlus as TV, Cisneros Media a single Brand for all the group´s subscription TV signals and in May conducted the rebranding for the US that was very well accepted by the affiliates, advertisers, and subscribers. “We are very happy with the evolution of VePlus. However, the industry continues evolving and growing, which is why it is necessary to constantly reevaluate the commercial and content strategy to be able to capitalize new opportunities and continue improving the management indicators,” he added. As for the keys to succeed in the US Hispanic market, he said that subscription TV channels aimed at this market continue to be one of the best vehicles for the advertisers who wish to cater to the Hispanic community. “The Hispanic community in the US is very diverse, for this reason, we emphasize the production and programming of content that can be attractive for all Latinos, with stories and topics that can attract the entire community. To have our own production facilities in Miami also allows us to have access to multicultural audiences that represent the range of nationalities that comprise the Hispanic community in the US,” he ended.
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CNN en Español: Betting on exclusive and original documentaries
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NN en Español will continue focused on producing exclusive and original documentaries, at least some 33 per year, such as El Chapo: Los Dos Rostros De Un Capo, to be aired in November and some others for 2020. “Additionally, we continue insisting on exclusive interview programs with the most important celebrities in the region with Camilo, Longobardi, Choque de Opiniones, Oppenheimer and Conclusiones,” comments Cynthia Hudson, SVP and General Manager of CNN en Español and Hispanic Strategy for CNN/U.S. Cynthia Hudson, SVP and General Hudson recalled that they continue with the Manager of CNN en Español & production of exclusive programs on the struggle Hispanic Strategy for CNN/U.S. against discrimination in the Americas under the project: Ser Humano. The signal is also expanding the production of human profile reports in mini-documentary format, such as what is seen in the program Nuestro Mundo. She added that they maintain their bet on regional coverage and the ability to cover facts in real time on TV, digital and social networks. Consulted on this year’s balance, Hudson expressed they have managed to strengthen the bet on news produced from two key markets in Latin America: Mexico and Buenos Aires. “We are strengthening our multi-platform domain in Argentina with TV, digital and now radio that is a true 360º. We believe that model could be replicated in some other countries and will continue evaluating options. US Elections are relevant for the entire region and we aim to be leaders with our coverage in these elections,” she emphasized. As keys of CNN en Español’s success in the Hispanic pay TV market, Hudson feels that channels that handle immediacy, such as news and sports, are the great beneficiaries of the digital revolution, therefore, they are looking at their growth in the market positively, and finding ways to reach larger audiences in it.
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Spotlight
La Vida con Samanta
CincoMAS: The differentiating element is the live factor in our programs
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ne of the great strengths of CincoMAS is that it comes from a solid group, Mediaset España, leader since its creation, and experts in making high-quality content that appeals to the Spanish viewer and the Spanish-speaking audience in general. “Our differentiating element, is undoubtedly, the live factor of our programs. Great magazines that cover current topics and the heart of the moment, connecting with the viewer, as well as successful international formats that thanks to this factor generate greater emotion at a higher level of enYolanda Giordani, responsible gagement to who watches it. for CincoMAS Additionally, we feel it is key to listen and be in touch with our audience through social networks to know what they like and put our efforts in offering it to them,” expresses Yolanda Giordani, responsible for CincoMAS. CincoMAS has experienced a year of constant changes. In March, the signal began the representation agreement with THEMA America, leading company in the distribution of thematic channels in pay TV platforms, which has enabled them to broaden their commercial offer and reach more places in Latin America. “In the aim to make our work with operators easier, we have unified our signal under a new and single satellite. These changes at a strategic and technological level, allow us to be better positioned in the Latin American market,” expressed Giordani. The channel began recently, broadcasting the new edition of Got Talent, which they air at the same time as their broadcast in Spain; they also launched the docu-serie Grupo 2: Homicidios, based on true facts in which they tell the crimes that shocked Spain; and La Vida con Samanta, with the journalist Samanta Villar.
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Una Mujer Sin Filtro
Cinelatino: Delivering ratings and driving subscriptions for our MVPD partners
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019 has been an excellent year for Cinelatino. The channel is the second highest U.S., Spanish-language cable channel, according to coverage ratings. This can be attributed to their incomparable offering of exclusive television premieres of recent blockbuster hits such as No Manches Frida and Everybody Loves Somebody. For example, on its premiere date, No Manches Frida was the highest-rated Spanish-language non-sports cable program for the entire day among Adults 18-49. “So far this year we have released the largest number of recent Mexican box office films in the histoJim McNamara, vice chairman of ry of the channel, such as Como Cortar a Tu Patán?, Hemisphere Media Group A La Mala, Una Mujer Sin Filtro and coming up soon for Thanksgiving, 3 Idiotas. Having this high-quality, monthly content will continue to deliver ratings and drive subscriptions for our MVPD partners,” comments Jim McNamara, vice chairman of Hemisphere Media Group, Cinelatino’s parent company. McNamara adds that they are very satisfied with their performance and are committed to continuing to deliver the biggest box office hits and exciting original programming featuring the stars and storylines the audiences love. “2020 promises to perform just as strongly for us, with incredible exclusive premieres of some of the hottest Mexican theatrical releases, such as La Boda de Valentina, Ya Veremos, Mirreyes vs. Godinez and Perfectos Desconocidos, among many others,” he gathered. As for their original productions, this year the signal launched the second season of its original series El Desconocido in Cinelatino U.S. with excellent rating results. Netflix exclusively premiered it in the rest of the world. “We will continue to apply our expansive understanding of Hispanic audiences to our original production strategy next year and beyond,” McNamara sentenced.
