2018
16th Annual Hispanic Television Summit, New York, October 4th
Vincent Sadusky: Reorienting our business
Cine Nostalgia and Cine Estelar 10th anniversary
OTT sees more alliances with telcos
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pp. 26, 27, 28 and 29
VIPS
New content development company
Adrián Santucho
With a long and successful career as producer and creator of original content, Adrián Santucho announced the opening of his new content development company, “3CV” (3 Creative Vibes), a venture that adds a new challenge to his wide career path in the world of TV, entertainment and production business in general. “3 Creative Vibes is a much-anticipated project, since it is something that I have been working on for a long time, postponed for the past 10 years because of the incredible challenges that I undertook in leading companies such as Endemol, FremantleMedia and Univision, which allowed me to develop and grow as a professional. Having made the most of these great professional opportunities, the official birth of this great dream was deferred until now,” Santucho said.
Aurelio Valcárcel
Traditional romantic stories still in vigor “We have a very big audience in Mexico and the Hispanic market, where the audience continues to like these traditional romantic stories. They are contents that travel in a simple way, but with constructive and aspirational messages. It is an adaptation in the form of a local touch. The adaptation took us more than a year,” commented Aurelio Valcárcel, Fiction and Entertainment Director at Imagen Televisión during the launch of its new original production La Taxista. The executive announced they are working on the production of new contents such as the bioseries on Alejandra Guzmán, in co-production with Sony Teleset, together with another of the signal’s original stories.
Camila Jiménez Villa
Reorientation strategy As part of Univision´s reorientation strategy in their central businesses and platforms, the company is closing their original content studio, Story House Entertainment. Univision informed that Tijuana, Univision’s and Netflix’s latest production– currently in post-production phase—will be aired at the beginning of next year and will have its debut nationwide on Netflix. The company assured in a statement that “scripted series remain central to Univision’s strategic focus and the company will continue to collaborate with Televisa on innovative scripted content. Univision will also be increasing its investments in the acquisition of another third-party programming.” Camila Jiménez Villa, as president of Story House Entertainment and Chief Content Officer at Fusion Media Group, was the supervisor of the unit.
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CHIEF-EDITOR: Ríchard Izarra MAIN EDITOR: Maribel Ramos-Weiner EDITORS: Marcela Tedesco, Cynthia Plohn, Vanessa Maldonado, 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 TRANSLATION: Maria Carolina Leandro NOVELAS AL AIRE: Federico Bianchi SALES & CUSTOMER SERVICE: Roko Izarra, Sebastián Novacovsky, Mara Fernández, Amy Ibarra, Kalú Fermandois, Javier Adrián PRODUCTION: Andrea Jurado DATA: Sonia González, Andreína Salazar, Melanie Contreras, Joe Justiniano ADMINISTRATION: Luciana Conde, Gueilyn Méndez ART: Beatriz Díaz H. PHOTOS & VIDEOS: Ida Carolina Febres, Manuel Mejía, Tomás González, Alioth Chacón SYSTEMS: Miguel Tortello SUSCRIPTION: María Alejandra Pacheco
VIPS Carter Pilcher
Short films with great appeal “TVCortos is perfect for the US Hispanic market and we are very excited about the future of short films for Hispanics. US Hispanic audiences are spending much more time watching short form content on TV, the web and on their phones. Moreover, some of the most creative talents in the Hispanic world all come from the US – so we’re expecting exciting audiences and amazing talent,” commented Carter Pilcher, CEO of Shorts International, a company that recently launched TVCortos in Latin America on DIRECTV. He mentioned that TVCortos is uniquely placed to fit into today’s fast-changing media landscape. “Audiences are watching increasingly shorter content, and short movies are the pinnacle of that trend. We’re gaining eyeballs while others are losing them,” he added.
Antonio Briceño
Long-term renewal agreement After long negotiations, beIN SPORTS returns to the grids of DISH and Sling TV. “We are pleased to have successfully reached a multi-year content distribution renewal agreement with DISH and Sling TV, guaranteeing long-term residential and commercial access from coast to coast via satellite and OTT streaming. It could not come at a more exciting time as the international soccer leagues LaLiga and Ligue 1, as well as MotoGP and Conference USA college football seasons, are underway. This renewal ensures that loyal beIN SPORTS and beIN SPORTS en Español fans will continue to enjoy world-class sports programming,” said Antonio Briceño, beIN SPORTS’ Deputy Managing Director for the U.S. and Canada.
Leonardo Zimbrón
Fast-growing scripted team Endemol Shine Boomdog has named accomplished television and film producer Leonardo Zimbrón as its new Head of Scripted Programming. The executive has extensive film and TV production credits, having produced some of the top performing films in Mexico’s history, as well as numerous hit television series including Netflix’s first original production in Mexico, Club de Cuervos, which was recently renewed for a fourth season. “Content creation and production is growing at unprecedented levels internationally and I want to grow with the market and take on the challenge to fulfill global needs. Endemol Shine Boomdog is a key worldwide player and I feel honored to become part of Alejandro Rincón’s exceptional team and encouraged to take on this challenge together,” he mentioned.
Andrés Rincón
Attending Latino Millennials Andrés Rincón, Head of Network Sales for LATV, expressed they are thrilled to be creating content that truly reflects their viewers like the new talk show Glitterbomb. He said that it has been refreshing to see how brands are committed to delivering an overall more inclusive and diverse message. He mentioned that one of their first partners to jump on board is P&G with a Tide Pods branded segment. Glitterbomb is an explosive pop-culture talk show hosted by an entirely gay, Latino, Hollywood-insider panel. “When 22% of Latino millennials identify as LGBTQ, this audience is no longer a niche segment. This is more than one in five Latino millennials,” said Rincón.
