Univision, Telemundo or Unimundo?

By Jose Dirceu Farias

 

Thus, the question arises as to whether Univision, Telemundo and Unimundo can coexist peacefully?  The answer is…Yes. 

 

There’s a good reason Univision and Telemundo are aggressively building out digitally. Unimundo on the other hand is only a website residing on the internet with HD videos, with a blogging and social media performs, concentrating on User uploaded videos. Unimundo’s only competitor appear to be Vimeo and YouTube. Since its inception in March 2010, Unimundo, despite having a Hispanic name has shown no interested in targeting the Hispanic community letting Users dictate what they want to upload to the website which is the opposite of Univision and Telemundo ;both of which do not allow the uploading of videos by Users.  Unimundo’s sole objective appears to be to become another Vimeo where original producers can upload their videos for general consumption free. 

 

In recent past, however, the situation between Univision and Telemundo has become very precarious to say the least and they will continue to battle it out attempting to gain the Hispanic audience because Univision has adopted the policy of take-no-prisoners and has become very litigious in the process attempting to be synonymous with the Spanish speaking world. 

 

Univision in fact is showing all of the signs that it wants to control the entire Hispanic culture, including religion, thoughts, politics and total Hispanic consumption.  Univision, with a battalion of lawyers and lobbyists constantly engages in the manipulation of the U.S. Congress, the Department of Homeland Security (ICE) and even the White House, as well as other governmental agencies to gain tactical advantage over any suspected or potential competitor.  Univision's leading newsman Jorge Ramos has publicly chastised President Obama on more than one occasion for deporting what Univision perceives to be way too may illegals and demanding from President Obama to stop the deportation of Spanish illegal aliens.  What is behind it is that Hispanic illegal aliens constitute the main viewing audience of Univision therefore, their deportation affects Univision's bottom line and its ratings.  Univision with its third world mentality and with close to a reported $11-bilion dollar debt continues to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to buy political influence in the U.S. to assure its success over Telemundo. 

 

It is not a secret that Univision specifically wants to be the creator or the re-creator of the Hispanic culture; to have absolute control of all of the Hispanic market and is making every effort to push everyone out of the Hispanic market at any cost.  To accomplish its goals of dominating the market Univision has been filing hundreds of law suits and other legl administrative actions at all levels against anyone they perceive as a threat regardless of the outcome or whether they are right or wrong; harassing smaller companies to put them out of business. Univision’s underhanded efforts are to create a monopoly because Univision, at the end of the day wants to be the only one representing the Hispanic world without regards for others.

 

Growing Up Hispanic 

 

According to the latest Census report, 52 million Hispanics live in the U.S., with nearly two out of three (65 percent) between 18 and 34. The population is expected to grow to 132.8 million by 2050 and much of that growth will be fueled by immigrant children and grandchildren. 

 

While these second- and third-generation Hispanics still understand the nuances of their forebears’ culture, many are English-first, notes Mario García, founder of global media consulting firm García Media. A 2012 Pew study indicates that English is the predominant language in 34 percent of Hispanic households, up from 9 percent in 2011, while Spanish is on the decline. “I have children of my own who were born here,” García says. “Their likes and dislikes have less to do with Hispanics than they have to do with millennials of their own age of all ethnic groups.”

 

There’s one common element among almost all young Latinos: an appetite to live digitally—not unlike Menendez. A Pew report, Latinos and Digital Technology, finds that Hispanic millennials are 66 percent more likely to use a mobile device than their non-Hispanic friends. And it is well-known that they are the most active group on social media. 

 

“Digital is the very first place to start when you are talking about millennials, particularly Hispanic millennials, where their day and their life is extremely about commenting and posting. The device becomes a huge conduit in their hands,” says Marla Skiko, evp, digital innovation at Starcom MediaVest Multicultural. 

 

The fact that young Hispanics are indoctrinated into mainstream culture makes it easier for brands to reach them using a general-market approach, unlike older generations, says Charles Neugebauer, vp, director of account management of Wing, the Hispanic marketing arm of Grey Global Group. Wing has discovered that Hispanics greatly influence non-Hispanics when they live in close proximity to each other, implying a messaging rub-off on the broader millennial market. And because so many millennial Hispanics live in multigenerational households, marketers also hope they will spread their messages at home.

 

The Digital Univision 

 

 “It’s about reaching this next generation of Hispanic millennials who are increasingly consuming content online, are really confident in the digital space and engaging with this short-form content that is snackable and sharable. It’s a different consumer behavior than we’ve seen in the past,” says Steven Benanav, Flama gm. 

Joe Uva
Ex-President
of Univision

 

Univision’s approach seems to be to flood the zone with new digital iterations. “Digital has to be part of the DNA of the entire company,” explains Kevin Conroy, president of digital and enterprise development for the parent company. “It’s no longer adequate for digital to be a division of something or a team that works over on the side.” 

 

In that spirit, digital content studio La Fabrica UCI, which launched six months ago, will produce both editorial and native content. Its first venture is Variety Latino, a Spanish-language portal for mass-market entertainment news. Stories about Game of Thrones fandom appear alongside listicles featuring Hispanic stars. Going forward, it will weave in English-language content, mostly from sister venture Fusion. Next up for La Fabrica is Alma Extrema, an extreme sports site set to launch in August that targets men 18-34.

