TelevisaUnivision will move beyond its usual offerings in TV’s annual “upfront” market.
The Spanish-language giant, which has in recent years worked to get advertisers to recognize the value of the growing Spanish-speaking audience in the U.S., intends to introduce a host of short-form “microdramas” that stream in increments of one minute each, as well as a new music festival that will originate from three different cities over the course of its run.
Some of the new ideas surface in a bid to reach young, streaming users who have embraced different media-consumption habits, says Donna Speciale, president of U.S. advertising sales and marketing at TelevisaUnivision. “We’re doing a huge, huge focus on appealing to our young Hispanic audience,” she says, adding: “While all of these other media companies, all of these businesses are trying to be everything to everyone, we are everything to one critical, influential consumer, Hispanics, and that is our superpower.”
The concepts surfaced Tuesday during TelevisaUnivison’s annual “upfront” presentation to advertisers.
The company intends to unveil a series of “microdramas,” or fast-paced, scripted series that take place in one-minute increments, that are aimed at viewers who use mobile platforms. Forty original microdramas are set to debut in the second half of the year, with plans to extend into comedy and documentaries, among other genres. “One of the things we know we can do and that we can do well because we are the original producers and we produce it all, is that we can actually put clients within the storylines.. And actually have clients help create some of the storylines based on their objectives and messaging that they want to get across,” Speciale says. TelevisaUnivision will also experiment with systems that give viewers a reward for watching something that helps them get to the next episode, says the executive. The company has begun discussing the concept with media buyers from all major ad holding companies, she adds.
TelevisaUnivision will introduce a new music festival called YA Fest that will be broadcast from three majorcities in September 2026. The event will be shown across the company’s media outlets, says Speciale, and “it’s going to have a linear play as well as a digital play, and obviously a huge social component with it. The company’s ViX streaming service plans to launch a dedicated area for music, concerts, interviews and other performances tied to Latin music.