PRODU HISPANIC TV SUMMIT 2018: Front Cover: HITN • 2-3: Mexicanal • 7: Atresmedia Internacional • 9: Ve Plus • 11: SOMOS Next • 13: INTI •17: Schramm Marketing Group • 21: PRODU • Back Cover: Cine Nostalgia/Cine Estelar
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Spotlight
The channels own the biggest Mexican film and series portfolio in full HD
Toro
Cine Nostalgia and Cine Estelar celebrate 10th anniversary
ViendoMovies and Semillitas strengthen performance and distribution
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ine Nostalgia and Cine Estelar celebrate their 10th anniversary in US Hispanic. The channels are owners of the biggest Mexican film and series portfolio in full HD, which has signified a relevant investment. “Our films were originally shot with 35 mm film technology, which, from its origin has had a native resolution higher than 4K. These original copies are the valuable heritage of a film channel and are known as the “master copies” with a definition higher than the current 4K, but in 4:3 format. This format offers a definition that is superior to full HD,” Carlos Vasallo explains Carlos Vasallo, president and CEO of the channels. Another important milestone is the expansion of the production of documentaries and original series, where they have more than 1,000 titles. Last year, they began the production of classical, one-to-five minute short films and vignettes, as a response to the entertainment needs on new platforms. “We offer more than 20 hours of uninterrupted programming per channel every day. We have more than 280 weekly hours of entertainment in films, documentaries, series and short films on both channels,” highlights Vasallo. The channels have the entire collections of Vicente Fernández, Andrés García, Maribel Guardia, Sasha Montenegro, La India María and Germán Valdés “Tin Tan”, among others. When asked about the importance of the Hispanic Television Summit, he expressed: “It is the distinctive annual event for all of us who are part of the TV and video distribution for Hispanics in the US and for our Latin American audiences. It helps us present to our pay TV subscribers the work each of the different participants of the industry does in order to evolve, capitalize opportunities, and generate growth in our industry.”
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omos TV channels continue performing positively in the market. ViendoMovies, which just turned 12, has a well-extended distribution in the US and Puerto Rico. Today, the signal is distributed in high definition, which allows its audience to enjoy their exclusive films in the best format. “We have remained as the commercial-free film channel with original films in Spanish, loyal to our positioning and mission. We reach homes through cable, satellite, and telecommunications companies, and are being distributed on TV Everywhere options, for which we prepared from the beginLuis Villanueva ning. We are the reference of first-quality cinema in Spanish in the market,” expressed Luis Villanueva, president and CEO of Somos TV. Semillitas reaches increasingly more homes, both in the US and Puerto Rico, and in the Caribbean, Central America and Panama. The channel is present in Dominican Republic, Panama, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica y Nicaragua; and opportunities are being explored in Mexico. “Our channels are an important option on great players’ OTT platforms. Our strategy has been to grow in this environment with our partners. We think this is a very important opportunity for new subscribers and to reach new audience segments,” he said. Semillitas launched the series Kit n Kate and plans two more launches before the end of the year. ViendoMovies is launching six to ten films every month. Among the premieres are Toro, Cuernavaca and Mole de Olla from Mexico, Tenemos Que Hablar, Solo Se Vive Una Vez, Mujer Saliendo del Mar, Los Buenos Demonios and Devuélveme La Vida. When consulted on the 16th Annual Hispanic Television Summit, he said “it is an important event where experiences are shared and we learn about how the changes in the market are being faced by companies that take part in it. Each year it is one of the key events of the professional calendar.”
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Spotlight
Las Grandes Cantinas de México
Grandes Crónicas de ¡HOLA! TV
Mexicanal integrates its programming to The Cowboy Channel
¡HOLA! TV: We are celebrating our fifth anniversary with new productions and look
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exicanal announced that starting this month, they will integrate their programming to the new signal The Cowboy Channel in the US, which reaches 30 million homes. “Ratings indicate it is performing very well,” adds Luis Torres-Bohl, president of Mexicanal and parent company Castalia Communications. “Our expansion plans continue in vigor. We have a very close relationship with all our distributors, DISH, Sling, Comcast, among others and have plans to expand to other not so prominent markets, but in which we know there is a captive audience for MexicaLuis Torres-Bohl nal,” comments Torres. Torres highlights that the new original productions are still strong. “We are producing new seasons of La Liga Mexicana de Jaripeo Profesional and of Fuerza Necaxa. We are also producing a special series on Las Grandes Cantinas de México and the series Sobre Ruedas, about the great Mexican cycling tradition, in which the brand Mercurio is taking part,” he described. When consulted on the US Hispanic market, Torres reported that the most important aspect of the Hispanic market is that 65% are Mexicans or have a direct connection with Mexico. “The Spanish language continues to be important for them, and they want to see themselves reflected on the screen, speaking Spanish or English. Mexicanal, as our name indicates, is a signal made in Mexico for Mexicans who live in the US and other regions of the world. Mexicanal continues to offer programming that strengthens what exists in the market regarding news, entertainment, sports,” he emphasized.
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ive years ago ¡HOLA! TV began with 3 million subscribers and already has 22 million in the region. Mexico, one of the channel’s prioritary markets, already has 8 million subscribers. “Our success lies in offering content that is very difficult to find in any other channel: We have access to the celebrities, which no one else has, and the topics we cover—royalty, fashion, lifestyle—they are exclusive,” comments enthusiastically Marcos Pérez, CEO and General Manager of ¡HOLA! TV. This growth is accompanied by a great bet in original production. Pérez says they began with two daily programs and an occasional weekly one, Marcos Pérez and they are now producing a daily flagship program, complemented by five or six weekly spaces. “Now comes the icing on the cake with the original program Grandes Crónicas de ¡HOLA! TV to debut on October 7,” he announced. The signal will also renovate, for the first time, its graphic line. “It is more adequate for the times we are living. It is more modern, dynamic, more aligned with our style and image,” he added. ¡HOLA! TV´s growth in the US Hispanic market has also been very important in the last few years. “We began broadcasting on DIRECTV in 2014 and have been incorporated in different cable operators. Growth in 2017 was 50% compared to the distribution we already had, and we are now joining Liberty in Puerto Rico,” he mentioned. “The deployment in the US includes cable operators and non-traditional operators, such as OTT, where we have also grown with good performance. The last agreement we have reached is with DIRECTV Now, where the rest of Atresmedia channels also are,” Pérez commented.
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Spotlight
Jodha Adbar
Zee Mundo already has 4,000 subscribers on Zee Mundo Play
English Club with 10 years of presence
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ee Mundo with its new platform Zee Mundo Play launched on July 2, already has 4,000 subscribers, out of which a total of 50% are from US Hispanic. The platform has a linear channel, the catch-up, where there are 22 films on VOD, a VOD series package, and soon they will add films, but transactional ones. “Fifty percent of the people watch the linear channel, which is what we wanted to promote. The campaign is based on that now, they can watch Zee Mundo directly, and as a complement, we offer the catch-up, the VOD y las seJavier López ries,” explains Javier López, General Director of Zee Mundo. He mentioned that women are the ones who access the platform most, and ask for romantic films and comedies. Out of the two series, Begusarai and Jodha Adbar, the latter is the most watched. He reminded that access is through URL (GoZeeMundo.com), and said they will soon have the app for Android, iOS, Roku, Apple TV and SmarTV. “We want to reach, in an initial phase, subscribers who are hard-viewers of Bollywood, and in a second stage, the massive audience,” he added. He emphasized that the platform is B2C, because all the subscribers they have today are direct, but the model is B2B, where the cable operator can do the incorporation “of our platform in their platform.” “Zee Play Mundo is a new tool that adapts to people’s behavior. We have to live in both worlds: in traditional pay TV and in the VOD and OTT services. This is important: to give cable operators both solutions,” he explained. Regarding distribution of the linear cannel, López said they are on DISH, Sling, Vemox and with the platform for Smart TVs, VEWD. “New distributors have not joined yet. Negotiations in the US take more time and we will son have novelties,” he ended.
