NEW YORK — While the general pay TV universe in the United States has topped out at about 84%, the growth opportunity is in the multicultural community, which is expected to grow from about 35% of the U.S. population to about 50% by 2035.
“The areas where the market is growing [are] in the multicultural aspect of the business,” said Rubén Mendiola, vice president and general manager, multicultural video services at Comcast Cable.
Mendiola said special products targeting multicultural populations that have been very successful, including a microsite for black entertainment TV and a Brazilian triple-play package Comcast will be expanding to other communities. “What is really important is not to have hundreds of channels, but content that really makes a difference,” he said.
Comcast recently launched the Xfinity Latino entertainment channel last year to its more than 20 million subscribers, and Mendiola called it the most advanced channel in the company for its ability to curate content and give targeted viewing suggestions.
“Just telling everyone what is available, I think, has been a game-changer,” he said.
Andrea Morabito is programming editor of Broadcasting & Cable.
