Azteca America kicked off its 2017-2018 Upfront roadshow in New York by announcing a roster of exciting new programs featuring a timely new original production, El Muro (The Wall), a hauntingly familiar, ripped-from-the-headlines scripted series.
The network also announced the return of Miss Universe as well as new capabilities for advertisers through programmatic and over-the-top (OTT) platforms.
The announcements were made by Azteca America executives Manuel Abud, president and Chief Executive Officer; Craig Geller, EVP, Network Sales and Digital; and Margarita Black, VP of Programming. They were joined by popular network talent Verónica del Castillo, Lourdes Figueroa, and 2016 Miss Universe Iris Mittenaere at The Times Center.
The network finished the broadcast season as the fastest-growing, Spanish-language broadcast network in primetime for 2015-2016 among Total Viewers (+33%), Adults 18-49 (+28%) and Adults 18-34 (+29%), according to Nielsen.
This marks the second consecutive season that Azteca has outpaced the growth of all other Spanish-language broadcasters in the Adults 18-49 and 18-34 demos. In primetime, the network reached more than 12.3 million Total Viewers and 6.3 million Adults 18-49.
“After three years of experiencing substantial ratings growth, we are excited to present the most robust lineup to ever air on our screen,” said Abud. “These programming investments further reinforce Azteca America’s commitment to our audience by delivering relevant, world-class programming of the highest production quality and expanding our distribution to reach more U.S. Hispanic households.”
Following a strong 2016 upfront season, which featured customized, consultative Upfront meetings with clients and partners in four key markets, Azteca continued its successful solutions-oriented Upfront roadshow strategy this year. New to Azteca’s Upfront mix is a stop in Miami (April 6) to meet the demand of advertisers in this important Hispanic market now served by a full-power Azteca station, WGEN. In addition to New York and Miami, Azteca will hold meetings in Chicago, Los Angeles and Dallas.
“This year, we continue to collaborate with advertisers to create customized and effective multi-screen marketing solutions through our proven total-market, consultative approach,” added Geller. “Unlike the rest of the marketplace, our viewers spent 58% more time watching Azteca than the previous season; a remarkable 28% year-over-year increase.”