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nglish Club TV channel began in 2007, with an idea to create an educational TV channel that would entertain people from all over the world who are learning the English language. Within just a few years, it had spread to most regions of the world: CIS countries, Central and Western Europe, Asia and Africa. In September 2016, English Club TV was finally launched in Latin America and North America on the Hispasat 30W-5 satellite (recently switched to Intelsat 11 satellite). Now, English Club TV is broadcast in 100 countries and watched by more than 30 Andrew Semchenko million viewers. In America, the channel is currently available on the networks of Canal+ Caraïbes, Wherever TV (Latin America), Roku (both Latin and North America), Ameba, Kanopy, Fascination TV (North America). “We are currently discussing potential cooperation with key players to cover as much of America as possible. The distribution of our channel is handled by Castalia Communications in Latin America, and MediaCase in North America,” comments Andrew Semchenko, CEO of English Club TV Group. Semchenko added that knowing the importance of English language proficiency for the U.S. Hispanic market, they want to expand the distribution further, so that each viewer (of English Club TV linear channels), PC or mobile device owner (English Club TV web service and mobile apps) will be able to learn and perfect their English, regardless of their age, location or social status. “We are open to cooperating with all kinds of providers and giving all possible rights including OTT, mobile, DTH, IPTV, web TV and terrestrial television. English Club TV is not so much about business as it is about social responsibility, and the unlimited opportunities for both personal and professional growth that our products provide,” he said.
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Spotlight
Pixels
CentroAméricaTV celebrates its 14th anniversary with new look
Cine Sony: In five years, we have managed to have great distribution
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entroAméricaTV is celebrating 14 years of presence in the US Hispanic market. “We have been the television destination for Central Americans living in the U.S. for the past 14 years, keeping them connected to their cultures and traditions back home by offering the best news, information and entertainment from each country in the region. Throughout the years we’ve also aggressively acquired the best sports rights, including the regular season games and finals from the national socFrancisco Giménez cer leagues of El Salvador, Honduras, and Costa Rica, as well as exciting World Cup qualifiers and friendlies,” says Francisco Giménez, SVP and General Manager of Cable Networks of Hemisphere Media Group, Inc., the network’s parent company. Recently, the channel unveiled a new logo, on-air look and graphics package, which has a fresh and more modern ‘look and feel’ that embodies the cultural essence of the Central American countries it represents. “CentroAméricaTV already benefits from great coverage in the U.S. on traditional platforms, and we are committed to supporting our affiliate partners’ OTT strategies. CentroAméricaTV has been on Sling since its launch and was recently added—along with all of Hemisphere’s U.S. cable networks—to DIRECTV Now, reaffirming the value and appeal of the network to a wide audience base,” he commented when consulted on distribution. The channel recently launched its first completely original production, Inmigrantes: El Camino Hacia un Sueño. Filmed in Los Angeles, the new weekly series focuses on the arduous journey many Central Americans make to reach the ‘land of freedom’ in the US, and exposes the harsh reality they face once they arrive.
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ccording to Tom Troy, SVP & GM, US Networks, who oversees Cine Sony, the main achievement of the signal that has already been in the Hispanic market five years “is to have a service that came from scratch. It was our first foray into doing non-English language programming domestically. To stand up a service, get our sea legs and have the growth trajectory we had, it is a pretty incredible accomplishment.” The signal is on the grid of the main cable operators and DTH—DISH, DIRECTV, Comcast, Tom Troy Cox—with the exception of Spectrum, with whom they are negotiating. They are also in OTT services like DIRECTV Now, Sling and fuboTV. “We are very aggressive in the virtual MVPDs front,” he added. The signal currently has 3.6 million subscribers that represent 80% of the available universe. Troy emphasizes that they are part of the basic tiers in Spanish. This month’s launches include After Earth with Will Smith, Pixels with Adam Sandler and Paul Blart with Kevin James. He highlighted that physical comedies and thrillers are very popular. He mentioned that they are very analytic regarding what they program. “That is why our alliances with affiliates are so important. We want to be sure we have access to first-hand data and work closely together with them to understand changes in consumption habits,” he expressed. He clarified that, although they are a premium signal, they do include a commercial break at the end of each film. Since they are not yet being measured by Nielsen, commercials are mainly direct response. “Revenues have been growing steadily,” he stated.
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Personality
Vincent Sadusky
CEO, Univision Communications Inc.
We must bring back a singular focus and deeper dedication to our core strengths Maribel Ramos-Weiner PRODU What are the priorities you have established at the helm of UCI? Since I’ve come to Univision, I’ve spent a lot of time getting to know our business and our people. We have so much to be proud of: experienced teams, extensive broadcast and digital operations, an unrivaled brand, and the most powerful connection and commitment to our communities. We’re moving forward with renewed energy and sense of purpose for our mission: informing, entertaining and empowering Hispanic America. This is a new launching off place for what is one of the truly great franchises in American media. We are reorienting our business towards our greatest opportunities to deliver the best content experience across all of Univision’s media platforms. We recently announced our intent to sell Gizmodo Media Group and our stake in The Onion, and we are reinvesting in the areas and activities that most directly strengthen our core business. In addition, of course, we will continue our investments in the Hispanic community. Our commitment and connection to our community has always been and will continue to be the centerpiece of Univision’s identity and purpose. PRODU What is the focus that you want to instill at UCI? Univision has been,
Sadusky´s goal is to reorient the business towards their greatest opportunities to deliver the best content experience across all of Univision’s media platforms
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Profile Sadusky has deep experience in the media industry and a proven track record as an effective and innovative leader. Throughout his tenure of more than ten years with the companies, he helped build a more comprehensive, integrated and competitive offering across all markets for the benefit of customers, advertisers and brands
for a very long time, the leader in Spanish-language media and Hispanic marketing in the U.S. That’s not by accident. Today, as our industry is the most competitive it’s ever been, we must bring back a singular focus and deeper dedication to our core strengths. Whether it’s audio formats or new streaming services or linear broadcast, we’re going to re-invest in our people and our platforms to deliver the freshest, best new content for Hispanic consumers across all platforms. PRODU In what areas will you lean more on Televisa and in which areas will you continue to produce locally? As the largest producer of Spanish-language content in the world, Televisa is an important partner and, thanks to a significant realignment of our companies over the last two years, we are the most excited we have ever been to see new content in both new and proven genres. Patricio Wills, the new President of Televisa Studios, is one of the best creatives in this business and he has worked to accelerate and transform Televisa’s content evolution. Televisa can offer us the best of the best, often shot in locations all over the world including the US. At the same time, at Univision we excel in live programming – from exciting
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tentpoles such as the Latin Grammy’s to our popular news and sports, to groundbreaking reality contests and specials.
