Adsmovil, a mobile advertising and digital media company, has launched a free streaming service called Nuestra.TV that caters to bilingual and Hispanic audiences.
Adsmovil first disclosed plans for the service earlier this year during the New Fronts, with a soft launch on July 12. Nuestra.TV feature more than 40 free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels and 15,000 hours of premium video on-demand (VOD) content. Nuestra.TV translates to “Our.TV” – a key focus for the service, which aims to deliver customized content for each member of the whole family. The service boasts that all of its library content is fully downloadable.
In a video announcing the launch, Maria Twena, chief marketing officer at Adsmovil, said Nuestra will feature both Spanish-language content and English-language content, with “original bilingual, bicultural, content written by the bilingual bicultural individuals that have lived these life experiences every day.”
Alberto Pardo, president and CEO of Nusetra.TV and CEO of Adsmovil, in a statement said, “We have over a decade of experience creating content and reaching Hispanics, across generations, cultural origins, and languages, and with Nuestra.TV we are uniquely positioned to provide Hispanic cord cutters with a platform that is inclusive and authentic, and informed by content that is culturally and linguistically relevant, informative, and engaging.”
Speaking to Fierce Video in May, Padro said the driving force for Nuestra was to meet growing demand for Spanish-language – and particularly bilingual - content in the U.S. He estimated 80% of Hispanics, who represent 62 million of the total U.S. population, are bilingual.
Premiere content partners delivering movies and TV series for Nuestra include VIP 2000 TV, The Country Network, Planet EAT, Young Hollywood, Caracol, Mega Global Entertainment, RM Vistar, and Spanglish Films. Popular novelas are also teed up for the platform, spanning classics and modern hits. Additionally, the service is launching with live news and sports (including from FITE TV, 360 Sports TV, BeIN Sports, Moto ADV, and Havoc TV), gaming, podcasts, UGC, and music events. Adsmovil said it also plans to offer educational programming, with the aim of entertaining and empowering audiences.
During the earlier interview with Fierce, Pardo said the company wants to put a lot of effort into educational content and training, which he noted is becoming very popular. That includes language instruction in both Spanish and English, along with “how-to” guides, and financial literacy.
Nuestra.TV is available on devices including Roku, Apple, Apple TV+, Google Play, Google TV, Fire TV, and Samsung, among others, as well as via the Nuestra.TV app on Android and Apple devices.
Verizon serving as official launch sponsor
Verizon is notably serving as the official launch sponsor, though the company did not disclose additional details about the broadband and mobile provider’s involvement.
As a sponsor, Verizon will be running ads on Nuestra.TV, according to a company spokesperson.
“We are thrilled to partner with Verizon to expand our reach and capability of providing viewers with culturally resonant, authentic and engaging programming, including bilingual and bicultural options that are designed for each member of la familia,” Pardo stated.
Verizon has its Fios pay TV service, and like other wireless carriers has also bundled free offers for streaming video subscriptions for subscribers of its mobile and fixed wireless internet plans. No word on whether Verizon has plans to either distribute or bundle Nuestra. Verizon competitor T-Mobile recently added a free year subscription to TelevisaUnivsion’s Spanish-language premium streaming service ViX+ to subscribers on certain wireless plans.
Nuestra.TV’s launch comes at a time when more LatinX viewers are ditching traditional MVPDs and shifting to streaming platforms, according to Horowitz Research.
Historically, Latinx households have been among those most loyal to traditional pay TV services from MVPDs, but that trend has changed, per Horowitz Research, as penetration of MVPD services is now on par compared to the total market at 52% and 51%, respectively.
The share of Latinx households who subscribe only to streaming and not MVPDs continued to increase, standing at 38% as of February, according to Horowitz’s Latinx: State of Pay TV, OTT & SVOD 2022 report. That compares to 34% in 2021 and just 6% in 2016.
In Pardo’s earlier interview with Fierce, he expressed a similar sentiment, saying that Hispanic viewers over-index in video consumption.
“We believe Latino viewers are going to be an important trend for any OTT [provider],” he said.
Updated with information on Verizon sponsorship.