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Spotlight
Mexicánico
Discovery: The offer of TV Everywhere is a great accomplishment
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ear-To-Date (YTD), Discovery en Español is the #1 factual channel of pay TV in Spanish among the demographics Adults 25-54, Women 25-54 and Homes 25-54 the US whereas Discovery Familia, is the only pay TV channel in Spanish with a Year-Over-Year (YOY) growth of +36%. “Last month, one of the top series of the channel, Todo en 90 Días: ¿Felices Para Siempre?, was positioned in first place among the demographics 25-54, 18-49, W18-49 and 2+, turning Discovery Familia into the #1 pay TV channel Ángela Recio Sondón, Channel during prime time among the demos 18-49 VP, Discovery U.S. Hispanic (56K), W18-49 (30K) & W25-54 (30K). The show obtained the highest ratings of the channel in five years,” mentioned satisfied Ángela Recio Sondón, Channel VP, Discovery U.S. Hispanic. The debuts include the new episodes of Mexicánicos for Discovery en Español and more from Motor X, as well as a new series that is in development. For Discovery Familia there are new episodes of Mientras No Estabas. Recio mentioned that one of the big accomplishments this years was the expansion of the TV Everywhere offer, Discovery en Español GO and Discovery Familia GO, that are now available on the Roku and Amazon Fire devices, along with the iOS and Android platforms. The app Discovery en Español GO has a growth of +288% in total users YOY Jan-Sept 2018 vs Jan-Sept 2019, and +342% in total streams YOY JanSept 2018 vs Jan-Sept 2019. Discovery Familia GO has grown +308% in total users YOY Jan-Sept 2018 vs Jan-Sept 2019, +169% in total streams YOY Jan-Sept 2018 vs Jan-Sept 2019.
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Get It Girl!
LATV: The original national bilingual network
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his summer and fall LATV has premiered cutting edge, in-culture content including primetime series: The Hub on LATV; The Q Agenda; Checkitow; and Jefa Status. Coming up this fall LATV’ syndicated shows American Latino TV and LatiNation will find a new home on LATV Network as to benefit from the networks multi-channel approach and strategy. “Our existence and our success are based on the Hispanic audience’s demand for content that represents them, is genuine to their experiences, and elevates artists from their communities. While mainstream Hollywood deals with issues of rep- Andrés Palencia, Co-Director, LATV resentation, appropriation and inclusion scandals, we’ve found success because our strategy has always been to look for and empower creators from our own Latino community. Earlier this year, we rolled out a digital-first strategy that’s already proving to be more engaging with our audience and more in-line with our brands and partners’ objectives,” commented Andrés Palencia, Co-Director, LATV. For 2020, Palencia said they are launching a full capacity digital platform where LATV’s programming will be available worldwide through their own state of the art video streaming service. He also added that for 2020 they will be announcing major partnerships, events and collaborations with other brands disrupting mainstream medias limited perception of multicultural content. “LATV is a national network expanding into a global digital scale, but we like to keep in touch with our local vibes. No other bilingual network has the longevity or the privilege to say they are the original national bilingual network except LATV and that is because from our content creation, to our staffing and our partnerships we have always put our community first,” finalized Palencia.
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Personality
Antonio Briceño, Deputy Managing Director for beIN SPORTS North America
To continue offering our audience the best in live sports content Under the management of Briceño, this year beIN SPORTS was able to handle distribution renovation with more than 20 satellite signal and OTT providers, and consolidated an alliance with Vivicast
Maribel Ramos-Weiner PRODU What has the strategy for the expansion of the channel been? The expansion strategy has been to continue offering our audience the best in live sports content, always with the purpose of providing what our fans wish. This year we acquired the exclusive rights in the US and Canada of the Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana, and the Recopa (Winners´ Cup), thanks to an agreement of several years with CONMEBOL, the same as other sports such as Major League Wrestling, Tuff-N-Uff, Future Stars of MMA and DR1 Drone Racing Competition. Along with these new properties, we continue to be the exclusive provider of the best soccer leagues, including LaLiga, Ligue1 and SüperLig.
Profile Briceño is an accomplished TV industry veteran with more than 20 years’ experience in programming, marketing and production. As Deputy Managing Director for beIN SPORTS North America, he oversees all operations, production, marketing and distribution efforts for beIN SPORTS and beIN SPORTS en Español, as well as the authenticated streaming service, beIN SPORTS CONNECT
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Instead of simply buying multiple broadcasting rights, we do more for our soccer products than any other audiovisual media: variety programs, promotional work, and unbeatable quality, exclusive talent. We have tailored management in the aim to create the best experience for TV viewers through linear and digital channels, both in English and in Spanish. PRODU How has the alliance with HC2 Networks (Azteca America) benefited you? It has been an exemplary year. We have made great accomplishments regarding distribution, after a sales agreement we made with Azteca America. Together with beIN SPORTS USA, Azteca America is opening new paths in the way independent channels can expand and compete effectively with media companies that have their own channel roster. PRODU What distribution agreements have closed recently? This year, beIN SPORTS restored its programming on PlayStation VUE and created a new alliance with Vivicast. This establishes an amazing experience for fans, since both the network and its authenticated product join the innovative platforms in a moment when access to sports contents is scarce. Along with the new alliances, beIN SPORTS entered in renewal negotiations with more than 20 satellite signal and OTT providers, all of which have been renewed except AT&T/DIRECTV and Comcast. Our team is constantly innovating in the OTT space, working with allies to develop creative campaigns that attract new subscribers and promote passion and loyalty with our World-Class programming. PRODU, What does beIN SPORTS do to stay relevant? It is no secret that the industry is becoming increasingly more competitive, but thanks to the scope of the beIN SPORTS network, we have a great advantage: we can focus on cultivating the quality of our content. We know our fans´ preferences perfectly
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well and the way they consume content, which allows us to adjust the programming and offer them the best when our competition is not so flexible. For example, this year, as a complement to our linear programming, we created a digital team that offers exclusive content on Facebook Live every week, giving our audience additional options that complement their consumption patterns. PRODU What is the importance of having renovated until 2024 the exclusive broadcast rights of LaLiga in the US and Canada? The US and Canada continue to be a key growth market for LaLiga. We have always believed that LaLiga is one of the most outstanding sports competitions in the world, and that is why we are pleased to report our dedicated audience that we have renovated our exclusive broadcast rights with LaLiga until 2024. Soccer fans in the US and Canada will be able to make the most of LaLiga live, both in English and in Spanish through beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS En Espaùol and our streaming service, beIN SPORTS CONNECT. Our channel has committed to airing more games than any other broadcasting rights owner company before in the US and Canada. The games in prime time will have the support of big commercialization campaigns, new and original programming, awarded competitions and watch parties, which are extremely popular among fans and communities each season. PRODU What differentiates you from the big sports programming groups? Although beIN SPORTS worldwide is one of the main sports and entertainment programming groups, in the US our activities are much more specific, agile and focused. In essence, we are an emerging and independent company compared to giant US networks. Despite our size, we face the same issues other independent networks face when it comes to vertically integrated platforms. And instead of simply buying rights, we do more for our soccer products than any other media: variety programs, promotional campaigns and talent, in the aim to create the best experience for viewers through linear and digital channels, both in English and in Spanish. As an example, we created more than 32,000 pieces of content for the 2018-2019 period. From January to September this year, beIN SPORTS Networks reached a total of more than 56 million TV viewers (P2+) in the US, with a coverage of more than 27.4 million households. With our vision focused on soccer when the sport´s popularity continues to be brimming in the US, we can only hope these figures continue growing.
