Alan Sokol, senior partner at InterMedia Partners and CEO of the new Hemisphere Media Group
Alan Sokol, senior partner at InterMedia Partners and CEO of the new Hemisphere Media Group which arose from the fusion of InterMedia Español Holdings (WAPA TV and WAPA America) and Cinelatino with the Azteca Acquisition Corporation, told PRODU that the new company represents an opportunity to create a bigger media business in Spanish with the financial resources of a company listed in the Stock Exchange. “Our intention is to create this business. We have various ideas in mind. Aside from incorporating other channels for the U.S. Hispanic, we also have thought to consider the content owners and producers, as well as the channels in Latin America. In my opinion, there are a lot of channels that could be better in their areas, and we have the experience to achieve that, he emphasized. Hemisphere will begin operations in the coming months, once the transaction has been approved by the Federal Commission of Communications (FCC). As explained by Sokol, as a public company, Hemisphere has more resources for buying, and making strategic alliances with other entertainment companies, cable networks and production companies. I think were at a pivotal moment. Hispanic paid TV has the potential to be a big source of growth. I think that Hispanic cable is where the general market was about 20 or 30 years ago and advertisers and audiences are starting to realize the options available, he finished.