The daylong Hispanic Television Summit, held September 13 as part of NYC TV Week, featured experts exploring the multiple ways television programming engages Hispanic consumers with video content that is connected across platforms from streaming to broadcast to traditional pay TV. Keynotes, panels and presentations focused on advertising, viewer research, programming, content distribution, subscriber marketing. viewer promotions and content discovery. The event also included the annual Hispanic Television Awards, honoring top executives and on-air personalities in the sector. Click below for an image gallery from the event. 

The Hispanic TV Summit panel Content for Special Audience Segments looked at the best ways of reaching users on multiple platforms and the role AI might play in programming in the very near future. 

The panel saw J.C. Sanchez, CEO and founder of family programming network Family Playland, define the modern TV era as TV 3.0. Broadcast TV was 1.0, and the onset of cable ushered in 2.0. The new era means users want what they want, when they want, on the device they want.  

“We want to be wherever our fans want to consume our content,” Sanchez said. 

Court Stroud, an adjunct faculty member at New York University and Columbia University and a veteran of Univision and Telemundo, among other TV companies, moderated. Chris Knight, Gusto TV president and CEO, echoed Sanchez on reaching users where they choose to be. “We don’t care where you watch us, just as long as you watch us,” he said. 

Knight added that a lot of time is spent thinking and talking about the right “vessels” for content, when more of the focus should be on the quality of the programming. 

Sanchez said there is so much fragmentation in television that it offers content creators a good opportunity to connect with overlooked audiences. “The market is ripe right now to come in and superserve what has been underserved,” he said. 

Oscar Ramos, senior director, digital content at ESPN Deportes, said connection is more than simply speaking users’ or viewers’ language, but serving them “the content that moves them” as well. 

Original content was a theme of the panel. Doris Vogelmann, VP of programming and operations at Spanish-language network Vme Media, said the network “looks for shows that are positive for the community.” Sanchez said Family Playland would love to get into the originals space, but it is not there yet. Food network Gusto TV, for its part, is. “We produce 100% of the content on our channel,” Knight said. 

The panel also touched on AI. Ramos said AI is not yet a major factor in programming. “In the end it’s about being authentic,” he said, “and AI still has a lot of work to do.”

Knight said Gusto TV is “all in” on AI and Sanchez said Family Playland is embracing it, too. He added, “As small programmers, it’s helping us compete.”

New York -- Independent networks navigating the increasingly fragmented TV market need to differentiate themselves beyond just better pricing and more choice to be successful, they also need to take a stand, Fuse TV CEO Michael Schwimmer told a packed audience at the Multichannel News/B&C Hispanic TV Summit Thursday.

Schwimmer told Multichannel News and B&C managing director of content Mark Robichaux that with so many ways for consumers to access content -- including Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and a growing number of virtual MVPDs -- independent networks have to offer something truly different.

"To have any success with platforms, be they pay platforms or other platforms, you need to be highly differentiated," Schwimmer said. "You need to give them something they otherwise don't have readily available in a cost effective manner."

For Fuse, that means targeting a young Latino and multicultural audience with content that resonates with them -- shows that feature Latinos in lead roles and that depict the Latino community as a part of mainstream society.

"I don't think television reflects that yet," Schwimmer said. "When you deliver that to viewers in a non-preachy way, it's just fun, it's entertainment, but you see somebody on screen who looks like you and maybe like your neighbor or like your cousin, it's going to feel good."

But just reflecting the community isn't enough. Schwimmer added that network brands need to stand for something other than just "big tent" entertainment.

"It's very hard to be a legacy general entertainment network," Schwimmer said. "The 'Big Tent' today is Instagram, Facebook, HBO, Netflix. Once get to come down 10,000 feet, you need to stand for something specific. The question is, what does your brand stand for? HBO has done a great job of doing that. In our case, it's very clear -- it's Latino, it's multicultural, it's young, there's a music filter to it. It's non-scripted, so if you're looking for a great drama, don't come to us. we're very specific about what we offer and who we offer it to. Which means we're not going to appeal to everybody, but we're going to appeal to some people. Hopefully they'll be passionate about what we do."

He added that viewers, especially young viewers, show more allegiance to shows where they feel a connection, where buying into the brand means something. He mentioned Toms Shoes, which gives a free pair of shoes to a needy child for every pair it sells. 

"As a network you're an environment and you're environment needs to mean something and stand for something broader than any individual show," Schwimmer said.

The television and film industries have begun to recognize the value and appeal of Hispanic television, but executives speaking at the Hispanic TV Summit say that there needs to be a greater Hispanic presence both in front of and behind the camera.

“When I go into a room and hear people talk about diversity, I’m not interested in it being some kind of pro-social [effort]; it makes total business sense,” said Ben DeJesus, president of production company NGL Studios, speaking at Thursday's Hispanic TV Summit. “I think we are the mainstream at this point, but we just want to play in the big arena.”

Jaime Davila, president and co-founder of Campanario Entertainment, said that the industry is actively looking for stories featuring Latino images, but it’s still an uphill battle to get such stories greenlit to series and on the air.

“The broadcast networks actually want to tell those stories,” he said. “It’s still really hard to sell these shows … but I will say that they do care about diverse storylines.”

Even with the unprecedented number of scripted programming offered on broadcast and cable networks, there’s still a dearth of Hispanic-themed content available for Hispanic viewers, which make up a significant part of the total viewing audience, according to Davila.