Reto 4 Elementos second season
PRODU Will you seek more alliances? Yes, in addition to our continued collaboration with Televisa, we are also increasing our investments in the acquisition of other third-party content. Our multi-pronged content strategy will ensure that our consumers have the best content across all our media platforms. PRODU What new programming is UCI preparing for the coming months? To drive our position as the No. 1 Spanish-language content provider in the U.S., we have made significant investments in sports, news and entertainment content. Developing the most compelling content and ensuring our consumers have the best content experience across all our media platforms will be our winning strategy for the balance of 2018 and for 2019. On the scripted content side, we have the family dramedy Mi Marido Tiene Más Familia, the sequel to Juan Osorio’s highly successful Mi Marido Tiene Familia. L.I.K.E., from Pedro Damián will debut this fall. Contracara, from W Studios for Televisa, will premiere this fall. As for reality, Nuestra Belleza Latina, our highest rated franchise, has returned with a revamped format that seeks to break society’s stereotypes of Latina beauty. Reto 4 Elementos is back with new contestants on location in the Riviera Maya. Moreover, Univision continues to be the official home of the Latin Grammy’s as we prepare to televise the 19th annual event from Las Vegas on November 15. In sports, Univision Deportes will deliver every match
of the inaugural UEFA Nations League competition across its linear and digital platforms and, our coverage of Liga MX — immensely successful with double-digit growth in viewership over the last five years — will continue. PRODU What’s the strategy to compete against OTT services? Our solution has always been to be everywhere our audience is and connect it to the best content in news, sports and entertainment. In some cases that means to go direct – which is what Univision Now offers. Sometimes it means being on the best apps, like our Univision Deportes app, or even on Facebook, as with our award-winning news content with Jorge Ramos. In addition, in some cases, it means being available on streaming TV platforms, like DIRECTV Now and fuboTV.
PRODU How is Univision Creator Network working out within the company? Our in-house network and creative studio for digital creators was launched three years ago and continues to be the leading US Hispanic influencer network. We have expanded our content offering by successfully integrating creators across digital, linear and live events, helping us to connect with Hispanic millennials and opening up branded content sales opportunities. Our creators have been a central component in helping drive truly authentic engagement with major brands such as Walgreens, Neutrogena and M&Ms. As we look towards the next few months, we want to continue doing what UCN does best: –creating great content for Gen Z and Millennial audiences. We want to continue developing original content, such as the UCN Music Residency, for a multicultural, multi-platform audience. We’ll also continue working on influencer programs for Facebook Watch, working closely with digital teams to create more opportunities for integrations within the Univision ecosystem. PRODU How is the Ad Sales area at UCI? What were the results of the Upfront? Advertisers are attracted to our highly coveted unduplicated audience. Hispanics are projected to fuel more than half of the total US population growth in the next 10 years, and we have the insights, assets and capabilities that help advertisers make meaningful connections. We also have robust thought leadership platforms – including our Leading the Change conference, now in its 7th year – that get marketers excited about this space. Many of our client relationships are long- term. That’s because we become experts in their businesses, bring them ideas, make those ideas easy to execute and remain flexible throughout.
L.I.K.E. La Leyenda
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Opinion
By Alejandro J. Rojas
Regional Director Parrot Analytics
Tapping data for better visibility in the digital storm
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he digital storm has whipped up gale force winds of change in the past few years, and while some audiences might be confused by all the choices and platforms (and even run for cover!), Hispanics are embracing the changes and possibilities with open arms. When it comes to entertainment, Hispanics tend to over-index in most digital technologies, making them one of the most receptive audience segments to new consumer offerings. That said, it’s even more important that those of us in the media industry gain a thorough understanding of non-linear TV consumption in order to meet the demands of Hispanic consumers today, as well as their expectations tomorrow. Coming up with an accurate forecast for the future has never seemed more critical. To capture this elusive future, businesses must tap
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The media industry must gain a thorough understanding of nonlinear TV consumption in order to meet the demands of Hispanic consumers today, as well as their expectations tomorrow
into the art and science of anticipating audience’s preferences and tastes. Fortunately, the same digital revolution that drives Hispanics to consume content anywhere at any time is also making it possible to gain further understanding on what they currently like and make more than an educated guess as to what other types of content they might enjoy.
Digital footprints predict viewership Following Hispanic TV viewers across their preferred consumption platforms is now possible on a massive scale by aggregating anonymized user data on how they interact with digital assets of linear and non-linear TV shows. For instance, for a TV show like Luis Miguel that aired on Telemundo, Parrot Analytics found that, after each episode, the digital footprint left behind by viewers was an early indicator of expected viewership for the next episode. This digital footprint was
measured in the form of demand expressions, a holistic metric that combines digital engagement such as a Google search, a Wikipedia visit, and a social media mention, with video consumption data like peer-to-peer downloads, among a wider plethora of data sources and interactions. Uncovering trends to target Hispanics Taking advantage of these rich datasets of TV viewer behavior can also help industry leaders observe and foresee consumer trends. For example, by tracking demand expressions for thousands of TV shows, Parrot Analytics found that overall consumer demand for the dark comedy genre in the U.S. was on the rise. This trend suggested an opportunity to target Hispanic audiences who were underserved by existing dark comedy shows. The recent release of Netflix Mexican original La Casa de las Flores has traveled well into the U.S. Hispanic market, capitalizing on this opportunity. These two examples showcase how industry players are using data to attract and retain Hispanic audiences. As competition increases and technology advances, insights from big data analysis will improve the visibility of the road to take successful media businesses into the future.
