An L.A.-based network and an L.A.-based station group have teamed up to shake up the Latin TV market.
Entravision Communications has signed an agreement to broadcast LATV Network’s shows in 10 markets via digital multicast. The deal covers Entravision-owned TV stations in Boston, Denver, Tampa, Washington, D.C., Santa Barbara and Monterey.
Entravision owns 48 TV stations, mostly Spanish-language affiliates of Univision or Telemundo. However, the company owns a few Fox and Home Shopping Network affiliates.
LATV represents a middle ground between the company’s Spanish- and English-language strategies. The network broadcasts bilingual shows, mostly based around music genres (like hip hop and reggaeton) that blend languages. The format targets “the 12- to 34-year-old Latino,” according to the company.
Since 2001, LATV has broadcast on KJLA-TV (Channel 57) in Los Angeles. In the 30 days after it announced the launch of a national digital network, the broadcaster has signed up stations to carry its signal in 26 U.S. markets. Previous to the Entravision deal, LATV announced an affiliation partnership with Post-Newsweek station affiliates in Houston, Miami, Orlando and San Antonio. The network now has outposts in the major Latino-populated states and Puerto Rico.
“Partnering with Entravision is a milestone for LATV. They own one of the most important television station groups in the country and are a powerhouse in Hispanic media,” said Danny Crowe, president of LATV. “This agreement signifies that our multicast strategy is resonating with broadcasters and it is pivotal in cementing LATV as the network of choice for young Hispanic Americans.”
According to Entravision Chief Operating Officer Philip Wilkinson, the agreement will utilize the company’s “strategic television asset footprint to meet the growing demand for new Spanish-language content.”
LATV is owned by Costa del Oro Media LLC. Entravision trades on the New York Stock Exchange the last pure-play Spanish-language TV broadcaster left on the market, since the privatization of Univision in late March.
‘ReNew Orleans’
DNA Creative Media will produce a syndicated TV special about the rebuilding of New Orleans that will showcase construction-related brands.
The show, titled “ReNew Orleans,” centers on the creation of a community center in a Katrina-damaged neighborhood. Los Angeles-based marketing agency DNA Creative has recruited film star Lou Gossett Jr. to host the series and explain the construction of the 2-acre community center. In addition, Gossett will cover the food, music and culture of New Orleans.
On the advertising side, DNA Creative has secured BrandSource as the show’s title sponsor. The BrandSource is a Web site with 2,200 affiliated stores, mostly in Eastern and Southern states, that sell major home appliances, furniture and lighting fixtures. As the name implies, BrandSource promotes the brands of its merchandise vendors, which include Amana, General Electric, Maytag, Panasonic, JVC and Whirlpool.
“ReNew Orleans” will promote BrandSource and its suppliers along with other major brands. “All sponsor packages will include featured segments in the television series as well as print, radio, television, online advertising and media,” according to DNA Creative.
“As a company, BrandSource is all about helping the little guy. It was apparent from the beginning that they would be ideal for this project, which is all about helping a community get back on its feet,” said Damon Harman, the chief executive officer of DNA Creative.
Harman expects each sponsor to get directly involved in the construction project along with the television series. Using this new model, he hopes to produce multiple seasons of the ReNew Orleans program and “improve New Orleans block by block.”
The agency worked with the State of Louisiana Economic Development Board and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin to put the project together.
Media-less Marketing
The age of consumer-generated media has spawned consumer-generated sales. And, perhaps not surprisingly, male hormones are driving the process forward.
Kendra Wilkinson, star of E! Entertainment’s show “The Girls Next Door,” is giving her fans the opportunity to make money while watching their favorite movies.
E3Flix, an Internet DVD distributor, has tweaked the Netflix model, wherein consumers order films via Internet downloads or the mail, by adding a Celebrity Endorsed Affiliate Program. Basically, E3Flix pays royalties to celebrities based on rentals and sales of E3Flix products. Fans can likewise sign up as affiliates and then get credits for their own or their friends DVD, game or music rentals.
“E3Flix bridges the gap between the fan and the celebrity by allowing them to partner in the retail, rental and downloadable marketplace,” said E3Flix Chief Executive Adam Vincent. “This creates a profitable distribution model. Celebrities are promoted by their fans and by doing so revenue is generated and shared accordingly. Every time fans promote a new movie, album or video game, they get a piece of the action.”
In the E3Flix model, notoriety derived from other media such as Wilkinson’s presence on the Playboy Mansion saga “Girls Next Door” spill over onto the Internet. “Celebrities are excited to be working with E3Flix because they can monetize their fan base for free,” said Terrell Samuels, vice-president of business development at E3Flix.
To further encourage fans, celebrities can offer their own perks. Wilkinson, for example, has a contest where 10 lucky DVD jockeys will get to meet her at a red carpet E3Flix event in Hollywood.
Staff reporter Joel Russell can be reached at [email protected], or at (323) 549-5225, ext. 237.