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beIN SPORTS Networks reach more than 56 million Persons 2+ and 27.4 million households
PRODU What new elements does the agreement with Nielsen bring to the table? At the beginning of this year, we signed a nationwide measurement agreement with Nielsen, in the aim to receive data regarding the market and people on the audience volumes for both networks. Our network is constantly growing in terms of audience in non-traditional platforms. For us it is of extreme importance to ensure that through advanced audience measurement instruments, our world-class programming is effectively the indicated audience. beIN SPORTS Networks will have access to products that offer more clarity regarding the activation of specific audiences, and to commercialize spaces that offer perception that have more to do with the
origin of their linear audience. For example, beIN SPORTS will be able to understand the lifestyle and preferences and attitudes of their TV viewers, as well as the products and services they interact with in terms of brands. It will additionally have the capability to analyze data from interviewees to conduct detailed analysis of the audience levels, both according to households and people. To have access to this granular and segmentation data ensures that the network executives can better examine tuning behaviors, which will result in the improvement of capabilities to gear advertising and make decisions regarding programming. The use of Nielsen data has allowed us to maximize the value of our content. We can offer our advertisers a holistic vision of the performance of their campaigns on all our properties.
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Who’s who
Mexicanal Mexicanal is celebrating its 14th anniversary. Founded in 2005 by Atlanta-based Castalia Communications and Mexico-based investment fund Innokap, it provides Mexicans living in the U.S. with entertainment, music, news, sports and cultural programming from their hometowns. The channel offers original productions, as well as the best programming from affiliate broadcasters, independent producers and
Ana Lydia Montoya
local access stations in regions across Mexico, including Puebla, Jalisco, Michoacán, Guanajuato, Aguascalientes, Guerrero, Oaxaca, State of Mexico, Nuevo Leon, San Luis Potosi, Sonora, Hidalgo, Campeche, Chiapas, Veracruz, Queretaro, Tabasco, Yucatan and Zacatecas. Mexicanal is available on DISH, Comcast, Charter, Sling, AT&T U-verse, Frontier and Mediacom services. www.mexicanal.com
Demian Torres-Bohl
Betti Ortega
General Manager
Executive Producer
VP of Marketing and PR
Throughout more than 25 years in the television industry, Montoya has held executive positions in different areas, including the development of channels and programs that became successful and profitable brands. She has managed talent and was head of programming, acquisitions and budget planning at Televisa Networks, before joining Mexicanal as General Manager.
Torres-Bohl is an experienced producer and currently leads the Production Department as well as new media and special projects. He has directed the production of the docu-realities El Rayo, Vida de Lucha and Son Mariachis, and the series Las Cantinas de Cornelio. He also supervises the VOD and OTT services and lends his support to Marketing and PR.
Ortega has extensive experience in communications, government relations, consumer products and financial services. She has worked for medium-size and large PR agencies. Her responsibilities at Mexicanal include managing the network’s relations with distributors, developing communications and marketing campaigns, creating sales materials as well as in-market and in-language campaigns for viewers.
Antonio González
Israel Reyero
Dora Elia Robledo
Production and Operations Director
Content and Promotion Director
Administration and Finances Director
In the last three decades, González has held positions in practically all the areas of TV. He is responsible for the channel’s original productions, as well as the launch of some other entrepreneurships in the company. He also has the responsibility of maintaining the equipment updated to offer a quality signal to the distributors in the United States.
Reyero is one of the executives who participated in the launch of Mexicanal. He has the responsibility of choosing content from public TV stations in Mexico. He also acquires contents from independent producers, as well as other distributors. Additionally, he is responsible for the areas of On Air Promotions and VOD.
As an expert in financial, accounting, tax and business administration matters, Robledo has worked in large industrial and communications companies in different cities of Mexico. More than a decade ago, she entered Mexicanal and has directed the company’s financial and administration operations. She also supervises the area of human resources.
