Rubén Mendiola of DishLATINO: Hispanic TV is ready for channel consolidation

(Maribel Ramos-Weiner, New York). Rubén Mendiola, General Manager of DishLATINO addressed the Hispanic channels that occupy their weekday morning and weekend time slots with infomercials: “There are studies that suggest that the highest Hispanic viewing occurs weekday mornings and weekends.”Mendiola, who took part in the panel discussion “Increasing distribution of Hispanic video content,” pointed out there needs to be a stronger effort; that there are ways to gain the support of advertisers and distributors. The executive also believes Hispanic pay-TV is ready for the consolidation of channels. “How is it possible for channels with limited distribution to survive?” he asked.Jennifer Ball, Senior VP of Affiliate Marketing and Distribution of Univision Communications, said the network has a great VOD offer, but that it is challenging trying to inform Spanish-speaking audiences about the availability of this content given that most websites and platform information are in English. “We are partnering with distributors that can help us educate audiences about this product,” she added.Homer González, Director of Products and Services of Comcast Media Center, pointed out the importance of platforms like mobile and online. “Hispanics have been at the forefront on mobile,” he added.