“Everybody in Hollywood talks about peak TV and there’s too much TV, but for all of those thousands of shows, I can count on my hand how many are Hispanic shows," including Starz's Vida and Netflix's One Day At A Time, he said.

In order to alter the dynamics of what is developed and distributed across the television landscape, Noticias Telemundo senior vice president of digital Romina Rosado believes that there needs to be more Hispanic executives in decision-making positions.

“Right now the decision makers are mostly middle-aged white guys, so there needs to be  more diversity behind the camera where the power is … that’s where we need to focus on,” she said.

Added La Calle TV CEO Jorge Viera: “Everybody has a story of success in the Hispanic community so we have to address … how to get those stories out.” 

With respect to Pay TV offerings for Hispanics, 2018 has been a year in which the major operators have focused on tweaking existing channel counts, pitching low-priced bundles and expanding their streaming TV everywhere options. That stands in stark contrast to the first half of this decade, when operators were aggressively expanding their rosters of Hispanic channels and devoting significant resources to revamping their video packages.

Bigger changes can be found in the streaming space, where operators continue to ramp up the Spanish-language content on their TV everywhere apps and develop better streaming options for consumers by adding new over-the-top content to the set-top box.

As operators work to promote these offerings to the general market, they could play a more important role in Hispanic marketing in the future. More Spanish-language content in TV everywhere offerings could provide a competitive edge over some of the some of the virtual multichannel video programming distributors that offer relatively limited Hispanic content choices — and limit the inroads that OTT services might make against incumbent providers.

For the moment, though, the biggest marketing battles are all about the bundle. Charter Communications, for example, is promoting a TV and Internet bundle with 75 Spanish-language channels for $59.99, while Verizon Communications is pushing a $79.99 triple-play bundle with its TV Mundo package, phone and a Gigabit Internet connection (980 Megabits per second upstream and 880 Mbps downstream) with auto-pay for the first two years.

Here are the key Hispanic offerings from the seven largest traditional pay TV operators:

Comcast

Video subscribers: 22.1 million

High-speed internet subscribers: 26.5 million

Voice subscribers: 11.5 million

Contacts: Michael D’Emilio, executive director, Xfinity Services – Multicultural; Mildred Zdziebkowski, senior director, multicultural services; Justin Smith, senior vice president, content acquisition; Andrew Brayford, VP, content acquisition; Jose Velez Silva, VP, multicultural marketing communications; Jeannette Castañeda, director, multicultural communications; main phone: (215) 286-4933.

Hispanic video packages: Xfinity TV Latino (depending on the package, up to 60 Spanish-language channels, including the Xfinity Latino Entertainment channel; as many as 140 English-language networks; VOD; access to the X1 entertainment operating system and cloud DVR; TV packages regularly priced at $27.95 to $69.95, less with promotional offers). Channel lineups are customized for local demographics.

Hispanic VOD, high-speed internet (HSI) and bundles: Comcast offers thousands of free Latino Xfinity On Demand choices, as well as English/Spanish audio feeds of select films; thousands of choices online in Spanish, via its Xfinity Latino microsite and on internet protocol-connected devices via the Xfinity Stream app; a package of 220-plus out-of-home live streaming channels available anywhere at any time, featuring many Latino networks, including all Spanish-language sports networks (ESPN Deportes, Fox Deportes, Latin American Sports, Universo and Univision Deportes) and kids’ networks (Vme Kids, Discovery en Español, Discovery Familia, BabyFirst TV Español, Primo and Kids Central). Various Xfinity Latino double- and triple-play packages are available; no contracts required; voice includes unlimited international long distance to Mexico; Spanish bill available across footprint.

Major Hispanic markets: Passes more than 7 million Hispanic homes in major markets such as Miami, Houston, Chicago, San Francisco; Boston, Denver, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Sacramento, Calif., and Albuquerque, N.M.

Recent and future plans: Comcast, which was the first major cable operator to make a major push to expand its Hispanic offerings, continues to focus on the segment, with upgrades to its overall platform that have been customized to appeal to Hispanics.

Many of these efforts have revolved around improving its X1 platform and streaming services. Since launching a Spanish-language interface on the X1 platform in 2015, Comcast has added a number of other major features, including secondary audio program (SAP) and Spanish-language content filters, as part of a larger effort to more deeply integrate Latino programming into the X1 experience. It also continues to add more OTT content, including the Netflix App and YouTube on X1 and it launched Stream TV, a web portal providing access to live, on demand and DVR programming at home or anywhere in the country. Overall, Comcast’s web video/OTT/music offering on X1 includes more than 65 streaming services and digital networks (Netflix, YouTube, iHeart Radio, Sling International, NPR One, Pandora, Stingray Karaoke, FX+, AMC Premiere, Lifetime Movie Club, Gaia, ESPN3, Epix and more).

Another ongoing focus is on-demand content. Comcast currently has more than 100 diverse networks on the Xfinity platform and they offer more than more than 14,000 hours of diverse on-demand and online programs.

