Panel de Estrella Media en NewFront
Currently, there are about 1,400 FAST channels in the US and about 252 are in Spanish; 85% of the Hispanic TV content audience reports that they stream weekly some of that content; 7 out of 10 Hispanic households have smart TVs and 40% of these households only stream.
These figures were mentioned during the presentation by the Estrella Media panel “The Hispanic Digital Opportunity: Estrella Media’s Solution” at the NewFronts, which included Steve Mandala, Chief Revenue & Local Media Officer, Estrella Media; Jacqueline Hernández, CEO and Co-founder, New Majority Ready; René Santaella, Chief Digital & Streaming Officer, Estrella Media and Emilio Aliaga, Chief Digital Officer, TV Azteca.
According to Hernández, the young and multicultural demos are the ones driving growth in the digital market.
“In the world of streaming, consumer’s choice is number one. Hispanic content is driving fandom or fanaticism. Hispanics are driving a seismic change in the market and we are relying on what those consumers want,” commented Mandala, who refers to its new solution for ad sales representation: Estrella Media Audience Solutions (EMAS).
Santaella mentioned that by 2025 the FAST channel market will generate US$6 billion and explained that there are three fundamental players in this space: the large AVODs, smart TV companies, and vMVPDs (Virtual Multichannel Video Programming Distributors).
“The same behavior that has been observed with linear TV is happening in the world of streaming. Free streaming is one of the preferences of young demos. The main reason why people under the age of 45 are watching streaming is because it is free,” said Santaella.
“Free is a win for both consumers and advertisers. We are committed to delivering quality content. We are obsessed with connection, we want to create prime time that is captivating. The result of all this is that the advertiser working with Estrella Media will have a reach in all this in Spanish,” added Santaella.
Aliaga from TV Azteca highlighted the value of premium content. He noted that despite all the time audiences spend on their computers and phones, ¾ of ad views are on the big screen TV. “The content needs to be good. FAST is a part of the present, but will be a big part of the future,” he said.
Mandala concluded by saying that serving the Hispanic consumer is a great strength for advertisers today.