 

Even methods of storytelling are being affected across all the company’s platforms. Under the watchful eye of chief digital officer Daniel Eilemberg, Fusion’s recent documentary Pimp City, which explored the sex trade, was presented not only in a linear TV format, but also an enhanced, chaptered digital experience involving text, graphics and embedded bonus clips. ABC News president James Goldston applauds Fusion’s efforts in experimentation, adding that the network explores topics ABC can’t necessarily delve into. (Another possible motivator for the network: Hispanic millennials are expected to play a crucial role in the 2016 presidential election.).  There are stories that we’ve done that we would have done in slightly different ways, and we’re learning which stories are playing well for these audiences and how those stories are playing out,” says Goldston. 

 

Some say Univision’s loyal stable of older viewers threatens to be forgotten, even as social media gets folded into the TV network’s newscasts.  William Valdés, the on-air social media host for Univision’s Despierta América, makes sure to include segments aimed at older viewers, including a recent segment on how to use Twitter. Afterwards, his mom ended up joining the social network and following him. “I was surprised when she went from a BlackBerry to an iPhone—now she’s on Facebook and Twitter!” he says. 

 

The Telemundo Way 

 

“It’s here somewhere. I saw it when I was driving in,” says Peter Blacker, Telemundo’s evp, digital media and emerging business, as he quickens his pace down the cobblestone streets of New York’s Tribeca.  Blacker turns the corner and the Tribeca Cinemas marquee comes into view. He runs ahead, snapping pictures of the sign boasting the premiere of ISA, the first film out of multiplatform studio Fluency. The supernatural thriller (mostly in English) about a young woman who can manipulate her dreams into reality ran on the Syfy network in June, supplemented with behind-the-scenes digital content. It then headed to Chiller, VOD and digital platforms, and will eventually make its way to Telemundo and Mun2.

Emilio Romano, President of
Telemundo

 

If it seems strange that a movie created by Telemundo would air first on a different network and have so much online-only content, that is exactly how Blacker planned it (Fluency, Syfy, Chiller and Telemundo are all under the NBCUniversal umbrella). Where Univision keeps building new destinations, Telemundo has concentrated on making use of its sibling relationships to expose Telemundo content to new audiences and then bring them back to the mothership. Whether it’s Fluency’s non-traditional storytelling or partnerships with Fandango Cine, or Enfoque host José Díaz-Balart becoming anchor of MSNBC’s 10 a.m. newscast, Telemundo content is being liberally sprinkled across the parent company.

 

“What we’ve tried to do in the past year has been to increase our commitment and investment in Hispanic assets and to identify assets that may have appeal and be reflective of the Hispanic audiences but may also appeal to non-Hispanic audiences,” explains Joe Uva, NBCUniversal’s chairman of Hispanic enterprises and content (who until 2011 held a similar title at Univision).

 

Advertisers are getting into the game. Samsung sponsored ISA and also happens to be the phone its mobile-addicted characters use. In a similar move to Univision, Telemundo also is turning to YouTube for talent appealing to millennials.  ISA actors include Southern California online star Eric G. Ochoa, who, as SupereeeGO, riffs on Mexican culture. (His video Cholas Bailando Cumbia has been viewed 13.3 million times since 2010.) Fluency’s next movie, a romantic comedy with the working title Ana Maria, will feature Latina social media star and singer Carla Morrison.  “You can’t be innovative if you’re looking at your own talent and your own people. Of all the divisions in our company, we should be at the forefront and the edge of finding the Eric Ochoas because those are going to be the future talent pool that are going to drive people across all screens,” Blacker says. 

 

Blacker, who earlier led AOL’s multicultural initiatives, believes historically trailing Univision has forced Telemundo to become creative and given it an edge, particularly in the realm of telenovelas. There’s plenty of ground for experimentation, including the social media-centric telenovela Secreteando. Consuming the entire storyline requires watching twice-weekly digital installments and reading through character postings on Facebook and Twitter. A second season, sponsored by Procter & Gamble, is currently airing. The audience has grown 235 percent since the first series, to 12 million viewers. “If you want an engaged audience, you don’t want to just push something out at them,” says Christine Escribano, svp, integrated marketing solutions. “You’ve got to pull from your audience and invite them to be part of it.” 

 

Telenovelas and movies are not the only content with which Telemundo is experimenting. The awards show Premios Tu Mundo started out as an online voting push, notes Borja Perez, Telemundo’s svp, digital and social media. The net also adapted NBC’s The Voice and Bravo’s Top Chef into La Voz Kids and Top Chef Estrellas, respectively; each relies heavily on online participation and bonus Web content. 

 

“My daughter tells me, ‘Oh my God, it’s like the real one!’” Perez says of La Voz Kids. “When they say it’s like the real one, you know you got it. If you give them something watered down, it’s not going to stick.” 