DirecTV

Video subscribers: 20.0 million

Contact: Karla Sustaita, director, AT&T Diversity Video Marketing

Hispanic video packages: Tiers include Más Latino (more than 125 channels, including over 60 in Spanish, for $55 a month for 12 months with 24-month agreement); Optimo Más (over 205 channels, including more than 80 in Spanish, for $35 a month for 12 months with a 24-month agreement); Más Ultra (over 240 channels, including over 85 in Spanish, priced at $45 a month for 12 months with 24-month agreement); Lo Máximo (more than 350 channels, including over 110 in Spanish, priced at $110 a month for 12 months with a 24-month agreement).

Hispanic VOD, HSI and bundles: Spanish-language on-demand content includes Cine Sony, El Rey, ESPN Deportes, Fox Deportes, Galavisión, MegaTV, MTV TR3S, Telemundo, UniMás, Universo, Univision and Univision Deportes; the DirecTV App gives customers access to live and recorded shows anywhere from their mobile devices.

Major Hispanic markets: National footprint with local broadcasters, including Spanish stations where available.

Recent and future plans: Aside from noting that it continues to re-evaluate its channel lineup and content, DirecTV declined to provide more specific examples of its future plans.

Charter Communications

Basic video residential subscribers: 16.2 million

High-speed internet residential subscribers: 23.1 million

Voice residential subscribers: 10.3 million

Contact: Marisol Martinez, VP of multicultural marketing

Hispanic video packages: Mi Plan Latino (package of TV and Internet provides customers with more than 130 channels in English and Spanish, more than 75 of which are in Spanish; thousands of free on-demand choices; and free access to the Spectrum TV App for $59.95* for the first 12 months); Latino View tier (more than 75 Spanish-language channels on top of any Select, Silver or Gold package; the expanded Latino View package includes more than 30 HD Spanish-language channels, priced at $7.99*); Spectrum TV Choice (internet customers can choose 10 channels from a list of up to 75 top networks, 12 of which are in Spanish, and receive local channels; thousands of free on-demand choices, as well as free access to the Spectrum TV App to stream their shows live at home or on the go, priced at $12.99* for first two years).

Hispanic VOD, HSI and bundles: Offers Spectrum Mi Plan Latino Double Play with Internet and and TV, a package of more than 130 channels (over 75 in Spanish) to new customers including thousands of free on-demand choices and unlimited internet service with no data caps, a free modem and internet speeds starting at 100 Mbps. Customers have free access to the Spectrum TV App, which allows them to watch live TV channels and on-demand TV shows and movies at home and select content outside the home on mobile and connected devices. Subscribers can also add Spectrum Voice for unlimited local and long-distance calling within the U.S. and to Puerto Rico, Mexico and other countries.

Major Hispanic markets: Passes 9.2 million Hispanic homes in major markets such as Los Angeles; New York; Dallas; San Antonio and Austin, Texas; many Texas border markets, such as Harlingen, El Paso and Corpus Christi; as well as Tampa and Orlando, Fla., and Reno, Nevada, and areas with expanding Hispanic populations such as Raleigh and Charlotte, N.C.

Recent and future plans: Charter continues to focus on adding more Hispanic and other ethnic programming to its multicultural lineup and on developing simple, value-driven offers targeted to the acculturation level of various Hispanic segments.

The MSO also recently launched Spectrum Mobile, which lets customers choose either an unlimited data plan or a pay-by-the-Gig option when added to Spectrum Internet. Both plans include unlimited talk and text on a large, reliable LTE network and a nationwide network of Wi-Fi hotspots, with savings that can be up to 40% of the cost of other providers.

Dish Network

Basic subscribers: 10.7 million

Contacts: Alfredo Rodriguez, VP of DishLatino, alfredo.rodriguez@dish.com, (303) 723-1546; Alex Coward, director of Latino programming, alexander. coward@dish.com, (303) 723-1257

Hispanic video packages: DishLatino Clásico (more than 180 channels for $39.99 a month, currently offered at $29.99 per month for two years); DishLatino Plus (more than 190 Spanish and English channels for $44.99 per month for two years with DishLatino’s current Price Lock promotion); DishLatino Dos (more than 225 English and Spanish channels for $59.99 per month for two years with Price Lock); DishLatino Max (more than 270 English and Spanish channels for $74.99 per month with Price Lock). The operator also offers “Precio Fijo” (two-year price guarantee), which includes more than 180 channels for $27.99 per month, as well as packages that require no annual contract and no credit check.

Hispanic VOD, HSI and bundles: Spanish-language movies and television shows are available on-demand to subscribers with set-top boxes capable of VOD content; authenticated online and app offerings include Spanish-language content; the Hopper with Sling allows users to access live streams of all channels and DVR recorded content on IP-connected devices.

Major Hispanic markets: National footprint with local broadcast stations available in most markets.

Recent and future plans: Dish did not make major changes to its offering this year, as it focused on marketing its existing large, lower-cost packages.

Verizon Fios TV

Basic video subscribers: 4.6 million

Total broadband connections: 7 million (6 million Fios)

Retail residence voice connections: 12.3 million (3.9 million Fios digital voice residence connections)

Retail wireless connections: 116.5 million

Contacts: N/A

Hispanic video packages: Lowest-priced option is TV Mundo (215 plus channels in English and Spanish, including 50 in HD, for $49.99 a month for the first year).

Hispanic VOD, HSI and bundles: Offers a variety of Spanish-language VOD movies and television programming; has Spanish-language websites and online customer assistance; offers a Fios Gigabit Connection bundle with Fios TV Mundo, Internet with Fios Gigabit Connection speeds of up to 940 Mbps upstream/880 Mbps downstream and phone for $79.99 a month for the first two years with auto pre-pay.