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PAY TV
Condista: 20 years 10 palabras máx at the forefront
The company’s goal is the same from the beginning: to offer its subscribers the best content so they can sell more subscriptions. For this, they remain at the forefront investing in distribution, IP, HD, VOD and specialized human resources, among others Maribel Ramos-Weiner
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n its 20-year path, Condista has successfully faced multiple challenges in a cutting-edge manner, which helps them stay relevant and in growth. “We are working on some things for the area of IP for channels that could seem new, but is not necessarily. When Jorge (Fiterre) and I started, the roster of channels was eight clients. There were some on a satellite that only served the south east of the US and others on a satellite based in Europe that only reached the Eastern Seaboard. The solution was
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to put all the channels on one same transponder and that made it easier for subscribers with all the networks. We have to acknowledge that it was a great boost for the initial stages of our company,” expressed Burke Berendes, partner of Condista, who works with Jorge E. Fiterre, founder and partner of the company since 2002. The issue of channels on different satellites was an obstacle Condista had at
Burke Berendes partner of Condista
the beginning and had resolved by 2004. Berendes comments that nowadays they are doing something similar, but now it is IP. “We can work to help HD signals reach our clients and our affiliates who are interested in HD effectively in terms of cost, if we place all our channels on IP. You save bandwidth. It is the next stage of what we are doing,” he highlights. He added that it is similar to VOD. “VOD is still in its initial stages in the US. Luckily for us, we made an investment in VOD for affiliates in Latin America a few years ago. Jorge Alberto Fiterre has been in charge of that technical development, of leading us to have that capability. Now, we are preparing VOD for some affiliates in Latin America. We have that arsenal of knowledge that many do not have and can boast about it here in the US. For most of our affiliates, VOD is more a topic for the future, but we are already prepared for this. I am very happy with what we do in that area,” he emphasized. Berendes feels they are lucky because the Hispanic market continues growing in two areas: one, the market in general continues increasing and two, even though a lot is heard about
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Condista has successfully faced multiple challenges in a cutting-edge manner
cord-cutting and pay TV companies losing subscribers, the packages in Spanish in general continue to grow. “Last year was probably the most difficult in our history, but regardless, there was net growth and next year it seems we will return to what we had been experiencing: in average a 5% growth for Hispanic packages of all the pay TV affiliates,” he expressed. He mentioned that Condista’s goal has remained the same since Fiterre and he began working together: to offer affiliates the best content so that they can sell more subscriptions. “The business will do better, networks will do better, networks will be able to reinvest and affiliates will be able to reinvest. It is a virtuous circle if we can bring the adequate content,” he said. Berendes points out that taking the best content has become more complicated because when they began, they had few channels. Now, there are more than 100 available with different genres, qualities and stories. “The main thing we have done, not only to respond to the growing Hispanic market, but to the growing complications of pay TV in general, is to expand our team. Today we have a team
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that includes experts who have been responsible for the main packages in Spanish of the biggest subscribers in the US, others who have helped build some of those packages and executives responsible for acquisitions, retentions, and branding for the subscribers of the biggest packages in Spanish. We have great balance,” he says satisfied. The executive mentioned that other challenges they have had to face are bandwidth and budgets. “Is there a budget to launch another TV network in Spanish or the expansion of 5 or 10 channels in the Spanish-language package? These are the questions we have today, and they are the same that subscribers have when they face any other programming,” he said.
Other difficulties are two different levels that are out of their control: governmental regulations, which makes independence increasingly harder—many of their clients are independent, even if they are not in their country of origin, they are in the US—and the retransmission agreements that come up every three years with more and more unprecedented raises. When a broadcast group enters an affiliate group and raises the rebroadcast price from 50 cents to US$1, they have to find that budget somewhere else. Another challenge is the attention to the Hispanic market. “We have never had a situation in which all the big affiliates are striving for the Hispanic market at the same time. When they are truly successful in the Hispanic market, and for some reason, take their foot off the accelerator, their growth decreases and they don´t do as well. Then someone conducts research on it a year later and the interpretation is that the Hispanic market is no longer any good. The market works perfectly well, the problem is that you are not striving for the Hispanic market so your package isn´t doing as well as it was a year or two ago. Our answer has been to share the best practices in the entire industry with our clients,” he ends.
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PAY TV
Vme TV continues to be a voice 10 palabras máx for the US Hispanic market
Pequeño Malabar
Vme Media—that started with Vme TV, then added Vme Kids and two years ago, Primo TV—has new acquisitions like Barney y Sus Amigos and Pequeño Malabar and is preparing the original production of Vale La Pena Vivir
Maribel Ramos-Weiner
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he signal Vme TV remains a voice for the Hispanic market in the US and the children´s channel, Vme Kids, has been the direct result of Vme´s strong performance. “We saw a niche in the market that had to be filled, providing educational, fun, and quality programs for children in Spanish,” explain Doris Vogelmann, VP of Programming & Operations and Michael Fernández, VP of Marketing, both from Vme Media. More recently, Vme Media added Primo TV, channel in English aimed at teenagers. “The launch of Primo TV approximately two years ago in Comcast was a great accomplishment. Comcast evaluated dozens of proposals and Vme Media won the offer. Primo TV offers enriching content to the next generation of young bicultural Hispanics in the US, keeping them entertained as they connect to their cultural roots,” they disclosed.
Barney y sus Amigos
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Programming pillars Regarding programming, the pillars of Vme—that is a generalist channel—are Barney for the preschool slot; TuBebé, original program on maternity
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Doris Vogelmann
Michael Fernández
VP of Programming & Operations
VP of Marketing
and what it means to be parents; Los Archivos del FBI on the research slot; Planeta Feroz, anthology of natural history documentaries that are a hit with TV viewers; and in primetime Alerta Cobra and the Turkish drama Resurrección. In the case of Vme Kids the most relevant programs are Molang, Pororo, Tayo and the new acquisition, Barney y sus Amigos. “Likewise, for us the programming that has strong roots in the knowledge of STEM are very important, which is why Pequeño Malabar and Los Fixies are important programs in that concept,” explains Vogelmann. The recent acquisitions made for Vme include an agreement with DRG for documentaries about real events and the Spanish premiere of the Doc Martin series, a success in English television. For Vme Kids, along with Barney y sus Amigos, they also signed agreements for the launch in Spanish in the US of Little Furry from MediaToon and with Miam! for Little Malabar and Yeti Tales “Our TV viewers continue reflecting very positive receptivity to our new acquisitions, as well as to new episodes of their favorite series. Vme and Vme Kids continue attracting new TV viewers to our cable signals and on the VOD offers available through
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our affiliates,” expresses the executive. The company is aware that the content must be offered to its audience everywhere. “We have realized that viewers today are ceasing to watch content in a linear manner. We are in conversations with key OTT providers and hope to make several important announcements in the near future regarding our distribution,” added Vogelmann and Fernández. As for new productions and projects, Vogelmann mentioned they are evaluating some series that seem very interesting for Primo and they hope to be able to sign agreements in upcoming months. They are also working on the production of a new program for Vme´s lifestyle block titled Vale La Pena Vivir, that will cover relevant topics for the Hispanic community, such as emotional problems in divorce processes, the impact that immigration has on the family and having a child with special needs. Transmitting security messages With Vme TV, the company emphasizes the quality of its programming. “We focus on educating and having content that enriches our audience, content that connects with them, for them to feel they are in a safe place where they can watch excellent pro-
gramming,” emphasizes Fernández. Regarding Vme Kids, they strive to send a positive message to parents: that through their programming, children will be able to learn to speak or maintain their Spanish, currently a huge concern for Hispanic families. “The most important thing today for us is to give families security regarding programming. Vme Kids has the greatest number of programs in Spanish for preschoolers and with the most popular characters. Always under that concept, we send the message to our audience,” sentenced Fernández. With Primo TV, explains Fernández, they have connected with teenagers through very energetic shows, that intrigue and entertains. “It is a very refreshing channel and we have focused on our usual message: in our programming you will find a safe, educational, and fun channel that every teenager will be thrilled to watch. Our strategy has been more interactive regarding advertising in Primo, since we are in charge of rotating, through stories on social networks, challenges, contests, questions and by connecting teens so that through this, they watch our programming, visit our webpage, and feel interested in our channel,” he highlights.
