The fact that Latino cable channel mun2 targeted Super Bowl Sunday as the day to change its name to NBC Universo is no coincidence. The channel, which is in close to 40 million homes, plans to use sports programming as a way to attract top audiences. NBC Universo President Rubén Mendiola, a Spanish-language TV veteran who has worked at Televisa and Fox Sports, says big sports event productions — like the channel’s Spanish-language presentation of the Super Bowl — are the surest way to build an audience.
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In 10 years, some of the lines that are established today will be blurred. People are going to move very comfortably from watching something on the main TV to watching it on their tablets or phones. It’s going to be organic. Windows might go away. People will be able to see their favorite shows on all of these devices at the same time.”
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Photo by: NBC UNIVERSAL
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On the name change: We believe that we’re going to get more consideration from the public. People didn’t know that mun2 was part of NBCUniversal. We want people to know that we are the Latino cable channel from NBCUniversal. We now have a very strong name and all the benefits that come with The Peacock.
On Latino audience trends: Latinos go back and forth between watching television programming in both English and Spanish. They are looking for quality: great events and great sports. We are at a point where we can actually provide these big sports franchises in a way that Latinos can enjoy. We are looking forward to moving forward with big sports that cater to Latino sensitivities.
Popular Latino sports other than soccer: A lot of people think that boxing is very popular with Latinos. MMA is really popular with Latinos. Karate is popular with Latinos. These will continue to grow in the next couple of years. Sports are all about passion; Latinos are passionate.
On media trends: I’m interested in seeing how digital and linear continue to move back and forth together. It really doesn’t matter how the content is delivered. I’m interested in seeing how content is consumed by the population and how we can incorporate some of those elements into what we are doing.
On the cable bundle: [It] is absolutely still important. It gives an opportunity for people to get a lot of programming at a price that is affordable. When people see how much programming will be unbundled, they won’t like it so much because it gets too expensive.
