TelevisaUnivision plans to lean into new formats and areas of cultural conversation, as the Spanish-language media giant seeks to stand out in a crowded upfront marketplace.
That will include the addition of 24/7 reality formats, where viewers can watch the goings-on at any time in addition to regular episodes, a slew of music programming (and an entirely new live music festival), and a substantial investment in “microdramas,” which will seek to bring the telenovela format to mobile devices.
“Where all other businesses are trying to be everything to everyone, we are laser focused, and always have been,” days Donna Speciale, TelevisaUnivision’s head of ad sales, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “I think we have a uniqueness to us, you know, we are a cultural force. We’re built on trust over 70 years. We have this authenticity and this deep connection with our audience, we are the heart of the Hispanic connection, and that unique proposition really makes us stand out and makes us be very different than everything else that’s out there.”
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The company has the Univision network, of course, but it has also built up the ViX streaming platform, which is increasingly where it is investing in a push to retain relevance with younger consumers.
The microdrama strategy is a key part of that. As TikTok-style vertical video has exploded in popularity, some Asia-based apps and studios have created ultra short-form dramas built with extraordinarily low budgets. While they aren’t a threat to ultra-premium TV dramas, they are sucking up time on mobile devices, and TelevisaUnivision thinks that it can leverage its expertise in the telenovela space to secure a piece of that pie.
The company plans to debut about 40 of the microdramas, which will be presented in ViX in one minute or so episodes, with plans to expand into documentaries, comedies and other genres later.
“This format has been exploding in the Asian markets, and it really taps into the appetite of that young, digital centric user based across a massive mobile footprint. We’re basically capturing that craze, and we’re building on our expertise with episodic scripted dramas,” Speciale says. “We’re going to be putting a lot of different types of innovation, messaging and stuff for clients and brands to sponsor and lean into.”
Speciale adds that the company expects to experiment more with brand integrations in the microdrama space, given the short episodes and a desire to minimize viewing interruptions.
“Clients actually want to kind of test with us, because we all don’t have the answers quite yet, but we all know, given what we’re seeing and given the surge of TikTok and how this audience now lives on their phones and vertical content now is what they’re used to,” she says. “There’s a huge opportunity here, and we really believe that we’re going to seize the moment.”
In the music space, TelevisaUnivision has a slew of programming on tap, and is planning to launch its own branded music festival called YA Fest, which will also run across the company’s platforms. The company plans to host the festival across multiple cities with different genres of music.
“We’re going to be simulcasting them at the same time between linear and digital, having a lot of influencers and hosts going across back and forth,” Speciale says. “It’s going to be a huge social play. Clients are definitely now leaning into wanting to do social first, digital first events. And I think this is going to be one of them that I think could be a huge success.”
The company is also launching ViX Música, which it frames as a music destination within the larger ViX experience
In the entertainment space, new series include reality concepts like the 24/7 reality concept La Mansión 24/7 and the survival reality show El Conquistador, and scripted fare like Doménica Montero and Los Hilos del Pasado.
But the upfront comes at an uncertain moment for the ads business. Media buyers are seeking flexibile terms given tariffs and economic uncertainty, while media companies are leaning into sports and live events to try and secure as many commitments as possible.
TelevisaUnivision is no exception, with a new deal with Concacaf adding its women’s events to the lineup.
Speciale says that her company is prepared for what’s coming.
“Uncertainty is not new to the marketplace, I mean, we’ve have had recessions before, we all went through COVID. That was a first for us,” she says. “What I can say and what has happened in all times of uncertainty is that marketers lean in and focus on areas and investments that drive the biggest impact, and don’t scale back on the areas that drive growth, and I feel really good about that, because the Hispanic audience now being 20 percent of the population, clients are realizing that this is a huge business imperative, and it shows day in and day out the ROI when they lean in.”
“What they’re talking about is flexibility. They want flexibility only because of the unknown and the upfront gives them the flexibility. The terms and conditions have always been there,” she adds. “So to me, we’re in a great place, because we are such a huge growth engine for them and such a huge growth driver that I’m really confident going into this, that we’re not going to not going to be affected.”
