Hispanic US veteran launches SVOD service

US Hispanic broadcasting industry veteran Carlos Barba has launched a Spanish-language subscription VOD service.

Barba has created and launched Véonet, which will be a service for Spanish-speaking audiences in the US and Puerto Rico. It will not offer subtitled programming, and instead focus on Latin- and Hispanic-created content.

Barba is a veteran of major Hispanic broadcasting including Univision, Telemundo, Canal 4, Canal 22 and Venevision International. He also founded telecoms firm CaribeTelevision, early Hispanic internet TV network UnoDosTres.com, and Latin American media company NetSpan.

More recently, he was president and CEO of BuenaVisionTV. He will run Véonet as founder and chairman.

He has drafted in former Sabado Gigante producer Efren Carranza as president, with industry veterans such as Richard J. Arthur, Jaime Serrada, Hector Rivero, Luz Villalobos and Georges Leclere also attached for Véonet’s launch. Some of these will be in Cannes at MIPCOM next month eyeing content for the service.

“Opening Véonet is like a dream come true for me, bringing so many excellent programmes to all our Hispanic television lovers in America,” said Barba, adding the service’s goal was “reviving” Hispanic television culture.

The service launched yesterday, offering free access to its current programme line-up, with “additional benefits” offered to those who go on to subscribe.

“This rollout is just the beginning as the Véonet team will be uploading hundreds of additional hours in the days to come,” said Carranza. “Similarly, even if our first target today is the 34 million Hispanic viewers in the USA, we are deploying a huge network of affiliates all over Latin America and Spain to fast cover the whole American continent.”