| | |  Entertainment | January 2009 
US Cable Companies Tune in Mexican Channels
 Ayala Ben-Yehuda - Reuters
go to original
Los Angeles - After launching two entertainment channels in Texas last fall, Mexico's Grupo Multimedios plans to enter more Spanish-speaking markets in the U.S.
The conglomerate's Multimedios TV channel offers a wide range of programing, including variety and music-themed shows. TeleRitmo specializes in regional Mexican music videos.
Comcast began carrying TeleRitmo in Houston in September and plans to add the channel in Chicago within weeks, says Gustavo Mena, a former Telemundo executive who is leading Multimedios' stateside distribution effort. Time Warner Cable picked up Multimedios TV in several Texas markets in December, including Dallas, San Antonio and Austin.
"When cable operators started launching Spanish-language channels, a lot of attention was not paid as to where that programing was coming from," Mena says. "There was little distinction made between Spanish-language programing from Mexico and Argentina. To the decision-makers, Spanish was Spanish."
But with operators recognizing that the great majority of U.S. Hispanics are of Mexican origin, "it's a great time now for the expansion of a company like Multimedios, the third-largest producer of original programing in Mexico," he said.
In 2009, Mena hopes to secure carriage on satellite TV operators, as well as expand into the top five U.S. cable markets, including New York and Los Angeles. |
|
| |
Vallarta Weddings
Tell a Friend
Site Map
Print this Page
Email Us