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Production
Gato Grande Productions: The area that 10 palabras máx needs most improvement is writing and scripts
Luis Miguel, La Serie
Two aspects that are key: contents that travel well to different countries and better scripts
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arla González, Development Director at Gato Grande Productions and Executive Producer of Luis Miguel, La Serie, mentioned there is a boom of production companies very similar to the phenomenon that took place with Internet portals, many of which will not continue in the market. She believes specializing is the secret to survive and be able to reach platforms such as Netflix. “It is more strategic to not try to cover a lot of genres but instead find your niche,” she says. González points out that it is necessary to look for contents that travel well in different countries. “For us, in creative terms, that is the challenge. To generate content that travels well in different cultures,” and added that the work of platforms is to have a complete and vast catalog. According to González, melodrama
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is a genre that is never going to die. “What is changing is the quality of scripts and the quality of storytelling,” as well as “to say more in less time, for the plot to unfold faster,” “We want our brand to identify with very high-level storytelling, ambitious series, truly expensive, and we don’t say this apologetically. If you want a series from our company, it is a series that has these characteristics. I do not take it lightly that we have the support of a studio like MGM, which is making content that is not in English for the first time. There is a standard to fulfill and an enormous resource to make the most of,” she adds. Currently, Gato Grande is developing four series projects in the thriller, action and drama genres. “Some happen in historical periods, others in the present. We have a
Carla González Development Director at Gato Grande Productions and Executive Producer of Luis Miguel, La Serie
bit of everything, because we must cover a range of genres,” she explains. Additionally, they have a film branch. “Right now we are developing two specific films that I cannot mention yet”. She emphasizes that what must always remain the same is the standard. “The standard must be of quality, regardless of who it is going to. We never have to underestimate any audience of any segment. In addition, I think a well-told story is universal. Maybe the central topic of the project changes depending on if it is for the US, for Mexico or Latin America. There are more attractive topics depending on the region, but quality and storytelling must be the same. The only genre that doesn’t travel as well is comedy; I think it has to be more local.” González believes the industry is maturing and improving, and feels the area that needs most improvement is writing and scripts. “Europe is older than us and I think that is why they are more sophisticated in terms of stories. But we will get there. It isn’t about a less demanding audience than the European one. The thing is that productions have not had the quality they should have had.”
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Production
Olympusat: We are evolving 10 palabras máx the quality of our content
Conciencia and the films El Juego Final and Pobreza Bajo el Sol, as well as La Hacienda del Rey, for which they are seeking co-producers, are the projects under way
Tom Mohler CEO of Olympusat
Maribel Ramos-Weiner
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or Olympusat one of the main challenges of producing for US Hispanic and Latin America are the scripts. “Getting these scripts is a challenge. Traditionally, there are not many scripted series outside telenovelas in the region. Our tradition is more American style TV series
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Yeshuah Castillo Original Productions VP at Olympusat
being produced down there and as a result, not many people are used to writing those types of scripts. That has been the main challenge, trying to find competent writers. We do not have abundant talent in this area,” mentions Tom Mohler, CEO of Olympusat. “Many of the productions are coming from Mexico that is one of our priority markets. Writers tend to be from Mexico and Colombia. We are evolving the quality of our content. The mindset is that the quality should not only be visually, but story-wise” comments Yeshuah Castillo, Original Productions VP at Olympusat. The company actively seeks the ideal partner to co-produce the series La Hacienda del Rey (12x60’). “We have enough material to make three seasons,” mentioned Castillo. Castillo added that they are currently producing two films: El Juego Final and Pobreza Bajo el Sol, as well as a series titled Conciencia (11x60’) –currently in post-production-that was co-produced between Mexico and Cuba, 90% of which was made in Cuba. “Conciencia will first be released in Cuba where it is a series for primetime. We will be offering it for distribution at MipCancún and will also place it on our Vemox platform,” expressed Castillo. The genres they produce originally include action, thrillers, and dramas. Castillo adds that they are making efforts to find good scripts for comedies that are unique and more thrillers. Mohler said that according to the data provided by the Vemox platform, nearly 10% of the VOD is generated by their original productions and all the group´s channels are in the first audience places in the operators that Vemox has. Mohler highlighted that they plan to produce 15 scripted series this year. “We are presenting 15 hours of new content per week on Vemox and for 2019 we want to double that figure. We have partnered with content companies in Europe and Asia to dub them into Spanish and show them on our channels. We are dubbing more than 500 hours of video this year in our facilities in Mexico. We are focusing on good and high quality content. For dubbing, we are seeking the best talent, for lip sync to be so perfect, you forget it is dubbed. We have decided to look for content partners around the world to raise the level of content, because we know that if we do it alone, it will take more time,” he explained.
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Production
ESPN Deportes: In 14 years we went from 10 palabras máx producing one hour to producing 10 hours per day
Fútbol Picante
The signal is preparing a daily, halfhour late night show that will be produced in Los Angeles and will be launched in January
E
SPN Deportes, born in January 2004, which celebrated its 14th anniversary of operations this year, has exponentially increased its production of live shows. “In 2004 we opened SportsCenter and did two, half hour shows a day, half an hour of Fútbol Picante. We had the rights of LaLiga. Rights come and go. Now, we have a substantial offer from the Mexican League. Today, we start from 9am to 10am with SportsCenter AM; from 10 to 12, Raza Deportiva; from 12 to 2pm, SportsCenter; from 2 to 3pm Fútbol Picante; from 3 to 4 Capitanes; from 4 to 7pm, Jorge Ramos y su Banda; from 7 to 7:30pm, Cronómetro; from 7:30 a 8:30pm, Nación. We went from one hour to around 10 hours per day. This gives a new dimension to the channel, and proves how we can have an authentic version of what is going on in sports
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around the world through these studio shows,” commented Rodolfo Martínez, Production VP at ESPN International and ESPN Deportes He added that the growth exhibited in just 14 years speaks clearly of the evolution of passing from one to ten hours and, this way transforming these contents for other platforms, “that can be watched on the app or in shorter segments on .com, and can be heard on the radio. This is, we went from being a TV and radio channel, to being a multiplatform company that serves fans in different ways”. Making a balance of how it went for them at the World Cup, he said they did well in ratings, “in the time slots when there were no games, we managed to dominate the scene in certain markets, including primetime, when we were leaders, particularly in Mexico. People were very satisfied with the combination of
Rodolfo Martínez Production VP at ESPN International and ESPN Deportes
entertainment we had, from comedy to music to our regular thing that is talking about sports, soccer, about what happened each day with the World Cup. We had a unique project that was the film ESPN Rusia, launched that Monday after the World Cup. And before that, we made an unprecedented effort, Tren a Rusia (12x60’) about life in Russia”. ESPN Deportes is preparing a daily late night show (from Monday to Friday) that will be produced in Los Angeles and launched in January 2019. “It is a more relaxed program, a lighter and more entertaining perspective of the world off sports. It will last half an hour and we are going to do it in English and Spanish. I would say it is the first time we do a show in this format,” he commented. When consulted on his position regarding OTTs, Martínez emphasized that the company is multiplatform. “What we do is available in each device and the I believe the ESPN app is the answer to what we have been able to do technologically: offering short format content, and our channel in other products through WATCH and ESPN+,” he added. He highlighted that for the future they have plans to include more ESPN Deportes content on the ESPN+ platform.