Major Hispanic markets: New York, New Jersey and other markets.

Recent and future plans: Verizon has added about five channels to its TV Mundo package since last fall but, like other operators, much of its focus has been on bundles, as well as on making more content available on its Fios Mobile app and other digital platforms. Netflix subscribers can access that content, which includes some additional Spanish-language content, on the Fios multiroom DVR.

Cox Communications

Total residential and business customers: About 6 million

Basic video subscribers: 3.8 million (private company, S&P Global Intelligence estimate)

Contacts: Luis Caballero, executive director of Hispanic strategy and marketing, Luis.Caballero2@cox.com

Hispanic video packages: A simplified video product offering that allows customers to add Latino Pack for $10 to any package; most competitive package is Contour TV, 100 Mbps internet and phone for $89.99 a month for 12 months with a two-year service agreement, or $79.99 in Fios markets. Local systems customize channels.

Hispanic VOD, HSI and bundles: Offers a variety of English- and Spanish-language movies, music and other TV programming on-demand, as well as new subscription VOD content on such recently launched services as Stingray Karaoke and Kidstream. Cox Voice offers unlimited long-distance calling to home phones in Mexico for subscribers of its Premier package and a new Cox Voice product that provides HD voice, robocall blocking and the new simultaneous ring feature, which allows customers to select up to 10 phone numbers that will ring at the same time when an incoming call is received. The Cox Voice Everywhere App allows Cox Premier Voice customers to access their home phone on the go; they can make and receive phone calls, access their contacts and listen to and read voicemails. Continues to increase Internet speeds, with Gigabit services now available to 85% of homes passed nationwide; has doubled speeds for Starter, Essential and Preferred customers. Cox also offers Panoramic WiFi, a next-generation home WiFi system designed to blanket the home for $9.99 a month, with added features for home security and home automation (lighting, thermostat, remote door locks, cameras, etc.).

Major Hispanic markets: The operator markets Hispanic offerings across its entire footprint but has the largest concentration of Hispanics in Arizona, Southern California and Las Vegas.

Recent and future moves: The operator continues to strengthen its offerings with more HD content, VOD offerings and TV everywhere content. A major focus is on bicultural audiences with offerings featuring a diverse mix of both English and Spanish language channels and what it calls “passion-driven” programming for telenovelas, sports and movies.

While it has not launched any new Hispanic-targeted channels this year, Cox continues to monitor its video offerings to ensure it includes the most desired and relevant content for Hispanics. In terms of potential new channels, the company is looking for networks that resonate and help customers feel connected to their culture, world events, favorite shows and music, regardless of the language.

Cox has also made a number of general-market upgrades that are popular with Hispanics, including unlimited calls to Mexico and 30 other countries and the recent launch of Cox Voice and the Cox Voice Everywhere app, offering improved phone features. It offers a $9.95-per-month Connect2Compete broadband plan for families who qualify for the school free lunch program or who live in HUD communities.

In terms of its TV everywhere content, Cox now has more than 100 channels available for streaming outside the home; inside-the-home customers with Cox internet service can access all the channels included in their subscription package via the Contour App.

Cox recently launched Instant Access TV, which allows new video customers to watch live and VOD content via the Contour app as soon as they sign up for Cox services. In addition, it continues to add new apps, including YouTube Kids and iHeartRadio, boost its internet speeds, expand its network of WiFi hotspots and add other general-market features that improve Hispanic consumers’ experience.

Cox will receive the award for Corporate Leadership in Hispanic Television and Video at this year’s 16th Annual Hispanic Television Summit, presented by B&C and Multichannel News.

U-verse TV

Video Subscribers: 3.7 million

Contact: Karla Sustaita, director, AT&T Diversity Video Marketing

Hispanic video packages: Offerings include Paquete Español (up to 58 channels for $15 a month on top of any programming tier); U200 Latino (more than 450 channels, including the channels in Paquete Español for $102 per month); U300 Latino (more than 550 channels, including Paquete Español, for $119 per month); U450 Latino (more than 630 channels, including Paquete Español, for $157 per month).*

Hispanic VOD, HSI and bundles: The U-verse Movies library features hundreds of hours of free and paid on-demand titles that includes Spanish-language movies, children’s programs and events, as well as VOD content from four Spanish-language networks.

Major Hispanic markets: Los Angeles; Houston; Dallas-Fort Worth; San Antonio, Tex.; San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose; Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto, Calif.; San Diego; Chicago; Miami-Ft. Lauderdale; West Palm Beach, Fla.; Austin, Texas; Fresno, Calif.; Bakersfield, Calif.; Detroit-Ann Arbor, and Atlanta, as well as El Paso and Corpus Christi, Texas; Orlando; Monterey-Salinas, Calif.; Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; Odessa-Midland, Texas; Brownsville, Texas; Charlotte, N.C.

Recent and future plans: AT&T continues to evaluate U-verse channel lineups, but declined to comment further on its strategies.

Altice USA

Altice USA basic video customers: 3.35 million

Altice USA high-speed internet customers: 4.08 million

Altice USA voice customers: 2.54 million Contact: Joe Charno, VP, marketing and creative services, Altice USA, (929) 418-4480, joe.charno@alticeusa.com.

