As the US audience for Spanish-language television continues to grow, the competition is heating up as evidenced by Univision’s rebranding of its second-largest network, TeleFutura, a shot across the bow at rival Telemundo.

Its new name is UniMás and the content and marketing skew are towards the younger male Latino. Univision Communications Inc. is the leading media company serving Hispanic America and new deals with Caracol Televisión, RTI Colombia, and Televisa strengthen its position as the fastest growing broadcast network in the US, irrespective of language. 

“UniMás will offer the new generation of Hispanic Millennial trendsetters – the Más Generation – options for bolder content,” stated César Conde, president, Univision Networks. "We will deliver more of the best available Spanish-language programming, more series, more sports, and more movies that speak to what our audience is looking for.” 

The revamped network debuts on Jan. 7, 2013 with a slate including dramatic thrillers, “Made in Cartagena” and “Quien Eres Tu” (Who are You), a boxing-themed drama called “Cloroformo,” and a project based on the novel “Diablo Guardian” by Xavier Velasco to be adapted by Gustavo Bolivar, author of the hit series “El Capo” and “Sin Senos No Hay Paraiso.” 

Increased sports programming includes games from the Mexican National Team, Liga MX, CONCACAF Gold Cup 2013, FIFA Confederations Cup 2013 and World Cup 2014 and continue popular fare such as “Solo Boxeo” and “Contacto Deportivo.” 

“We have been focused on making TeleFutura the undisputed No. 2 Spanish-language network in the U.S. behind Univision,” said Conde to the New York Times. “This new brand positioning is going to really identify and connect UniMás with the main mother ship brand of Univision.” 

UniMás is an example of sweeping changes in Spanish-language television in the quest for more viewers and ad dollars. “The Hispanic market is not the old stereotype of the past at all. It’s incredibly young and tech savvy,” said Karl Heiselman, CEO, Wolff Olins, the agency that recently redesigned Univision’s logo as a 3D version of the multi-colored tulip and added “The Hispanic Heartbeat of America” as a new tagline.

Telemundo has also announced rebranding, replacing its blue “T” logo with a bright-red version in a campaign featured this month on parent NBCUniversal networks including A&E, Bravo, CNBC, Lifetime and MTV, where the Spanish word “te,” informal for “you,” is replaced with phrases like “Te sorprende” and “Te informa” (It surprises you. It informs you). 

“It is the year of the brands in the Hispanic space,” said Jacqueline Hernández, COO Telemundo in the Times. “When you’re doing a brand refresh, your goal is to keep, maintain and attract.” 

On the news front, CNN en Espanol, the Spanish-language news network pay TV leader for the past 15 years in Latin America and the United States, is launching CNN Latino, a syndicated programming block tailored for the U.S. Hispanic broadcast stations covering news, lifestyle, documentary, talk and debate.

"The U.S. market is so diverse and so large that there is room for two distinctive content options," stated Cynthia Hudson-Fernandez, SVP and GM of CNN en Espanol and Hispanic strategy for CNN/US.

CNN Latino will launch in Los Angeles late January 2013, with a branded programming block of eight hours as well as a dedicated section on the worldwide Spanish-language site, cnnespanol.com.

"There is a real demand for relevant, dynamic, quality programming and CNN Latino is a unique product designed specifically for the growing U.S. Hispanic audience, representing the dual reality of U.S. Latinos today who are multi-generational and proud to be bilingual,” added Hudson-Fernandez.

The Barack Obama presidential re-election team today released a new video endorsement by actress Eva Longoria, the national co-chair of Obama for America. In the campaign (click here for the Spanish version), she touches on healthcare, education and immigration to pitch the president (and the American Dream) to the Latino community, and ends by directing voters to Latinos.BarackObama.com for more information.Continue reading...

The latest intelligence from the Pew Internet Project, the 2012 "Digital Differences" report, finds that one in five American adults surveyed don’t use the Internet, with almost 50% citing irrelevance as the main reason.

The survey, which polled of 2,260 adults aged 18 and older conducted in July-August, 2011, further reveals that 10% of respondents who don't use the Internet have no interest in doing so in the future, although 20% say they have enough technological know-how to do so.

The self-identified Luddites flagged by Pew included, primarily, senior citizens, Spanish-speaking respondents, adults with less than a high school education, and those with under $30,000 annual income. At the same time, the rise of mobile has narrowed the digital divide between white Americans and minorities.Continue reading...

Big-time press conferences across the globe may need to make room for two more microphones soon. Disney is reportedly in talks to launch a 24-hour Spanish-language all-news channel later this spring with Univision, in a bid to create a cable news channel for English-speaking Latinos.

The Los Angeles Times reports that the Spanish TV giant and the Walt Disney Co., which owns ABC and a host of other cable networks including ESPN, are developing a 24-hour, all-news, English-language channel. Univision “could use the channel to reach more acculturated viewers that advertisers prefer: Latinos who predominately speak English,” the Times reports.

The move would bolster Disney's ABC News division, which has “struggled to be more competitive and has shed hundreds of staff members from its ABC News division because the network produces only a few newscasts.” It would also give a direct line to America's booming Latino population, with roughly 50 million Americans ticking the Hispanic or Latino census box in 2010, a 43% jump up from the 2000 Census. 

Disney is also looking for multicultural growth outside the U.S. Residents of India, prepare to encounter Aladdin at 3 a.m. on your TV.Continue reading...