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PAY TV
The Annual Hispanic TV Summit 10 palabras máx remains relevant despite changes
The Hispanic TV market has become less mass market and has created more individual audience segments
The Annual Hispanic Television Summit has been celebrated for 17 years uninterruptedly and remains relevant in an industry that has seen great changes in the last years Maribel Ramos-Weiner
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oe Schramm, Managing Partner & President, Schramm Marketing Group, company that has organized the event since its origin comments: “When we first started the Hispanic Television Summit in 2002, the focus was primarily on Spanish language programming from broadcast and cable/ satellite TV. The marketplace was concerned with how networks were negotiating to be distributed on cable or satellite, and then how they would attract Hispanic consumers to subscribe to pay TV.” He adds that the conversation has dramatically changed, especially in the past five years to focus on three areas: 1.) Technology which has allowed for TV and video to be distributed on multiple platforms, not
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just cable and satellite, 2.) An increase in the kind of content that Hispanic audiences watch, including programs in English or Spanish or both, and 3.) An increase in options where advertisers may place their media investment. He explained that the focus of today’s media marketplace is best defined by the advertisers and their media buying agency who are enjoying a sophisticated marketplace that has not previously been available to them. “They now have: larger Hispanic audiences, watching more programs, more often and on more devices, and more options for reaching specific segments within the Hispanic audience,” he detailed. When they started the event, Schramm comments that the challenges in the industry were: finding adequate channel space for carriage of Hispanic networks on cable and satellite TV and cost-effective marketing for attracting Hispanic households to subscribe to cable or satellite TV.
Joe Schramm Managing Partner & President
Today, he points out that the main challenges for the industry are: sustaining the viability of broadcast TV including the impact of re-transmission issues on cable and satellite; evaluating the profitability of mass distribution of content across digital and traditional platforms; maximizing advertising investment to ensure the most cost effective media placement that will also drive results; measuring audience behavior, and influencing viewer behavior; addressing the public’s understanding of content piracy, and the impact piracy is having on the entire industry; and developing programming content that is effective at attracting consistent, repeat loyal viewers. When consulted on the impact of streaming on the traditional Hispanic TV industry, Schramm said that the discussion of streaming is one that is in flux and experiencing great change. “Streaming gives programmers/networks more options for delivering their programming to audiences. While cable and satellite have limited channel capacity, digital offers a broader opportunity to reach more viewers directly. Streaming allows for technology to better measure audience behavior. Bigger audiences (plus more data about the audience’s behavior) equates to more opportunities for advertisers to reach Hispanic viewers defined by interest or behavior,” he explains. Regarding the future of Hispanic TV, Schramm points out it is bright because TV is moving from mass market to smaller segments or individual experiences. “The Hispanic TV market is likely the best place for any programmer to learn best practices for serving smaller segments or individual viewers.
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OTT
HITN
Edye new SVOD for preschoolers in Spanish
Erika Vogt-Lowell and Maximiliano Vaccaro
HITN created its platform platform Edye Educwar y Entretener to cover the need of an SVOD service in Spanish for preschoolers in the US and LatAm in an ecosystem approved by parents Maribel Ramos-Weiner
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dye was born out of the need to create an SVOD service in Spanish for children in preschool ages (2 to 6) in the US and Latin America in a safe environment approved by parents. “This has been an act of love for more than two years. We noticed that in our linear channel, when we had the slate for children ratings went down. After a great deal of research and intuitive understanding of children, we realized that children, especially pre-
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schoolers, are early TV users at anytime, anywhere. They prefer to watch what they want to when they want to. They don’t have the patience to sit down and wait for a program on a linear channel. That’s how the idea of Edye was born,” explains Vogt-Lowell Programming and Acquisitions Director at HITN. Thought for parents designed for children The contents Edye presents include several from Sesame Workshop, such as The Furchester Hotel, Cookie Monster’s Foodie Truck, Pequeñas Aventureras with
Abby Cadabby. From the Henson Company they are presenting series like Sid the Science Kid, Doozers and Pajanimals. From DHX they have several titles ranging from classics like Bo On The Go, Franny´s Feet and Lunar Jim to the remakes of series such as Little People and others. From the Company Studio 100 they have remakes of the classic Maya the Bee, as well as Heidi, Vic the Viking, and other series that are coming. From the French company Millimages, they have Molang, a well-known and beloved character throughout Latin America. “We are excited with the content we are offering via Edye. The content ranges from science to social comprehension, social learning, and social development,” detailed Vogt. She added that they continue looking for and identifying series that are adequate for the platform’s consumers. Some of the contents are originally in English, others in French, German, and they have spotted some in Spain and Latin America which they will include. “Working with these distributors, including Sesame Workshop, The Jim Henson Company and DHX has been a dream. They have been marvelous in terms of providing us with content and working together with us to see what fits best with the service, offering the best of the best they have for the territories we are seeking. I couldn’t have asked for better partners than the ones we have in the service,” she revealed. Edye includes a parent guide for each one of the titles it offers, since one of the platform’s premises is to offer a safe environment for preschoolers. “In the app, the parent guide is a breakdown of what children are watching and what they are learning in the series. The platform provides entertainment that has some type of educational value for children in preschool age. During the last two years, we have carefully selected content that is both educational and entertaining for children,” explained Vogt. When consulted about Ray, the mascot that identi-
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OTT
Ray is the original character who identifies the platform
fies the platform, Vogt expressed that they wanted to create an original character for the service because it was an element they felt was essential for the creation of a singular space. “Ray is an original production, he is ours, it is exclusive to the service. We are working on several different elements with him and creating different things with him, a more robust offer of that singular quality of the service. Along with the series and the parent guides, we
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are also incorporating electronic books as well as games that include puzzles and other activities that are age appropriate for the children in the app,” she explained. Vogt added that the entire world of Ray and its owner, Annie, encompasses everything in the app regarding the service. When children enter the service, they enter this universe and are guided by the different areas with Ray.
