Pier 36 at the Southern-most tip of New York City was abuzz with great music, colorful light displays and Latin stars from news, music, sports and entertainment as TelevisaUnivision's Upfront event became a party honoring Latin culture and excellence. Many other Upfront presentations had WGA picket lines outside them, but there weren't any protestors at this one, as TelevisaUnivision's scripted programs are produced in Mexico and Colombia outside of the WGA's jurisdiction. With that said, this Upfront presentation was all smiles, joy and celebration, and zero drama.
The Big Message: As the U.S. Hispanic community continues to grow (and outgrow) other groups with increased spending power and social, political and economic influence, TelevisaUnivision invited advertisers and brands to join the ride and "Grow With Us," their theme during this year's Upfront. As the fastest growing and one of the youngest demographics in the U.S., "Young América" was another focal point in the presentation. Young people are part of the multigenerational households that are driving viewership to Univision.
Hosts: Inaugural Nuestra Belleza Latina winner, model and television host Alejandra Espinoza took the stage as the gracious host for the morning's events, accompanied by Donna Speciale (pictured above), President of U.S. Advertising Sales and Marketing; Pierluigi Gazzolo, Chief Executive Officer, ViX; Ignacio "Nacho" Meyer, President of U.S. Networks, and sports anchor Alejandro Berry leading individual segments for their respective platforms.
What Worked: The seamless transitions between segments made for a very well-paced presentation, and handing over segments involving sports, news and scripted programming to stars and legends from those fields was a definite highlight. Jorge Ramos and Ilia Calderon led the news segment, while television stars and power couple Angelique Boyer and Sebastian Rulli joined Espinoza to talk about their upcoming projects. Amusing pre-filmed segments featured Speciale training for soccer in Mexico and celebrating with superfans. Soccer superstars Hristo Stoichkov, Carles Puyol and Romario were on hand with their respective trophies to share news of upcoming tournaments and championships coming to TelevisaUnivision platforms. Super Bowl XLVI Champion Victor Cruz made an announcement involving the NFL. More on that in "News" below.
What Also Worked: Hearing fans and non-industry folks in testimonial videos speak about Latin culture, and why/where they go to Univision for their news, sports and TV was very effective. More and more we see advertisers go this route, particularly for mobile carriers featuring real families and couples instead of actors, for a sense of authenticity and genuineness. Younger generations know when they're being pandered to and have sensitive BS meters, so approaches like this are a smart move. Advertisers should take note!
What Didn't Work: There was little talk of new telenovelas and series coming to the company's platforms. While they were included in the press release, it would have been nice to get a visual preview of what else is to come, though it's likely said series have not yet started production.
Bonus Points: Latin music superstar Luis Fonsi (pictured at top) closed out the event with a medley of his hits including "Échame La Culpa" and, of course, "Despacito." The party continued with the post-presentation celebration, which featured a live salsa band with expert dancers taking to the dance floor, plus cocktails and bites inspired from all over Latin America.
Data Points: Speciale highlighted that Hispanic audiences make up 28% of the box office, have 57% projected growth in new luxury auto sales, and 43% growth in banking services, once again urging advertisers to join TelevisaUnivision to "grow" with them.
Streamer ViX has surpassed 30 million monthly active users with more star-studded original programming on its way, adding to its 80% exclusive content library, amounting to over 75,000 hours of content.
News: In a partnership with the NFL and CBS Sports, Univision will be broadcasting the Super Bowl in Spanish for the first time in the company's history. Boyer and Rulli also announced that for the first time in their careers, they'd be co-starring alongside one another in a reboot of the iconic telenovela El Extraño Retorno de Diana Salazar. The 2023 Latin Grammys will have its first international telecast as Seville, Spain will host this year's ceremony. Noticiero Univision's Ilia Calderon is getting her own true crime series on ViX, Señales de Crimen, which will put the spotlight on gripping stories told through the Latin lens.
As part of a first-look deal with Eugenio Derbez, Circo Gomez is in development, an animated comedy centering on a Latin family and traveling circus. The return of competition and reality series Mira Quien Baila(Look Who's Dancing) and Quien Es La Mascara (The Masked Singer), cement Univision's reputation for family-friendly Sunday programming, and Veo Como Cantas, a Spanish-language adaptation of the popular I Can See Your Voice will premiere on Univision in late 2023.
Parting Words:
"On our networks alone, we deliver over 60% of all Spanish-language viewing, making Univision the No. 1 network among Hispanics for 30 consecutive years." -- President of U.S. Networks Ignacio "Nacho" Meyer
"Sixty-three percent of users on ViX are incremental to the massive audience we serve on linear, which means greater cross-platform reach for all of you." -- Pierluigi Gazzolo, Chief Executive Officer of ViX
"We have incredible momentum and massive reach to an influential and growing audience. This is 'Young América,' contributing 100% of 18-34 growth over the next five years and driving our collective culture.">