TelevisaUnivision Exec on the U.S. Election, the Firm’s New “Global Vision,” the Looming “Data War,” and How “Hispanic Is Mainstream” Now

TelevisaUnivision Exec on the U.S. Election, the Firm’s New “Global Vision,” the Looming “Data War,” and How “Hispanic Is Mainstream” Now

As a seasoned gamer who has navigated through countless virtual worlds and battled against formidable digital adversaries, I find myself drawn to the strategic mindset of Ignacio “Nacho” Meyer. His analogy of media companies as cargo ships, each with unique assets that enable agility, resonates deeply with my gaming experiences.


Ignacio “Nacho” Meyer, president of the US television networks division at the multinational Spanish-language media company TelevisaUnivision, shared insights on the hurdles and particularly the prospects for his company and similar media and entertainment businesses during a conference in Madrid, Spain, on Thursday.

During a keynote talk at the Iberseries & Platino Industria conference, he compared media companies to large freight ships, stating that they possess various resources enabling them to move swiftly.

Meyer’s speech commenced the third day, known as the “U.S. Day,” which emphasized U.S. Hispanic content. He stated, “Hispanic has moved into the mainstream and is no longer a specialized area.

What are his thoughts on the future? The executive shared that our company has a broad, forward-looking perspective. This new approach is particularly significant for us, he noted, due to the debut of our streaming service ViX. According to Meyer, this involves strategic content and additional investments, emphasizing the value of “real-time content and major events, like sports and elections.” In summary, he stated that the content must be high-quality and purposeful.

Emphasizing that the saying “content is king” holds even greater relevance today, he stressed the importance of tailoring content to suitable platforms where it resonates effectively. “We’re faced with a captivating challenge,” he added, while also acknowledging we have the means to triumph in this endeavor, as expressed by the TelevisaUnivision executive.

Discussing the “structural issues” between traditional TV and streaming platforms, Meyer highlighted that one of the major hurdles and objectives is “to reconnect with our content universe.” He emphasized that audience measurement still requires refinement and referred to it as a significant inconvenience. In his words, “Measurement tools are not uniform,” and “companies are reluctant to provide us with more data.” While total views per platform would be an effective metric, it’s challenging to gather this information at the moment. By gaining a better understanding of our audience and tailoring content accordingly, we can enhance viewer satisfaction, as well as boost profitability.

Meyer stated on Thursday that we’re essentially facing a ‘data battlefield,’ as advertising purchasing undergoes significant transformation. He pointed out that this change is making it more flexible and completely quantifiable, stating that the ‘data battle’ is imminent.

Additionally, Meyer brought up the approaching U.S. presidential election in November and TelevisaUnivision’s function in linking candidates with Hispanic viewers. “We’ll have the opportunity to hear from both presidential candidates,” he stated. “They’ll converse in English, and they’ll engage with the Hispanic community, and they will respond to questions posed to them in Spanish about issues that matter to them.

TelevisaUnivision’s leadership anticipates a remarkably strong second half of 2024 for their advertising sector, fueled by expansion in streaming services and projected record-breaking political ad revenues due to the U.S. presidential election. Given its significant influence among Hispanic audiences, who are anticipated to significantly impact the election’s outcome, TelevisaUnivision is poised for a pivotal role. It’s predicted that 36.2 million Hispanics will be eligible to vote this year, an increase from 32.3 million in 2020, as reported by the Pew Research Center. Furthermore, research indicates that the rise in Hispanic voter turnout may surpass 2020 levels and potentially grow by as much as a quarter.

Meyer assumed the position as U.S. networks leader at TelevisaUnivision, a role previously held by Luis Silberwasser. Silberwasser departed to assume the positions of chairman and CEO at Warner Bros. Discovery Sports. Meyer now reports directly to the current CEO of TelevisaUnivision, a position that was recently vacated by Wade Davis and filled by Daniel Alegre, who previously held the roles of president and COO at Activision Blizzard and CEO of Yuga Labs. Alegre has taken on this new role as vice chairman within TelevisaUnivision to focus on his duties in this position.

Davis stated that the transition from Joe Biden to Kamala Harris in the presidential race has led us into uncharted waters, yet he remains optimistic, predicting that the company will see “unprecedented” political ad revenue this year. He expressed confidence that this change will boost fundraising efforts and heighten the necessity for candidates to connect with our audience. Furthermore, he mentioned that not only is there significant attention on the presidential race at the top of the ticket, but also a remarkable concentration on Senate and Congressional races, as well as an increasing number of local issues.

As a devoted fan, I’m thrilled to share that TelevisaUnivision has once again reinforced its confidence in their streaming business. By the latter part of 2024, they anticipate this branch will transition into profitability. Their streaming platform, ViX, which debuted over two years ago, skyrocketed to an impressive 50 million monthly active users (MAUs) during the second quarter, a significant leap from the 40+ million MAUs at the end of September last year.

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2024-10-03 11:55