TelevisaUnivision today announced a new two-tier Spanish-language streaming video service: free, ad-supported Vix and premium subscription Vix+.
Vix launches on March 31 and includes live sports, news and entertainment content across VOD and more than 100 linear channels. The service will be available for free with a “lower ad load than traditional television” and more than 50,000 hours of content including live soccer from UEFA Champions and Liga MX along with Noticias Univision 24/7.
Vix+ launches in the second half of 2022 but a beta version of the app is available now to some users in the U.S. and Mexico. The company did not announce pricing today for the Vix+ service but did say that it will launch in the U.S., Mexico and several countries in Latin America. Univision said that “Spanish-language content is the only focus” for Vix and promised the subscription tier will include 10,000 additional hours of original content including more than 50 Vix+ original series and films premiering in the first year.
Both services will be available within the same app.
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“We are uniquely prepared to launch a global Spanish-language streaming service of this scale. With the merger of Televisa and Univision, our combined history gives us an incredible experience in reaching Spanish speaking audiences, and we will use these learnings to deliver a top-quality streaming service to hundreds of millions of Spanish-speakers around the world who want to see their diverse culture, language, interests and experiences represented and reflected onscreen authentically,” said Pierluigi Gazzolo, president and chief transformation officer of TelevisaUnivision, in a statement.
Last April, Univision launched a free streaming service, Prende TV, which it said has served as a pilot for the new subscription service. PrendeTV, Blim TV and the legacy Vix AVOD service will all be rolled into the new Vix platform.
CEO Wade Davis promised that the new service will be incremental to Televisa Univision’s TV business with hundreds of hours of original content. The company is planning a “significant investment” beyond what the company is spending currently on its linear networks.