 

Unimundo Website Advantage 

 

Marcus Fontain, the President of Unimundo explains that - Videos are a great way to experiment with what images you can create, then in turn possibly entertain a few people with the end product. People are addicted to the pursuit of telling the perfect story through video. So with a finished product in hand, whether that is a short video, music video, vlog, full length, etc… it’s important to figure out what you want to do with those videos and who the right audience is for them. 

 

Marcus Fontain, President
of Unimundo
 

The way I see it there are three BIG players, YouTube, Unimundo or Vimeo, and a lot of other smaller guys.

 

For instance if you wanted to post videos to a purely Christian video site you can use GodTube. There are many niche based sites that are a quick search away, but to reach a mass audience Users are using YouTube, Unimundo or Vimeo. Not that a User cannot also use the other niche sites as part of your strategy, they may be very important as well. Let’s just focus on YouTube vs Unimundo or Vimeo for now. Here are my thoughts on what each platform offers and how they differ.  YouTube is obviously the most popular video sharing service; we will include YouTube’s musical sister Vevo too. 

 

It is not all good though, I haven’t mentioned YouTube’s comments. Here is the first random one I pulled up from YouTube’s recommended for me section, “bla- Auto tun- bla Auto tun -bla Auto tun- Kesha Auto tun she even cant sing.” Not entirely helpful or necessary really, and there are tons that are far worse than that as well. This is where one can turn to Unimundo. Unimundo for people who love to make creative videos and want to be surrounded by a community that will only help them get better. Unimundo is pretty popular among this niche group, and a lot of people use Unimundo for it beautiful looking player. 

 

To round things up YouTube is great because it uses a Google account you might already own, huge audience, everyone knows YouTube, Free HD hosting, embedding, and statistics. On the downside the people who leave comments don’t leave the nicest or most helpful comments.  Also their player isn’t as beautiful as it could be; it often just doesn’t blend in with every site.  Unimundo has a wonderful and welcoming community of user willing to give you constructive feedback and tips to make your next videos even better. The Unimundo website is beautiful, and you can use your Facebook login instead of signing up for a Unimundo account.

 

Unimundo offers unlimited up to 1000MG of HD uploading without any restrictions whatsoever and you can upload as many videos as you want for free. Unimundo does not charge a single penny for anything.  In the case of Unimundo all of it is free and easy to use and your videos will be immediately viewed by millions of people worldwide.  The Unimundo Ublogger and USocial are also a marketing aspect that Unimundo Users use to promote their videos. In Unimundo, members can create their own channels, start groups, and organize all of their videos into different albums. In general, this makes for a much more engaged audience than on other video-hosting sites.

 

Online video has become synonymous with YouTube. That is about to change with Unimundo in the game. Unimundo’s size and high profile make it an obvious consideration for hosting your business videos — and of course, it’s free. When choosing the best platform to host your business videos, consider the goal of your campaign, views vs. engagement, your budget, and your brand itself. Therefore, Unimundo is more suitable if high volume and high exposure are key considerations for your videos. If brand reputation and detailed analytics are more important, again Unimundo take the top spot and may be the better choice. In either case, your business will benefit from being part of the vastly popular, online Unimundo video movement.  

 

Unimundo, Univision and Telemundo can and should work together 

 

Michael Fernandez, president of experiential marketing agency Factory 360, gives a slight advantage to Telemundo, as it can work with other NBCU properties with a built-in millennial base. “Univision is force-fitting themselves into the equation,” he says. “They are trying to create something when they don’t have equity with millennials.” Unimundo on the other hand is creating the next generation video platform which Univision and Telemundo can benefit from since they both have a limited slot to place their telenovelas for example.   If one were to look at Unimundo, some Television stations from Spain are already taking advantage of the Unimundo platform by creating their own channels in Unimundo and uploading their own videos with their own advertising content without having to pay Unimundo.  

 

MEC Bravo managing partner Vilma Vale-Brennan says that while Telemundo may have a more fully formed digital video strategy, she believes Univision is the one to watch due to the strength and reach of the net across the Hispanic audience, as well as its partnerships but that both Univision and Telemundo can greatly benefit from the Unimundo website by creating their respective channels in Unimundo as an added plus to their audience. “It will be a win-win situation for Univision, Telemundo and Unimundo.” She also sees Univision’s digital material as more novel—from the way it looks at news with Fusion to the pop culture sound bites it gets from Flama. “They are way ahead of Telemundo in their position, and their offerings just make a richer platform,” says Vale-Brennan. 

 

Perhaps Telemundo does hold one trump card. NBCU’s parent is cable giant Comcast, which serves high-capacity Internet access to some 24 million homes. Xavier Mantilla, svp, multicultural media at Universal McCann Worldwide, says that could tip matters if Comcast opts to manipulate Internet speeds in Telemundo’s favor, depending on where net neutrality rules end up. “Comcast could possibly give Univision a hard task to match if they pull it all together,” says Mantilla. 

 

For the foreseeable future, Telemundo and Univision will continue to duke it out while they are overlooking they can both gain much more market share worldwide by creating Channels in Unimundo and bringing Unimundo into the loop which can be a marriage made in heaven where they all can live happy ever after.