Horowitz Associates Inc. on Friday released its latest research study,
'Focus: Latino II,' which indicated that urban-market Hispanic consumers are
highly interested in getting Spanish-language channels via digital cable -- at
least those who are aware of digital cable.
Horowitz, pointing out that awareness of digital-cable services is low among
urban Spanish-dominant households, said only 23 percent of such consumers could
name, unaided, a service or feature of digital cable -- versus 63 percent among
English-oriented Latinos.
The Larchmont, N.Y.-based research firm estimated that digital penetration
among English-oriented urban Hispanics is, at 33 percent, 'well above the urban
average,' whereas digital penetration among Spanish-dominant urban Hispanic
households is, at 10 percent, 'well below the urban average.'
Spanish-language channels are important even among English-oriented urban
Hispanics, Horowitz said, noting that 44 percent of Latinos who speak little
Spanish at home consider having Spanish-language television channels
important.
About 75 percent of urban Hispanic respondents overall felt it's important
for their households to have such channels, the researcher added.
English-language TV programming also is desirable to these consumers.
Horowitz reported that 40 percent of urban Hispanics said they prefer watching
English-language TV fare (with 33 percent saying they prefer to watch TV in
Spanish). Among Spanish-dominant consumers surveyed, 20 percent said they prefer
watching TV in English (with 47 percent opting for Spanish-language TV).
President Alisse Waterston of Horowitz's Surveys Unlimited division said in a
prepared statement, 'It's not an either/or, but a matter of carefully
integrating both both languages to best communicate with the Latino consumer in
the U.S.'
Given the ongoing Hispanic population boom in the U.S., Horowitz Associates
president Howard Horowitz said, 'It is becoming increasingly important for MSOs,
broadband providers and media brands to design marketing and programming
strategies appealing to the various subgroups of urban Hispanic consumers in
order to capture this emerging market.'