Unique Service “Edye is a unique service in terms of content, it is hand curated and has a great deal of educational benefits, not only for children but for parents to learn,” comments Maximiliano Vaccaro, VP Digital Services at HITN. He highlighted that they have worked very hard together with educational psychologists and educators in the region to offer a comprehensive service so that parents can understand the topics of each one of the series and learn the educational benefits. “We separated the content in six different areas: psychomotor, educational, mathematics, language. We divided the series in those categories and help parents understand what is the most adequate content for their children,” expressed Vaccaro. He highlighted that there are two possibilities for the distribution of the service. “We are already in Claro video Mexico as an SVOD service, and the other option, which is very interesting, is a very innovative model with cable operators as an app commercialized through them. The entire authentication is made with Adobe, the same as with any other app from a linear channel that is authenticated. The idea is for people to be able to have access to the entire additional content we have on the app, not just video, but all the guide content for parents, the games, e-books, all the activities they can do in the app. It is an ecosystem for preschool children, thought for parents and designed for children,” he emphasized. Vaccaro explained that they chose Applicaster as their technology partner because it allows them to launch the platform in a rapid and easy way. “The technology is extremely attainable in terms of price and what we are very much interested in is the diversity of platforms they use. We are working to launch it in iOS, Android, Roku, and Apple TV. In all those, it can be developed through them. The interphase is very interesting and it allows to easily work on integrating the content. We are very happy because it enables us to launch it quickly and understand the audience behavior as soon as possible,” he ended.
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OTT
SOMOS NEXT
We have grown our user base by 153%
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t has already been four years since SOMOS Next, from SOMOS Group, launched its SVOD digital platforms FlixLatino and Pingüinitos. More recently, FlixLatino added a new section to its movies, series and documentaries service, FlixLatino Kids “The services offer a unique programming catalog, with a very affordable price. We evaluate each piece of content we bring to the platform to forecast how it will interact with our user base. We stand out with our content, technology and price, against any other option in the market,” described Luis Guillermo Villanueva, COO of SOMOS Next. Villanueva said they are very happy with the exponential growth the product has. “In 2019, we have grown our user base by 153% with an 89% retention rate,” he points out. FlixLatino alone has increased minutes watched by 304% so far in 2019. The most requested genres in the platform are drama and comedy, followed by action and terror. “We continue launching varied content on FlixLatino, to offer a 360º experience for US$2.99 to
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Luis Guillermo Villanueva COO
subscribers. FlixLatino Kids is a reaction to what our users request: children´s content curated and mantained at the same quality standards as FlixLatino,” explained Villanueva. This add-on is aimed to safely entertain children who are 0 to 5 years old. This relevant, educational and entertaining content for children makes FlixLatino a service that expands its appeal to the Latino family, allowing the SVOD ser-
vice subscription to now attend to public with high use of mobile entertainment. The programing selection offers the best of international animation, evaluated by third parties in terms of the values promoted and their entertainment capacity. ”With FlixLatino Kids, we have taken a very important step to add value to FlixLatino and extend its target market, especially by entertaining the children in a safe and educational way with a wide and varied catalog of the first-class animation. The addition of this service will bring significant growth in the subscriber volume, more traffic, and visits to the application and our website and will make FlixLatino a brand and service of greater relevance for the Latino market,” he added. When consulted on the future of streaming, the executive commented that the numbers indicate that the growth of the OTT market will continue and portion that they are taking from the world of entertainment will continue growing exponentially. “For the time being, we do not see a reason why this trend would stop,” he sentenced.
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PANTAYA
Focused on being the only premium SVOD for bilingual audiences
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ANTAYA is focused on being the only premium SVOD service for Spanish-speaking and bilingual audiences in the U.S. The platform offers a mixture of high profile, first-run series featuring renowned Latinx talent and a large selection of theatrically released, Spanish-language blockbusters and critically-acclaimed movies from the U.S., Mexico and Latin America. “The service launched only two years ago and in such a short time we have already expanded from movies to launching first-run exclusive series and most recently, we kicked off our original programming strategy with two original shows - the scripted hit El Juego de las Llaves and the reality series De Viaje Con Los Derbez,” commented Paul Presburger, CEO PANTAYA and Pantelion Films; and Mario Almeida, VP of Programming, Development, and Acquisitions for PANTAYA. The service exhibits a robust pipeline of recently launched or upcoming high profile films and series, including De Viaje con los Derbez, which follows megastar Eugenio Derbez and his beloved family; the box office hit No Manches Frida 2; the eponymous Ana de La Reguera show Ana; the atmospheric moody
Paul Presburger CEO, PANTAYA & Pantelion Films
Mario Almeida VP of Programming, Development & Acquisitions, PANTAYA
De Viaje Con Los Derbez
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thriller La Negociadora, starring Barbara Mori; and an action comedy series named Erre, with Mauricio Ochmann and Paulina Dávila. When consulted on the audience receptivity to the inclusion of series in the platform, they mentioned that it has reacted very positively, and they´ve seen very strong binging and completion rates. The platform has already surpassed 500,000 paid subscribers, which exceeded the forecasts, and the company expects to continue this growth trajectory. Regarding the future of the OTT market versus linear TV, they responded that both will continue to coexist. “Ultimately, content is key and consumers will go wherever great content is available. By championing bold stories with high profile talent that both connects and entertains audiences, PANTAYA is well positioned to be the premier destination for the Latinx market. We see more opportunities than challenges. We will continue to double down on bringing premium and diverse content to the growing acculturated Latinx audiences in the U.S., creating and curating high-quality projects that resonate with consumers,” they ended.
