The Spanish langusage market is one of the largest in the country. And without question one of the top names in this field is Univision. So it should be no surprise that the company is releasing an ad-supported Spanish Language streaming service for the first time. The only shocker may be that it has taken this long to do it. The new service called PrendeTV will feature the most comprehensive offering of unlimited premium and exclusive content ever curated for U.S. Hispanic consumers, including an unprecedented collection of high-quality, curated Spanish-language series, movies and more featuring the biggest celebrities in the world.
PrendeTV will provide a full range of programming for its audience. Think Hollywood blockbusters and acclaimed global television series along with novelas (which are popular outside of the Spanish speaking community as well), comedies, classic sports, documentaries, lifestyle shows and children’s programming. It will also feature Univision and Televisa’s exclusive robust libraries of beloved, fan-favorite programming not available on any other streaming platform, all in one digital destinatio.
“PrendeTV is an important, early step in Univision’s broader efforts to build the same leadership position we have in Spanish-language TV, in the emerging Spanish-language streaming space,” said Univision CEO Wade Davis. “The announcement of PrendeTV within two weeks of closing our acquisition of Univision underscores our focus and commitment to rapidly driving the transformation and growth of the company. PrendeTV is unlike anything our audience has access to today and will completely change the landscape for video streaming in Spanish-language media in the United States.”
Davis continued, “With the launch of PrendeTV we are focused on bringing new ways for our advertisers to reach the U.S. Hispanic audience and, importantly, PrendeTV will be a critical part of our strategy to grow the scope of our business partnerships with our key distributors.”
The service will be the only premium, free ad-supported streaming service designed and curated exclusively for U.S. Hispanics. The audience that, according to Nielsen, over-indexes in ownership of internet-connected devices and smart TVs, and consumption of streaming content than non-Hispanics. This means it could be an instant hit. The new service will launch with over 30 channels and 10,000 hours of video-on-demand programming in Spanish from global content partners to serve consumers who are eager for more easily accessible content in-language and in-culture. PrendeTV will continue to grow and significantly expand its premium content offering in the coming months.
Taking its name from the Spanish-language word for “switch on” or “turn on,” PrendeTV will allow viewers to watch content on any screen, anytime and anywhere. The service will be available at launch via Prende.TV on desktop and mobile web, and via free mobile and connected TV apps with additional details on distribution partners to be announced at a later date. The streaming platform will allow viewers to access content via a familiar, channels-based program guide or on-demand library menu that’s all in Spanish, with no login requirements and limited commercial breaks within programs. Advertising launch partners will be announced in the coming weeks.
PrendeTV marks an expansion of Univision’s top-rated media portfolio that features national broadcast and cable networks, local TV and radio stations, and a suite of leading digital offerings. Consumers watching or streaming live and current-season Univision programming will continue to access this programming exclusively through their cable, satellite and select virtual MVPD subscriptions.