Hispanic video packages: Last year, Altice introduced a new Spanish-language TV package for Optimum and Suddenlink customers to better cater to the Spanish-language populations the company serves, particularly in the New York tri-state area and the Southwest. For New York-area Optimum customers, the refreshed Optimum en Español package offers 50 Spanish-language channels, starting at $12.95 per month on top of other packages; for Suddenlink subscribers, the updated Conexión Única package includes more than 30 Spanish-language channels, starting at $10 per month.

Hispanic VOD, HSI and bundles: Altice USA offers a variety of bundles that include Spanish-language programming as well as other services, including international calling and high-speed internet service. The company also offers Altice Advantage Internet for $14.99 per month for households that meet eligibility criteria (including participation in the National School Lunch Program, having a child attending a New York City public school or senior citizens who qualify for Supplemental Security Income, or SSI). In the Optimum footprint, Altice USA offers more than 1,000 hours of Spanish-language VOD programming each month, with content from many Spanish-language channels also available for out-of-home viewing.

Major Hispanic markets: Optimum passes large Hispanic communities in greater New York area, including the Bronx, parts of Brooklyn and parts of New Jersey and Long Island, N.Y.; Suddenlink operates in parts of Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas with significant Hispanic populations.

Recent and future plans: In 2018, Altice USA, which was recognized for Corporate Leadership in Hispanic Television and Video by B&C and Multichannel News at last fall’s 15th annual Hispanic Television Summit, produced a series of Spanish-language commercials introducing Altice One, its new entertainment and connectivity platform. It has also featured actors and themes that are representative of Hispanic communities for its “Movers” campaign. The company continues to work with soccer superstar and Altice ambassador Cristiano Ronaldo in various marketing campaigns.

Along with a Spanish-language version of the Optimum and Suddenlink websites, the company also provides Spanish-speaking customer service representatives. Its celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month included a student essay contest in which students wrote about a Latino, past or present, with whom they would like to spend the day. Social-media efforts include an Optimum Latino Instagram account.

Altice’s community engagement efforts include activities to support education, entrepreneurship, the arts and broadband access in Hispanic communities. To help in recovery efforts in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, Altice USA partnered with the Hispanic Federation and Hamilton creator Lin Manuel-Miranda to create a public service announcement encouraging viewers to join Altice USA in donating to the relief effort. It also recently established a Diversity and Inclusion program with several affinity groups to serve its diverse employee base.

*Prices listed were taken from the website for one market and may vary by market.
**Prices are based on the standard package version.; N/A=Not Available Source: Multichannel News research. Information about these services was collected from the companies and other sources in September of 2018 by George Winslow and is current as of Oct. 1, 2018.

With operators worrying about cord-cutters and digital media companies seeing an opportunity to capitalize on the popularity of streaming video, over-the-top video distribution has become a major battleground for Hispanic audiences. All of the traditional operators have responded by expanding their streaming TV everywhere offerings, while satellite companies Dish Network and DirecTV have gone even further by expanding the Hispanic content on their virtual MVPDs, Sling TV and DirecTV Now.

Meanwhile, over-the-top players continue to expand their own offerings with a number of companies pitching OTT packages of channels that target the Hispanic market or Spanish-language streaming options.

Still, a great deal of work remains to be done. Spanish-language offerings on many TV everywhere services lag behind those available on traditional pay TV packages and a number of the most popular OTT services offer relatively limited Spanish-language content.

Here’s a sampling of some of those emerging OTT players and their multichannel streaming options:

DirecTV Now

Owner: AT&T
Headquarters: El Segundo, Calif.
Contact: Shannon Woodward, lead marketing manager, AT&T Mobility and Entertainment, shannon. woodward@att.com
Subscribers: 1.8 million (Q2 2018)
Offering: DirecTV Now offers a bilingual package called Todo y Mas for $45 per month that includes more than 50 Spanish-language and 40-plus English-language channels. DirecTV Now Español, which includes more than 50 Spanish-language channels, can be added to any existing English-language package for $10 per month, and DirecTV Now Deportes, which includes five Spanish-language sports channels, can be added to an existing English-language package for $5 per month.

FilmOn TV

Owner: FOTV Media Networks
Headquarters: Beverly Hills, Calif.; London
Launch date: 2007
Contact: Alki David, CEO and chief content officer
Offering: The FilmOn platform offers more than 600 free English- and Spanish-language channels from programmers around the world and more than 45,000 items of on-demand content. Lower-resolution versions of channels are available for free, higher-resolution versions without ads cost $14.95 a month. FilmOn’s Latino TV package offers six Spanish-language channels, one Portuguese-language channel of Brazilian novelas and eight Spanish-language radio stations.

fuboTV

Owner: fuboTV Inc. (privately held)
Headquarters: New York
Launch date: 2015
Contact: Ben Grad, head of content strategy and acquisition, (844) 441-3826
Subscribers: More than 100,000 (fall 2017)
Offering: Having launched as a streaming soccer offering in 2015, fuboTV has since evolved into a virtual MVPD and a sports-first cable replacement for the entire family. Its base fubo package includes more than 75 channels, with up to 40 that carry sports programming, for $44.99 a month, as well as more than 30 networks from TV everywhere sites and apps and more than 10,000 on-demand TV series and movies. The $44.99 package includes nine Spanish-language channels (beIN Sports Español, Fox Deportes, Galavisión, Universo, Telemundo in select markets, TeleXitos, UniMás, Univision and Univision Deportes Network). Other Spanish-language channels available as add-ons include Cine Sony Television, CNN en Español, El Gourmet, Fox Life, Gol TV Spanish, Más Chic, Nat Geo Mundo and TyC Sports.