El Juego de las Llaves
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PLUTO TV LATINO
With over 2,000 hours of content
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luto TV launched Pluto TV Latino, a new, dedicated category debuting on the platform featuring a suite of linear Spanish and Portuguese-language channels. The debut of Pluto TV Latino also denotes the first offering of its kind to be introduced on a major ad-supported OTT platform. Pluto TV Latino delivers eleven curated Spanish and Portuguese-language channels, appealing to US Hispanic audiences in search of premium streaming entertainment programming for free. This premier collection of linear entertainment spans an array of fan-favorite categories including movies, comedy, music, true crime, reality, sports and, telenovelas. With over 2,000 hours of content arriving on Pluto TV Latino – viewers will have access to a wide-range of marquee programming. The eleven channels include three movie-themed channels showcasing blockbuster and native Spanish-language films, and all-new genre-specific channels featuring iconic library collections, music specials, comedies, crime series, telenovelas and more from MTV, Comedy Central, Telemundo, Combate World and Lucha Libre. The channels will include a combination of Native Spanish-speaking and dubbed versions. “We have always envisioned Pluto TV as a destination with global appeal, where diverse audiences can find and stream the entertainment they love, for free. Pluto TV Latino was designed to bring premium streaming programming to an underserved OTT audience with cross-generational appeal. To be the first ad-supported streaming platform to offer an entire category dedicated to US Hispanic audiences is something we are incredibly proud of and furthers our mission to entertain the planet,” states Tom Ryan, CEO and Co-Founder, Pluto TV. This collection is the first installation of channels to debut in the Pluto TV Latino section on
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Most of Pluto TV Latino’s shows are in Spanish or dubbed
Tom Ryan CEO and Co-Founder
Pluto TV. Additional channels are expected to launch this fall adding new genres like Food, Travel, Competition, Kids and popular, and high impact, single-series channels. According to Viacom the opportunity for Pluto TV Latino is significant given the size of the Hispanic population, as well as gaps within the existing programming landscape. As the largest minority market, the group has a combined
buying power of US$1.5 trillion, according to research from the University of Georgia. One of the advantages of Pluto TV -besides the fact that it is free and accessible to anyone with an Internet connection- is the ability to analyze viewership data live and to remove channels that aren’t performing well and put new ones in their place. “There are all sorts of creative programming ideas we can test with the audience that hasn’t been done before. If they work, we can be nimble and double down on them,” says Ryan. Most of Pluto TV Latino’s shows are in Spanish (Pluto TV Brazil, another channel in the new lineup, is in Portuguese) or dubbed. “For those who are bilingual, having a Spanish-speaking offering complements the English-speaking offering we already have. It also provides the opportunity for viewing together with members of their family whose primary language is Spanish,” adds Ryan.
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OTT
VIX
Our AVOD service Vix TV has great potential
V
ix TV is an AVOD service that VIX plans to introduce later this year with over 14,000 hours at launch supported by the recent acquisition Pongalo. Vix sees a very big opportunity for an OTT service supported by advertising (AVOD) in the entire region, starting with the US Hispanic market. “This opportunity exists from three perspectives: the audience, content providers, and advertisers,” highlights Rafael Urbina, CEO, VIX. He comments that users consume increasingly more video through digital platforms. Today, Vix does video streaming through its web, mobile, and CTV platforms, as well as on third-party platforms -YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. “When we add all this, VIX streams more than a billion minutes of video per month. This represents a reach of hundreds of millions of Spanish and Portuguesespeaking people, which leaves no doubt that the market is ready to consume digital video. We think that Vix as an aggregator and generator of content is well positioned to generate a massive audience,” details Urbina. On the other hand, big content producers have
Rafael Urbina CEO
content libraries that they need to monetize regionally. “Vix has the necessary reach to distribute its contents and the sales infrastructure to monetize in key markets in the region. In fact, Vix works with over 400 advertisers in the region making media and branded video campaigns. Our advertisers are increasingly looking for greater presence in environments that can ensure Brand safety. Our OTT
video service offers exactly that, which helps us ensure that increasingly more advertisers will join the OTT platform,” added Urbina. The Vix TV model is AVOD, it is free to use for the audience which is where the greatest opportunity exists today. “We are differentiated by the audience we already have in Vix, as well as a library of more than 14 thousand hours of longform content obtained through our acquisition of Pongalo,” mentioned Urbina. Additionally, they are developing original content from their viral hits that will have their debut on Vix TV. The launch will be made in all Spanish-speaking countries with an initial focus on US Hispanic. In 2020, it will be launched in Brazil. Vix TV will be available on web, iOS, Android, Roku and FireTV as main platforms. “Our service is for the entire market. Cord-cutters and cordnevers are an interesting opportunity, but our offer is for the entire market, even those who subscribe to pay TV,” he highlights. Urbina feels that in five years the OTT services that offer the best experience and greatest control to consumers will be the big winners.
