Univision, Telemundo Announce Digital Initiatives Targeting Hispanics

Univision announced a series of digital initiatives at its first ever NewFront on Wednesday, including Flama, an online and mobile destination for bicultural Hispanic millennials launching in the fall. Original videos, series and editorial content will be featured, such as “Salseras,” a scripted collaboration between Univision and VEVO about a salsa dancing completion. Another series in the works is “Back Home,” a docu-series that takes young Hispanics on journeys to their ancestral homelands.

Last upfront season the company announced the digital video network UVideos, and this year it has named 5 channels: lifestyle, cooking, beauty and fashion, comedy and behind the scenes. Additionally, the platform is ramping up its news and sports content. The news channel will feature a timeline which enables commenting via social. The sports channel will offer game highlights, recaps, analysis and a social stream as well.

Univision also announced several transmedia plays, which will combine content across TV, digital, social and radio platforms. "LigaMXTra" will cover exclusive content about the Chivas and American soccer teams. “La Boda de sus Sueños” lets audience members pick a novella wedding to be recreated on a couple’s wedding day. "Nuestro Guapo Latino" will use twitter to put Hispanic males through weekly challenges designed by women. And Univision’s two new Telenovelas will integrate audiences through second screen experiences.

Meanwhile, competitor Telemundo is partnering with The Weather Company for a digital initiative of its own, consisting of designing weather experiences specifically for the Hispanic audience. The partnership’s first phase includes integrating local forecasts into Telemundo digital programming and selling ads and sponsorships across Weather’s Spanish-language websites and apps. Alerts and custom video will be integrated across platforms as well.