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Production
Sabbatical Entertainment: 200 hours 10 palabras máx of original premium content in two years
El Mundo es Tuyo
Naturaleza Humana
From 25’’ capsules to 90’ specials, they work all the genres and formats: series, documentaries and specials Maribel Ramos-Weiner
S
abbatical Entertainment in less than two years has created and produced 200 hours of original premium content without shooting a single minute. “From 25’’ capsules to 90’ specials, we work all the genres and formats: series, documentaries and specials”, comments Miguel Somoza, CEO of Sabbatical Entertainment. He highlights that in terms of challenges to produce in the US Hispanic market, one of the greatest is “not to place labels on ourselves. Hispanics with our language, culture and traditions form part of a country and a globalized world. Our productions are inclusive and universal”. He mentioned they are very satisfied with everything they have reached. This leads them to set new horizons, for which they are joining forces with startups, emerging produc-
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tion companies in different cities like Mexico City, Barcelona, Buenos Aires and São Paulo. “We believe in feedback and synergy that results from the exchange of ideas and visions, so that is where we are heading in the remainder of this year,” he said. Sabbatical Entertainment has two of its children series on the air in Univision and another in UniMás: Naturaleza Humana, Planeta de Niños and El Mundo es Tuyo, respectively. Additionally, they have documentaries from the “commemorative” line of de biographies of great personalities such as Christian Dior and Yves Saint Laurent; Puntapié, that is their special on great soccer players: Maradona and Messi from Argentina, Pelé and Neymar from Brazil, Valderrama and James from Colombia, Chicharito and Hugo Sánchez from Mexico, are also exhibited in the Hispanic market.
Miguel Somoza CEO of Sabbatical Entertainment
“Our documentaries on Madonna and Andy Warhol, have all been aired on CNN en Español and have been very successful in terms of audience. Our special with the most outstanding lists of the year was on the air celebrating the arrival of the New Year for the audience of Channel 22 in Los Angeles. This, to mention only a few of the hits we have had this year in the US Hispanic market,” he expressed. Sabbatical Entertainment is currently developing the new series Santuarios, on sacred places of all the beliefs around the world; Sobremesa, a gourmet and cooking series with great gastronomic protagonists, and El Coloso del Sur, a special on the unknown Brazil, that is the first of a series on all Latin America. Additionally, they continue producing the entertainment series (L)over and Ama2Odia2, the first on great loves and heartbreaks and the second on charismatic figures who are equally criticized and adored. When consulted on the overview of the future, he said it is “promising”. Somoza feels that the company´s productions have an infinite potential “because they are universal, for all the audiences and platforms and with the highest quality. We take care of all the details so that everything is impeccable. Nowadays, with streaming and OTT platforms, the audience is everywhere, so we continue to bet on making original productions, following the path of the ones we have made so far,” he ended.
produ.com
Who’s who
Directory
Schramm Marketing Group | Fantástico Schramm Marketing Group is an agency that specializes in promotions targeted to multicultural consumer segments, ticket sales, sponsorships, and conferences for the television and video industry. Clients include leaders in sports, entertainment, television, publishing and non-profits. The company is recognized for promoting international soccer and for driving pay
Joe Schramm
TV subscriptions. Schramm created and produces the Hispanic Television Summit as well as other leading annual conferences. For more information, visit www.schrammnyc.com. They have also launched Fantastico.nyc, a site where Latinos buy tickets online in Spanish. For info about Fantástico visit www.fantastico.nyc.
Rafael Eli
Managing Partner & President
Partner & Executive Vice President
Joe Schramm is a marketing strategist known as the producer of business conferences, and for his expertise in business development, sponsorship sales, and promotions attracting segmented, multicultural consumers. He is the founder, managing partner and president of Schramm Marketing Group, a conference production company, and a multicultural marketing and media services agency in New York, whose clients include leaders in television, sports, entertainment, telecommunications, publishing and non-profits. Schramm is most noted for promoting soccer, and for representing brand sponsorships. He is recognized as the creator/producer of the Hispanic Television Summit, presented by Broadcasting & Cable and Multichannel News. Schramm also has launched a Spanish-language ticket sales website called Fantástico. He is a cable industry veteran and has been inducted into the Cable TV Pioneers. In 1993, he introduced U.S. cable audiences to South America’s Copa America championship which kicked off his interest with soccer and Hispanic marketing. Prior to founding Schramm, he had founded another agency, Team Services, and served in roles at Cablevision, Rainbow Media (now AMC) and at the Boy Scouts of America. Schramm is a Long Island native, a graduate of St. Michael’s College, Vermont, and active with the Paley Media Council, Street Soccer USA and numerous other non-profit organizations.
Rafael Eli is a Partner at Schramm Marketing Group, a conference production company, and a multicultural marketing and media services agency in New York, whose clients include leaders in television, sports, entertainment, telecommunications, publishing and non-profits. Recently, he played a leading role in the firm’s launch of Fantástico, a site where Latinos buy tickets in Spanish for their favorite events. Prior to joining Schramm in 1999, Eli was Managing Director at ABC Radio International (now ESPN Radio). Before that, Rafael was Marketing Communications Manager for the Hispanic market at AT&T where he was responsible for managing its US$40MM Hispanic media budget. Eli is originally from Cuba and grew up in Puerto Rico. He holds an MBA from Fordham University, a BA in French and Political Science from Rutgers University, and attended the Université de la Sorbonne and the Université de Tours in France. Since 2015, Eli has been a member of the Board of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) New York. Eli is a recipient of a live kidney, whose donor found him through www.matchingdonors.com, a website that helps find living altruistic organ donors for patients needing transplants. In appreciation, he actively provides pro-bono marketing services to the organization.
