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2019 Hispanic TV Upfront Guide Presented by HispanicAd.com
At Estrella TV, parent LBI Media is winding its way out of debtor-in-possession status and is expected to be out of bankruptcy protection soon. It’s business as usual for the Burbank, Calif.- based broadcast network, and is eager to speak to marketers about its signature programs, including the weeknight variety program Noches con Platanito.
Lastly, this report could not be complete without a mention of deportes.
Sports remains an integral part of the Hispanic television skein, and FOX Deportes shared with
the 2019 Hispanic TV Upfront Guide what it is showcasing to marketers.
While some networks no longer have Upfront presentations or have rolled the discussion of Spanish-language opportunities into their bigger total market shows, the message is clear: Hispanic media is different, and offers content digital GAFANs cannot match. Much of this content is exclusive to the 72-odd cable TV channels and the nationally distributed broadcast TV networks one in the U.S. can consume.
For multicultural marketers, the Upfronts remain highly important venues for understanding the value of the U.S. Hispanic consumer, and for learning why a media budget that includes a substantial dollar allocation to Hispanic media matters in 2020 and beyond.
Convincing agency heads that Upfront attendance in 2026 will remain as important as it is today is the problem. According to MediaPost, four in 10 advertising executives predict the Upfronts will diminish in importance or outright disappear in five years.
The report comes alongside another MediaPost report indicating that clients and agency execs are far more bullish than clients with respect to NewFront spending. While 40% of respondents said they will spend more at the Upfronts, some 48% said they’d spend more at the NewFronts.
But, MediaPost downplayed the fact that 18% of respondents are cutting their NewFront ad budget, compared to 14% who say they are cutting their UpFront dollars.
The findings are based on interviews with some 300 ad execs conducted by Advertiser Perceptions.
That’s all just noise when it comes to Hispanic media, and now is the time to reinforce this fact.
May we also suggest that it is time to abandon the one-stop discussion of Hispanic media within the total market cavalcade of stars and hype. If the Upfronts are on a march toward their eventual death, here’s a suggestion: Kill them all, and have a one-day showcase of Hispanic media, with hour-long sessions devoted to why they still matter.
In a cord-cutting world, where Netflix has attacked both Hollywood and New York with Silicon Valley Dollars, the resilience of Hispanic TV remains one of the most underreported stories in the U.S. today. Without Hispanic TV participation, marketers are deciding to say no to having a conversation with the trend-setters and decision makers who will shape this nation for years to come. This needs to stop. Now.