Azteca America, which serves Latino viewers, says it signed affiliate agreements with Entravision Communications that will give the network affiliates in the San Diego, Laredo, Texas, and Yuma, Ariz./El Centro, Calif., markets.
Entravision’s XDTV San Diego will carry Azteca America on one of its digital multicast channels starting March 15. On July 1, the network will move to the main channel of Entravision’s full-power station XHAS.
The network previously had been carried on one of E.W. Scripps-owned KZSD’s digital channels in the market.
Azteca America last month began airing on Entravision’s KXOF's digital channel 39.2 in Laredo, Texas, and on KVYE’s digital channel 7.2 in Yuma. The network previously hadn’t been available over the air in those markets, but Time Warner Cable carried the national feed under a white-area agreement.
"These new affiliate agreements with Entravision come on the heels of our recent addition of WGEN in Miami and further solidify our commitment to the U.S. Hispanic community,” said Martin Breidsprecher, COO of Azteca America. “These agreements represent important distribution enhancements in key markets that will impact national and local ratings.”
The three stations Entravision stations will carry Azteca America’s news, entertainment, adventure reality and sports programming. The San Diego station will produce a total of an hour and a half of local news broadcasts at 5pm-6pm and 11pm-11:30pm PT.
These new additions expand Azteca America's reach to 75 cities and 20 managed stations.
“We are proud to be able to bring Azteca’s unique Spanish-language programming to our viewers in California, Arizona and Texas,” said Jeffery Liberman, president and COO of Entravision. “We look forward to continuing to expand our partnership with Azteca to reach audiences across all levels of acculturation.”