Alternatively, fuboTV offers a $17.99-per-month “Fubo Latino” tier including 15 Spanish-language channels (Baby TV Español, beIN Sports Español, Cine Sony Television, CNN en Español, El Gourmet, Fox Deportes, Fox Life, Galavision, Gol TV Spanish, Más Chic, Nat Geo Mundo, TyC Sports, UniMás, Univision, Univision Deportes Network), with the ability to add nine more Spanish-language channels (Antena 3, Bandamax, De Pelicula, De Pelicula Clasico, FOROtv, NTN24, Ritmoson, Telehit and Univision Tlnovelas) for an additional $4.99 a month.

Hulu With Live TV

Owners: The Walt Disney Co., Comcast, and AT&T
Headquarters: Santa Monica, Calif.
Launch date: 2007
Contact: Randy Freer, CEO, (310) 571-4700
Subscribers: More than 20 million (May 2018)
Offering: Hulu with Live TV features live and on-demand programming from more than 50 popular sports, news, entertainment and kids’ channels, as well as Hulu’s entire premium streaming library with limited commercials for $39.99 per month. This includes 50 hours of Cloud DVR recording storage and options to upgrade to an enhanced Cloud DVR or premium channels like HBO. The $39.99 service includes all of Hulu’s Spanish-language offerings on demand, as well as live streams of Telemundo in many markets.

Moovimex

Owner: Pongalo Inc.
Headquarters: Los Angeles
Launch date: 2018
Contact: Rich Hull, CEO, (310) 245-9475, info@pongalo.com
Subscribers: 250,000-plus
Offering: An ad-supported, on-demand offering of hundreds of Mexican narco, action, drama and comedy movies. Primarily programmed for a male audience, the service is available across platforms such as Roku, Xumo, Daily Motion, Vewd, YouTube, TubiTV and others.

PlayStation Vue

Owner: Sony
Headquarters: San Mateo, Calif.
Launch date: 2015
Contact: N/A
Subscribers: N/A
Offering: Channel counts vary by metropolitan area and the availability of local broadcast services; tiers start with Access (48 live and on demand services for $44.99 a month in Portland, Ore., for example) and run up to Ultra (85 plus networks, including HBO and Showtime for $79.99 a month); subscribers can add the Espanol Pack (eight Spanish-language channels) for $3.99 or $4.99 a month, depending on their base tiers.

Pluto TV

Owner: Pluto TV
Headquarters: Los Angeles
Launch date: 2014
Contact: Amy Kuessner, senior VP content partnerships, (310) 746-0500, amy@pluto.tv
Subscribers: N/A
Offering: The free streaming television service offers more than 100 live and linear programming services and thousands of on-demand movies from more than 120 content partners; Spanish-language content includes two music stations.

Pongalo

Owner: Pongalo
Headquarters: Los Angeles
Launch date: 2017
Contact: Rich Hull, CEO, (310) 245-9475, info@pongalo.com
Subscribers: N/A
Offering: A subscription OTT service geared toward Hispanic women and offering more than 13,000 hours of premium film and TV content, anchored by classic telenovelas from Mexico, Venezuela and Colombia for $5.99 a month. Pongalo also offers hundreds of major Hollywood titles including xXx, Black Hawk Down, Daddy Day Care and Maid in Manhattan, all in Spanish.

Sling TV

Owner: Dish Network
Headquarters: Englewood, Colo.
Launch date: May 1, 2015
Contact: Warren Schlichting, group president, Sling TV
Subscribers: 2.34 million
Offering: Sling TV supplies a variety of packages for English-dominant, bilingual and Spanish-dominant U.S. households. More than 15 Spanish-language channels are included in the “Best of Spanish TV” package for $10 per month when purchased on a standalone basis, or $30 with “Sling Orange” or “Sling Blue” packages. A number of other Spanish-language services are available for an additional $5 a month as part of regional packages of channels; these include México Extra (11 additional channels), Caribe Extra (nine channels), Sudamérica Extra (13 channels) and España Extra (four channels).

VEMOX

Owner: Olympusat
Headquarters: West Palm Beach, Fla.
Launch date: August 2016
Contact: Tom Mohler, tom@olympusat.com; Charles Mohler, chuck@olympusat.com; Chris Williams, chris@olympusat.com; Colleen Glynn, colleen@olympusat.com; Aurora Bacquerie, aurora@olympusat.com; Jesus Pinango, jesus@olympusat.com; Yeshuah Castillo, joshua@olympusat.com; Carlos Lopez, clopez@olympusat.com; Ignacio Sanz de Acevedo, ignacio@olympusat.com; Phone: (561) 684-5657
Subscribers: N/A
Offering: Olympusat sells the VEMOX white-label package of channels to operators and companies, including 60 live channels and thousands of on-demand movies and series in Spanish; operators brand the service and set pricing. VEMOX is currently available through Consolidated Communications on Samsung Smart TV and LG Smart TV sets, iOS and Android mobile devices and Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick platforms.

