Media companies and advertisers are constantly adjusting to appeal to consumers, which is why Disney Co.’s ABC News and Univision Communications are teaming up to launch a 24-hour English-language news network to attract more of the fast growing U.S. Latino population.
According to the 2010 census, the Latino population grew four times as fast as the overall population between 2000 and 2010 and the most recent census shows that more than 50 million Latinos live in the U.S. The yet unnamed cable channel, announced Monday, is expected to launch during the first half of 2013, but the website is scheduled to launch in time for the U.S. presidential election, which some analysts say could be decided by Latino voters in battleground states. ABC News and Univision will each own 50 percent of the joint venture.
WEIGH IN:
Do you think Latino viewers will watch the planned English-language cable channel? What type of news content might ABC News and Univision incorporate in order to maximize the appeal of the channel?
Guests:
Federico Subervi, professor and director of the Center for the Study of Latino Media & Markets, Texas State University, San Marcos
Rubén Martínez, professor and Fletcher Jones chair in Literature and Writing, Loyola Marymount University