Panel on distribution: IPTV is the solution to serve Hispanics with no access to pay-TV

Produ.com | Hispanic Television


(Maribel Ramos-Weiner, New York City). During the discussion panel dedicated to distribution, Luis Torres-Bohl, president of Castalia Communications and Mexicanal, said that one of the ways of monetizing content is by subscription video on demand (SVOD).

In addition to Torres-Bohl, the panel was composed of Juanjo Durán, Head of Hispanic Content of YouTube; Ashley Jordan, CEO of Fashion One and Bigfoot Entertainment; Marcos Jorge, EVP of Grupo Super Canal; and Tom Mohler, founder and CEO of Olympusat.

Mohler pointed out there are 5 million Hispanic homes in the U.S. without access to pay-TV because they don’t have credit, and in for this group, IPTV distribution creates big opportunities. “IPTV is the way of reaching these users who have no access to the Hispanic tiers of traditional pay-TV,” he added.

Durán spoke about the many partnerships YouTube has forged with the main Hispanic media companies to supply content to its subscribers. “We work closely with suppliers to ensure their content is attractive and easily reachable by our audience,” he said, adding that since 2008, its content exists in HD and this year started offering some in 4K. Durán also said he expects 2015 to see more dramatic changes in 4K content.

Mohler also spoke about the OTT solution Olympusat will soon launch, which was developed in association with France Telecom.

When asked about the importance of Spanish-language content, all speakers agreed the Spanish language has reached critical mass and is a constant influence; it’s something that will not go away.

http://www.produ.com/diario/HispanicTV/index.html?RID=5499#HTV13