The service will be available on web, iOS, Android, Roku and FireTV as main platforms
The Vix TV model is AVOD
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NBCUNIVERSAL
Peacock to deliver 3,000 hours of Telemundo’s content
N
BCUniversal announced Peacock as the name for its new streaming service launching on April 2020. Peacock is a nod to NBC’s iconic logo and NBCUniversal’s rich legacy of creating beloved films, TV series, characters, and franchises that have been at the epicenter of pop culture and will continue to define the future of entertainment. Peacock will deliver a world-class slate of originals while also offering treasured hits from the vaults of NBC, including The Office and Parks and Recreation, two of the most-watched streaming series. The service will also feature blockbusters and critically-acclaimed films from Universal Pictures, Focus Features, DreamWorks Animation, Illumination, and Hollywood’s biggest studios. In addition, Peacock will tap into NBCUniversal’s unmatched ability to deliver a broad range of compelling topical content across news, sports, late-night, and reality. Peacock will roll out with over 15,000 hours of content and takes center stage at the end of July
Matt Strauss Chairman
during the 2020 Summer Olympics. Peacock will be both advertising and subscription-supported. Details on pricing and distribution will be announced closer to launch. Peacock is uniquely positioned to offer the U.S. Hispanic audience premium programming from Telemundo. The platform will feature more than 3,000 hours of Telemundo’s content, including an original dramedy, Armas de Mujer, a new hit
series from the makers of La Reina del Sur, and popular library titles 100 Días Para Volver, Betty in NY, El Barón and Preso No. 1. Recently it was announced that Matt Strauss joined NBCUniversal from Comcast as Chairman of Peacock. Strauss will also add the Digital Enterprises group to his purview, and report to Steve Burke, CEO of NBCUniversal. “I worked with Matt for many years at Comcast Cable, and know firsthand that he is one of the most talented leaders in our company. He has great experience with video, digital technology, and streaming and is the right person for the role at this juncture,” said Burke. Strauss was most recently EVP of Xfinity Services for Comcast Cable, where he oversaw the video, Internet, home, and voice businesses. He was one of the pioneers of video-on-demand and helped transform the entertainment viewing experience for customers by launching X1, cloud DVR, live in-home streaming across devices, the talking guide, and the voice remote.
Betty in NY
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FANATIZ
Offering fans all the soccer in a single place
F
anatiz, sports OTT centered on soccer, was born two years ago under the premise of offering the greatest amount of leagues in a single place. “We created Fanatiz as a legal and high-quality alternative, available on all the devices—web, mobile, smarTV—for the greatest amount of fans to watch the greatest amount of soccer,” explains Matías Rivera Larrain, co-founder and CEO of Fanatiz. In the US, they air leagues mainly from South America and Europe. They have distribution agreements with beIN SPORTS, GolTV, TyC Sports and work with multiple leagues in the region. “Our goal is for the soccer fan to find all the content he wants to watch in a single place at a convenient price. If today someone wants to watch LaLiga in the US, we are the most economical alternative with our price, US$7.99 per month,” mentioned Rivera. Rivera added that they are growing strongly. They have clients in more than 90 countries and are largely focused on the US. In South America, they have the Argentine,
Matías Rivera Larrain co-founder and CEO
José Romero Chief Marketing Officer
Colombian, Bolivian, and Peruvian leagues, and also work with Golf Channel. “We are their exclusive OTT partner in the region,” added Rivera. “The Hispanic market is important for us because this segment undoubtedly leads the consumption of soccer in the US. But we are present worldwide and much of our content comes from Latin America, so it is not only the Hispanic market in the US, but the Latinos who are outside, as well,” clarified José Romero, Chief Marketing Officer from Fanatiz. “We know that there are still contents we are missing, and we are working actively to consolidate our content offer to be the contact point of everything regarding soccer. One of our main concerns at the moment is content fragmentation. There are many services with different contents. For the soccer fan, content is still greatly fragmented, distributed in different services. We see this as an important challenge and would like to take part in the solution,” added Rivera. Fanatiz can be watched online through Fanatiz.com and on the most popular devices such as Roku, Fire TV and on the Apple and Android app stores.
Fanatiz can be watched online and via Roku, Fire TV, Apple and Android apps
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Events
Sportv Series Latin America & US Hispanic
2019
Miami
Fredda Rodríguez, Concacaf; Guillermo Santa Cruz, IMG Media; Mike Kelley, Grabyo and, Felipe Osorio, Univision
Ariel Barlaro, Dataxis; Jorge Enrique Velez, DIMAYOR; Jaime Alberto Parada Rojas, Win Sports; Mauricio Lozano, Inmobly; and Luis Baraldi, Grupo Pachuca
Lino García and Andoni Biurrarena, both from Unan1mo Sports
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Javier Arnau Ávila, Imagen TV; Antonio Briceño, beIN SPORTS; and Chris Le Maitre, Synamedia
DIRECTV Sports’ José “Platao” Rocha and Juan Delgado from DAZN
Jaime Rojas Parada of Win Sports and Alejandro Mercado of PX Sports
Antonio Briceño and Daniel Lugo, both from beIN SPORTS
Luis Baraldi of Grupo Pachuca and Mauricio Lozano of Inmobly
produ.com
Events BritScreen Miami 2019
BBC Studios’ team: Aaron Castellanos, Alessandra Epstein, James Wildbore, Karina Dolgiej and Ramón Rodríguez
Karina Dolgiej, new VP of Content Sales for Latin America & US Hispanic, BBC Studios
Jorge Balleste and Gabriela Guevara from Univision with Arelys Carballo of Viacom
Luis Peraza from HBO Latin America and Bilai Silar Joa from Viacom’s Pluto TV
Univision’s El Dragón presentation Miami 2019
The cast of El Dragón with Televisa Estudios’ Patricio Wills and W Studios’ Carlos Bardasano
The cast of El Dragón, along with Televisa Estudios’ Patricio Wills and W Studios’ Carlos Bardasano and Chefs Lorena García and Yisus
The presentation was held at Chef Lorena García Culinary Loft in Miami
Sebastián Rulli and Renata Notni, stars of El Dragón
produ.com
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