New York -- It's become common knowledge that 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 is in the
multicultural aspect of the business," said Ruben Mendiola, VP and GM,
multicultural video services, Comcast Cable at B&C/Multichannel News'
Multiethnic TV Leadership Awards program on Wednesday morning.
In a keynote conversation moderated by B&C
executive editor Dade Hayes, Mendiola said Comcast is creating specific
products targeted to multicultural populations that have been very successful,
including a micro-site for black entertainment TV and Brazilian triple play
that it 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.
In that line, Comcast 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.
