Brian Steinberg, Senior TV Editor
Spanish-language broadcaster Univision Communications said it would offer advertisers distinct audience niches as part of its ad-sales effort in this year’s “upfront” market, following new demands from Madison Avenue on TV to emulate the targeting ability of digital media.
Univision said it would highlight four content “verticals” aimed at linking advertisers to fans of comedy, sports, music and drama. “Young Americans will undoubtedly be the future driving force in our economy and UCI is taking the lead and readying our content options to engage these consumers like no one else, said Randy Falco, the company’s chief executive officer, in a prepared statement.
As part of its effort to link advertisers to audiences seeking comedy, Univision said it would offer a new slate of sitcoms aimed at a more youthful viewer. In 2017, the satire site The Onion will gain a new TV home with a program that will air on the company’s Fusion network.
To win sports aficionados Univision will add more soccer programming for Liga MX, the most watched soccer league in the U.S., and will release a series of sports documentaries, including “La Otra Mirada,” in which Hispanic America’s most popular stars tell the stories behind their favorite sports moment.
Music fans will see a new biopic series that focuses on iconic singer Jenni Rivera from the perspective of her former manager Pete Salgado, and “Canción de Mujer, an original multimedia talent competition that lets viewers at home to help discover the next great female singer in the Regional Mexican music genre.The second season of “La Banda” will expand to include female participants.
Univision said it would evolve its drama production, working on ways to make telenovelas “more relevant to an evolving Hispanic consumer who is complex, bicultural, empowered and highly digitally connected.” Viewers of Univision will see “shorter, crisper stories,” while viewers of UniMas will get more “fast-paced action series and real-life stories.”
Source: Variety