WhereverTV

Owner: WhereverTV
Headquarters: Fort Myers, Fla.
Launch date: 2006
Contact: Michael Dutcher, VP of content acquisition, (323) 333-0379
Subscribers: N/A
Offering: Has a wide array of packages for consumers seeking an economical alternative to cable; various packages include hundreds of live TV channels; its Spanish TV packages have 24 channels, most of which are in Spanish, for $17.99 per month.

YipTV

Owner: YipTV Inc.
Headquarters: West Palm Beach, Fla.
Launch date: 2015
Contact: Michael Tribolet, chairman, co-founder and CEO, (561) 914-8655
Subscribers: N/A
Offering: More than 100 live international channels, many in Spanish, that can be accessed on up to five devices for $14.99 a month.

YouTube TV

Owner: YouTube
Headquarters: San Bruno, Calif.
Launch date: 2017
Contact: N/A
Subscribers: N/A
Offering: YouTube TV provides 70 plus networks for $40 a month in most metropolitan areas; includes most live local broadcast stations in markets where YouTube TV is available and a cloud DVR, which allows users to access DVR content inside the U.S. Content can be watched on any screen — mobile, tablet or computer — and streamed to a TV via Google Chromecast, Android TV, Roku, a TV with the built-in Chromecast interface, Apple TV, Xbox One and select smart TVs from LG, Samsung and Vizio. Spanish-language channels include NBCU’s Telemundo and Universo.

N/A=Not Available. Source: Information about these services was collected in September of 2018 by George Winslow. This list excludes the Spanish-language streaming content offerings of single SVOD providers like Netflix, Hispanic TV networks like Univision or TV everywhere offerings from major MVPDs. As such, the list is not intended to offer a complete directory of the OTT content available to U.S. Hispanics.

This Thursday (Oct. 4), the 16th annual Hispanic Television Summit will shine a light on the emerging Latino television market, the fastest growing and most profitable audience for today’s television production, program distribution, promotion and advertising industries.

The 2018 summit, sponsored by B&C and Multichannel News and produced by Schramm Marketing Group, will offier insights on the Hispanic TV industry, including the latest trends in marketing, business strategy and emerging technologies, said Joe Schramm, the Hispanic TV Summit producer.

The event will feature a notable lineup of executives, including the conference’s feature keynote speakers: Sandra Alfaro, managing director of Wing/Grey NY, and Michael Schwimmer, president and CEO of Fuse Media.

One of the main attractions of the Hispanic TV Summit is the annual luncheon and awards ceremony. This year the awardees include Cox Communications and Telemundo, as well as Lisa Torres, president of Publicis Media’s Multicultural Practice, Cultural Quotient, and Jessica Rodriguez, president, chief operating officer and chief marketing officer at Univision Communications. (More extensive profiles of the honorees appear below.)

“Cox was one of the first MSOs to focus on the Hispanic market and to actually initiate Hispanic-specific acquisition campaigns and Telemundo has shown incredible growth in serving the Hispanic consumer through its coverage of the World Cup and Olympics,” Schramm said. “On the individual side, Lisa Torres has been a big supporter of helping brands reach Hispanic consumers through Hispanic television for a long time; and Jessica Rodriguez represents a unique blend of executives within the industry and has made amazing strides coming up through the ranks of the company.”

AWARD FOR CORPORATE LEADERSHIP IN HISPANIC TELEVISION AND VIDEO (SERVICE PROVIDER CATEGORY)
Honoree: Cox Communications

Cox has long been a cable TV industry leader in targeting Hispanics through its in-language acquisition and retention marketing campaigns. The cable operator, under the tutelage of president Pat Esser, has also aggressively recruited and retained Hispanic employees within its sales and marketing teams in an effort to reach and serve its diverse subscriber base.

“We think we are stronger by being more diverse and inclusive,” Mark Greatrex, Cox’s executive chief marketing and sales officer, said.

The company has also employed a strategy to get services into the Latino community through Cox Technology Centers, which offer opportunities for kids who don’t have Internet services at home to access computers after school in an effort to complete their homework.

In addition, the network’s Connect2Compete campaign provides high-speed internet service for as low as $10 a month to families on public assistance that have kids in school from kindergarten to high school.

Further, Cox was among the first cable TV providers to develop programming packages especially designed to serve the entertainment and information interests of Hispanic households.

“The general thought is, if you put it in Spanish that the Hispanic community will come,” Luis Caballero, executive director of marketing and Hispanic strategy for Cox, said. “But the Hispanic community is so much more diverse, so whether the language is English or the language is Spanish, what we’re trying to do is to get that connection culturally.”

AWARD FOR EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP IN HISPANIC TELEVISION AND VIDEO (MEDIA)
Honoree: Lisa Torres, President, Publicis Media’s Multicultural Practice, Cultural Quotient

When it comes to multicultural TV marketing, Publicis Media’s Lisa Torres is in a league of her own.

As president of Publicis Media’s Multicultural Practice, Cultural Quotient, Torres leads a group of media companies that represent the largest percentage of media dollars committed to the Hispanic market annually.

In her work, Torres has thought outside of the proverbial box to create a modern, data-centric way to approach the multicultural marketing and advertising sector. As a result, Cultural Quotient is among the largest targeted, cultural digital investor across channels, including social, mobile and gaming.