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OTT
COMPANIES
FLIX LATINO
HITN TV
HULU
www.flixlatino.com 2601 S. Bayshore Dr., Suite 1250, Coconut Grove, FL 33133, USA T +1-786-220-0280
www.hitn.org Brooklyn Navy Yard 63 Flushing Avenue, Building #292, Suite #211 Brooklyn, NY 11205 – 1078, USA T +1-646-731-3520
www.hulu.com 2500 Broadway, Piso 2, Santa Monica, CA 90404, USA T + 1-310-571-4700
Luis Villanueva, President and CEO of Somos Next
Erika Vog Director of Programming and Acquisitions
Randy Freer CEO
Elaine Paul CFO
Dan Phillips CTO
Kelly Campbell CMO
Jaya Kolhatkar CDO
Peter Naylor SVP Sales
Shannon Sullivan SVP Talent & Organization
Chadwick Ho SVP and General Counsel
Gaude Lydia Páez, VP Head of Corporate Communications
Luis Guillermo Villanueva COO of Somos Next
Ricardo González Content and Product Manager of Somos Next
Guillermo Sierra General Director, TV and Digital Services
Eric Turpin General Manager, TV
Maximiliano Vaccaro, Digital Services Director
OLYMPUSAT
PINGÜINITOS
www.olympusat.com 477 S. Rosemary Avenue, Suite 306, West Palm Beach, FL 33401, USA T +1-561-684-5657
2601 S. Bayshore Dr., Suite 1250, Coconut Grove, FL 33133, USA T +1-786-220-0280
Aurora Bacquerie VP of Channels Relations
Colleen Glynn EVP & General Counsel
Jesús Piñango Director of TV Content Strategy
Luis Villanueva, President and CEO of Somos Next
Tom Mohler CEO of Olympusat Holdings
Yeshuah Castillo VP of Original Productions
Carlos López VP of Marketing and Communications
Chuck Mohler President of Olympusat Holdings
Ignacio Sanz de Acedo VP of Sales & Business Development
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Luis Guillermo Villanueva COO of Somos Next
Ricardo González Content and Product Manager of Somos Next
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OTT
COMPANIES
SLING TV
www.slinglatino.com www.sling.com news@sling.com 9601 S Meridian Blvd Englewood, CO 80112, USA
Warren Schlichting EVP and Group President
Jimshade Chaudhari VP, Product Marketing and Management
Ankit Bishnoi VP of Content Acquisition and Strategy
Izabela Slowikowska VP, International Business
UNIVISION NOW
VIVOPLAY
www.univision.com 605 Third Avenue, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10158, USA T+1-212-455-5200
www.vivoplay.net 400 Ponce De Leon, Coral Gables, FL 33147 USA T + 1-305-215-4086
Scott Levine SVP, Product & Technology
Carlos Hulett Guinand President and CEO
Fabiola Paravisini Content Manager
Jennifer Wenzelmann VP of Finance / CFO
Carlos Zuloaga Director
YIPTV
www.yiptv.com 3300 S Dixie Hwy, Suite 1-186, West Palm Beach, FL 33401, USA T +1-201-301-5604
Michael Tribolet CEO, Co-Founder
Chuck Gaspari CLO, Co-Founder
Louis Holder CTO
Juliana GaribaySparacio CCO
Mark Holodnak CFO
Liliana Madrid CMO
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OTT
INTERVIEWS
SOMOS NEXT
Somos Next: Differentiation in content and positioning is key
S
omos Next’s services, FlixLatino and Pingüinitos, have registered a Year to Year growth rate north of 300%, “a very steep growing curve,” mentions Luis Guillermo Villanueva, COO of Somos Next. “Our growth is catalyzed by several trends. A main advantage of the Latino market is that many are service stackers, meaning that while signing to new services or platforms, Latino keeps other subscriptions as well,” added Villanueva. FlixLatino offers +250 titles at any given time, with a monthly refresh and weekly premieres. It is a mix of movies, series and documentaries from Spanish-speaking countries. “All movies are theatrical releases, brought under our service in an SVOD manner for US$2.99 per month. We believe it is a quality value proposition at an attainable price,” he explains. Regarding their main partners, Villanueva mentions that they are constantly negotiating agreements and growing and are quite satisfied, given their time in the market. “We can mention names such as Sprint, Amazon, Apple, Google, Smart TV providers, and others. We will be announcing new significant agreements soon.” The technology they use is a proprietary standalone app, web and plug-in platform. Villanueva says the FlixLatino platform can cater to cord-nevers, cord cutters, cord-shavers and pay TV subscribers. It can serve as both a stand-alone and add-on service for the US-Hispanic market. “We are definitely aware of the OTT demographics. Definitely, at US$2.99 we believe we
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Luis Guillermo Villanueva COO of Somos Next
are well positioned to provide a full spectrum of Spanish-language entertainment to our customer base,” he maintains. He feels that stackers will continue to grow in percentage, as users continue to experiment with the mix that works for them. “A successful model of bundling across all platforms has not been standardized, allowing users to dabble in different mediums to attain their optimal entertainment,” he comments. Villanueva believes the challenges for OTT towards the future are consolidation in the space, saturation of services and partnering with appropriate distribution partners. “In this environment differentiation in content and positioning is key,” he emphasizes. He highlighted that OTT can cater to all generations as the usability and friendliness of the platforms continues to be streamlined with multiscreen setups to deliver entertainment where the user prefers. When consulted on if he believes OTT services are partnering with telcos to offer their streaming services through phone, television or Internet plans as a mechanism to reach more users who would normally not subscribe directly to the OTT service, he said the high use of mobile entertainment is a key aspect of the Latino market, especially on cellular phones. “Telcos combine both the “traditional” distribution and mobile entertainment (including cell phones). Yes, we are currently partnered with Sprint and exploring other partnerships with other telcos to offer our streaming service to their customer base. We do see this as a proper growth mechanism, since we are aligning our content with telco audiences and appetites accordingly. A key feature of our OTT services is their adaptability to screens of all sizes and we are extremely aware of the size and potential of this segment,” he stated.
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OTT
INTERVIEWS
VEMOX
Vemox: OTT will be the norm in the next five years
V
emox offers over 50 HD Spanish-language channels that are a mix of scripted content, which they call localized content made of news, talk and variety shows from originated in various countries. The service allows each account to have three simultaneous devices in use. “Most of our channels are not specialty channel for other countries, channels made by scripted content ranges from kids’ content to movies, series, and aside that, we do some sports channels. The movie channels range from fully restored classic movies to brand new movies, including originally produced movies,” explains Aurora Bacquerie, VP of Channel and Content Acquisition, Olympusat. 10% of the content exhibited on the platform is original from around the world: Europe and Asia, dubbed into Spanish. Regarding their tech partners, Bacquerie mentioned that in Latin American they partner with broadcast groups and in the United States with communication companies. “We have a
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Aurora Bacquerie VP of Channel and Content Acquisition, Olympusat
mixture of technology from the top hardware companies in the world to the best in class software for the actual platform. We use a variety of companies to create the best in class software and hardware,” she said. She expressed that one of her efforts is working with MVPDs to combine their broadband services with OTT videos services so that
customers can have a video product that is directly correlated to the broadband offering. She highlighted that their service is unique because it offers people the ability to get live channels with high quality HD along with thousands of hours de video on demand. She announced that they will integrate advertising over the next few months. Bacquerie feels that the main challenges for OTT providers now are cost of content and marketing. “That is why few platforms are profitable at this point,” she adds. Bacquerie assures that OTT will become the norm over the next five years. “We are working with several mobile providers right now whom we are not able to mention yet because we are in various test phases with our product. It is better to work with broadband and mobile providers in order to create synergies with their products to try to gain customers to upgrade services: high speed, adding family members and attract new customers,” she ends.
