TelevisaUnivision said it completed its upfront advertising sales, with a record number of advertisers making commitments to the big Spanish-language broadcaster.
The demand from a larger number of clients contributed to a single-digit increase in dollar volume and higher prices on a cost per thousand viewers (CPM) basis, according to people familiar with the situation.
Also Read: Latin Culture Is Key at TelevisaUnivision Upfront
TelevisaUnivision’s goal has been to convince marketers not advertising to the large Hispanic market to start running commercials in Spanish-language media.
“We are proud of the historic number of advertisers committing to the Hispanic audience in this year’s upfront marketplace, underscoring TelevisaUnivision’s distinguished leadership in serving this critical, diverse and dynamic consumer base across all platforms,” Donna Speciale, president of U.S. advertising and marketing at TelevisaUnivision, said.
“From linear and streaming to social and digital, more brands than ever have leaned in to leverage our strengthened capabilities, embracing culture and language as drivers of their future relevance and success,” Speciale said.
Several of the large English-language media companies — NBCUniversal, The Walt Disney Co. and Fox — have also said they have wrapped up their upfronts. In what was expected to be a difficult market, the media companies said they’ve seen higher volume, with gains coming in sports, streaming and digital inventory.
Sports was also a driver for TelevisaUnivision, sources said, with strong demand for its portfolio of soccer leagues and tournaments.
TelevisaUnivision’s ViX streaming service also chalked up double-digit increases in commitments compared to a year ago.
With most traditional ratings undercounting Hispanic consumers, TelevisaUnivision has been pushing new, big-data-based measuring systems. That new data was used as currency by advertisers representing about 40% of TelevisaUnivision’s volume, sources said.