“Lisa is a trusted partner, a strong negotiator, a visionary in her space, and she lives and breathes collaboration,” Publicis Media Americas CEO Tim Jones said.

With more than 25 years of experience including serving as president of ZenithOptimedia Multicultural, Torres’s success has been driven by her innate ability to conduct effective, custom research that has helped Publicis Media’s clients better understand their diverse consumer segments, which helps push the marketplace forward with the latest data and insights.

Torres’ influence also goes beyond the office. She leads Publicis Media’s Multicultural Talent Pipeline, a program built to introduce college juniors and seniors to the opportunities within Publicis Groupe and the industry at large.

“Lisa strives to make true change industry-wide — not just within our walls — through her involvement in various diversity and inclusion initiatives, and in her recent work lobbying for a better Census 2020,” Jones said. “Lisa brings a sense of humor and levity to all that she does.”

AWARD FOR EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP IN HISPANIC TELEVISION AND VIDEO (PROGRAMMER)
Honoree: Jessica Rodriguez, President, Chief Operating Officer & Chief Marketing Officer, Univision Networks

This past January, longtime Univision Networks executive Jessica Rodriguez was named COO and CMO, becoming the first woman to be promoted from inside to lead the day-to-day operations and marketing for the Spanish-language entertainment network juggernaut.

Along with her new duties, Rodriguez has also continued to successfully define and elevate Univision’s marketing platform, as well as the marketing functions across the Univision Agency. Rodriguez is a key driver behind some of the company’s most successful campaigns, including Se Habla USA, which promotes the value of diversity, inclusion and the important role Hispanic culture and the Spanish language play in the United States.

Additionally, she has played a key role in the continued collaboration between Univision and Netflix to co-produce and promote content, including drama series El Chapo, which recently finished a successful third and final season on Univision and will soon be available on Netflix.

“Jessica is a talented leader with a unique understanding of Hispanic consumers and what drives the business of TV,” said Vince Sadusky, CEO of Univision. “She is highly respected inside and outside of the company, known widely for her passion and deep commitment to the people and brands of Univision and to our community. We recently concluded our 26th straight season as the leader in Hispanic TV and I have no doubt that we will continue that trajectory with leaders like Jessica on our team.”

AWARD FOR CORPORATE LEADERSHIP IN HISPANIC TELEVISION AND VIDEO (PROGRAMMER)
Honoree: Telemundo Enterprises Telemundo is well-known for its entertainment programming, but in 2018 the Spanish-language network became the destination for sports fans looking for big-ticket live events.

In February, the network joined forces with NBCUniversal sibling NBC Sports Group to televise Spanish-language coverage of the 2018 Winter Olympics from PyeongChang, South Korea.

The network in June, alongside English-language rightsholder Fox Sports, covered the 2018 World Cup, after wresting rights to the tournament from rival Univision. Telemundo aired more than 500 hours of World Cup coverage from Russia. The network also acquired U.S. TV rights to the 2019 Copa America soccer tournament.

Overall, Telemundo in 2018 is on track to repeat as the most watched Spanish-language network in the weekday primetime period among adults 18-49 and 18-34.

“We are honored that Hispanics consistently choose Telemundo as their preferred choice for news, sports and entertainment,” said Cesar Conde, Chairman NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises and NBCUniversal International Group. “We’ve listened to our viewers and created new and original content that delivers on their appetite for media across all platforms. Hispanic media consumption is no longer about habit, it’s about choice, and Telemundo is now both the choice and voice of the Latino of today.”

The United States soccer team’s shocking elimination from the 2018 FIFA World Cup tournament hasn’t dampened NBCUniversal’s projections for a record-breaking tournament performance on Telemundo, according to company executives.

“I think the 2018 World Cup will be the most consumed event in Spanish-language history in the United States,” said Jim Bell, president of NBC Olympics Production & Programming and executive producer, Telemundo World Cup, who spoke last Thursday at the Hispanic TV Summit during a panel titled “Trends in FIFA World Cup Coverage.”

Read More: Complete Coverage of the Hispanic Television Summit

While Telemundo -- which holds the Spanish-language television rights to the 2018, 2022 and 2026 World Cup tournaments -- will miss the U.S. men’s soccer team’s World Cup presence, Bell said that the network’s majority Hispanic audience will be tuning in to watch the breadth and depth of the network’s multi-platform coverage.

“It’s disappointing not to have the US in it, but if you look at it from a numbers standpoint, there’s 64 games in the World Cup and you’re counting on maybe three US games,” he said.

Added Lauren Molen, executive vice president of advertising sales, Lifestyle Group and Telemundo Enterprises for NBCUniversal: “Our audience is really hungry and passionate about soccer, and while none of us are happy about the US, we are thrilled to have fans that love the whole [World Cup experience].”

Read More: Complete Coverage of #NYCTVWK

While too early to discuss specific World Cup advertiser deals, Molen said companies are responding favorably to the company’s World Cup pitch.

“The World Cup itself is the premium event in Spanish language television, and attracts a consumer base that can help amplify their marketing messages and sell their product in so many key categories,” she said.

Eli Velazquez, executive vice president of programming production and content for Telemundo Deportes, said soccer fans are already anticipating the Dec. 1 World Cup draw which will set the matchups for the tournament. “The drama created by the draw dovetails into the drama of the event itself,” he said.