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OTT
INTERVIEWS
UNIVISION NOW
Univision Now: Our goal is to be everywhere our audience is
U
nivision Now is Univision’s direct-to-consumer streaming service, available on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Android TV, Google Chromecast and web. Univision Now (UNow) gives acces to Univision and UniMás broadcasts live, as well as on-demand episodes of series, novelas, realities, music events and more. The cost of the subscription is US$7.99 monthly or US$86.99 annually. “The live streams of our two broadcast networks represent the core of UNow. In many of our top markets, like LA, NYC, and Miami, that even includes local feeds, so viewers can access the news and information that matters to them while on the go,” points out Scott Levine, SVP, Product & Technology, Univision Communications, Inc. UNow is also accessible through TV Everywhere, giving pay-TV subscribers additional access to live feeds of UCI´s cable networks, including Univision Deportes Network and Galavisión. “UNow was among the first OTT services to integrate TV Everywhere capability alongside a direct-to-consumer experience, making it the one home base for our audience. Instead of requiring everyone to pay to access Univision Now through a separate subscription, we want to encourage our audience to sign up for, or use their existing accounts with, pay-tv providers in UNow,” he comments.
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Scott Levine SVP, Product & Technology, Univision Communications, Inc
Aside from live linear content, UNow offers more than 7,000-plus hours of on-demand video content. In addition to programming from our lineup, UNow includes access to a wealth of classics from Televisa’s library. Finally, we offer a number of never-before-seen originals on UNow, with titles that add even more value to an already robust content package. Regarding their tech partner, Univision works with Neulion, who also powers key elements of the Univision Deportes experience, and plays a key role in ensuring UNow offers users the optimal experience
across a wide range of devices. “In order to be as flexible as possible in reaching our audience, we also maintain close ties with platforms like Google, Apple, Roku, and beyond,” he mentions. He said that while Univision still enjoys a 90% live viewing audience via broadcast and pay-TV services, they know that today’s consumers access content via a vast array of viewing options and platforms. “Our goal is to be everywhere our audience is with the best news, sports and entertainment content. In some cases, that means to go direct to consumer, which is what UNow does. Sometimes it involves partnering with popular social platforms like Facebook Watch, as we have for Real America with Jorge Ramos. It also means being available on virtual MVPDs with partners like DIRECTV Now and fuboTV,” points out. He adds that the company spends a great deal of their time building experiences that are mobile first and fit right in the palm of the hand. “A great example of Univision working with a telecommunications partner to offer an enhanced experience for our audience is our inclusion in T-Mobile’s Binge On program. Through this partnership, T-Mobile customers are able to enjoy UNow’s vast array of live and on-demand content without worrying about data usage,” he concludes.
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OTT
INTERVIEWS
SLING TV
Sling TV: We were designed with cord-nevers in mind
T
he Sling TV service offers more than 600 live and on-demand channels in 22 languages. The platform does not carry any original content. As of June 30, 2018, the service has 2,344 million subscribers. Sling TV is available on smart TVs, tablets, game consoles, computers, smartphones and other streaming devices. Device partners include AirTV Player, Amazon Fire devices, Android TV, Android mobile, Apple TV, Chrome browser, Chromecast, iOS, LG smart TVs, Roku players and smart TVs, Samsung smart TVs, Windows 10, Xbox One and Xiaomi. The company points out that the service was designed with cord-nevers in mind, which is
The platform offers more than 600 live and on-demand channels in 22 languages
why they launched with an entirely new model, “without the long-term contracts, useless channels or cable equipment that came standard with traditional pay-TV.” “We see Sling TV as part of the entertainment solution, complimentary to other services like Netflix, Amazon Video, over-the-air antennas, and direct-to-consumer video services or even traditional pay-TV services,” comments the company. They highlight that advertising is a key element of Sling TV’s model, allowing them to keep an affordable price point and still offer popular content. “We deliver addressable advertising via dynamic ad insertion on Sling TV, with targeting opportunities that haven’t been available on traditional pay-TV, including real-time geo-targeting, platform and device,” they explain.
YIPTV
YipTV: OTT will have rapid growth over the next five years
A
ccording to Michael Tribolet CEO, YipTV, the OTT market is still early and will have rapid growth over the next five years. The challenges he sees towards the future include the demand for unique content and user-generated content. “There are going to be many winners in this OTT space. It will be difficult to provide everything for everyone and consumers today are fragmented in their wants and needs for entertainment,” he comments. When consulted on if OTT is just for young audiences, Tribolet says that no. “OTT is not just for young audiences, we are seeing the upper end of the age demographic consumer our product,” he adds.
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Michael Tribolet CEO, YipTV
He highlights that they have been working with multiple telcos, cable operators and cellular companies. He clarifies that a majority of their customers are cord-nevers and are on the cellular networks of MetroPCS and Boost. He emphasizes that the YipTV platform has advertisement and they are watching the technology trends in this space closely. Regarding the technology they use, he says they developed their own platform, CRM and backoffice. He informed that in July 2018 they were issued a patent on their cloud-based platform. YipTV’s current service costs US$15 per month and includes: 60 Live TV channels and growing, 70 first run movies rotating every month and 40 Live radio stations. The platform allows 5 streamers per account. “YipTV is the best value in the market space at US$15 per month,” he mentioned.
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Events
Cisneros Media presents new productions
2018
from Venevisión USA in Miami
Juan Carlos Sosa, Executive VP and General Manager of Cisneros Studios; Jonathan Blum, President of Cisneros Media; Kolster Pérez, Pay TV Advertising Sales Director; and Carlos Cabrera, VP, Sales and Pay TV
Carlos Cabrera, VP Sales and Pay TV at Cisneros Media
Harry Levy, host of Más de Ti
Kolster Pérez, Pay TV Advertising Sales Director at Cisneros Media
Tatiana Rodríguez, star of Mary for Major
Dr. Samar Yorde, host of El Chateo
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Events
Screening of Falsa Identidad
2018
from Telemundo and Argos in Mexico
Cast of Falsa Identidad with executives from Telemundo and Argos
Falsa Identidad´s lead actors Luis Ernesto Franco and Camila Sodi together with Ronald Day and Marcos Santana from Telemundo and Epigmenio Ibarra from Argos
Eduardo Yáñez
Alejandro Camacho
Camila Sodi and Luis Ernesto Franco
Geraldine Bazán
Samadhi Zendejas and Uriel del Toro
Sonya Smith
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