TelevisaUnivision is stepping up to the plate with a message that John Cusack, head of U.S. advertising sales and marketing, describes as “powerful” but “simple”: The slogan? “We got the Hispanics.”
“We understand this audience better than anyone else,” Cusack says. Hollywood Reporter Ahead of the Spanish media giant’s presentation on Tuesday.
“The dialogue has really changed. It’s no longer about if You are investing to try to reach the Hispanic American consumer, however how“And in a fragmented world,” he says, “you know, reaching an audience and moving an audience are two different things, and we’re really well-positioned to achieve that.”
In its presentation, the company will take a familiar approach to media buyers this year: a slew of sporting and live events (including, yes, the NFL), with a heavy dose of music (as with… Premios Juventud) for good measure, and a solid array of entertainment to bring it together.
When it comes to Spanish-speaking sports, soccer remains king. TelevisaUnivision has signed a slew of deals to maintain this rhythm, including the rights to CONMEBOL Libertadores and CONMEBOL Sudamericana, the renewal of the Gold Cup and the CONCACAF Nations League, and the extension of the Mexican national team’s matches until 2034.
Notably, the company is also teaming up with mega YouTube star MrBeast at a creator event as part of the Gold Cup, which Kozak says will “bring a different audience” to the game.
But TelevisaUnivision is also turning to other sports with unique partnerships.
That includes the Super Bowl, which will return to the company as it signs the Spanish language rights as part of a sublicensing agreement with ESPN. The Las Vegas Formula 1 Grand Prix will come to its platforms via a deal with Apple TV.
“50% of our viewers don’t watch sports in English, so yeah, you have to buy the NFL and all that other cool stuff, but if you come to us, we can increase your sports reach,” Kozak says.
In live streaming, the company will add some technical improvements to its ViX platform, including DVR functionality and alternative streaming options, with plans to significantly increase the number of short-form vertical video shows released on the platform.
The vertical displays, which ViX calls MicrOs, have garnered more than a billion views since launching last July, Kozak says.
“It was structured as a novella,” he says. “Our sales approach is that we do a lot of integrations with customers on this and give them a seat at the table.”
On the entertainment front, the company will have a slate of scripted and unscripted programmes, including TV series such as Corazon de Oro and Land of love and courageas well as programming such as the interview show hosted by legendary TV host Don Francisco and unscripted franchises such as What is the mascara? and Sounds game.
Then there’s the partnership with music superstar Marc Anthony, which will include music, lifestyle programming, long-form content touching on fashion, hospitality and all parts of the Spanish-language media ecosystem.
“Not only will we develop a concert or a solo concert, we will develop original content and formats for live performance,” says Kozak. “We’ll take his IP, the TelevisaUnivision IP, and we’ll merge them together, and it will be a bigger, more immersive stage for our partners to benefit from. He’s a global star, and he’s also excited to work with us.”
