Univision announces Spanish-language AVOD PrendeTV

US-based Hispanic broadcaster Univision has announced plans to launch PrendeTV, a new ad-supported streaming service created exclusively for the US Hispanic community.

Set to launch in the first quarter of this year, with more than 30 channels and 10,000 hours of programming, the service will offer Spanish-language TV and film content, including global TV series, novelas, comedies, classic sports, documentaries, lifestyle and children’s shows, as well as “fan-favourite” programming from the Univision and Televisa libraries.

The service will be available at launch online via Prende.TV and through free mobile and connected TV apps.

Univision CEO Wade Davis said the launch was an “early step” in a larger effort to position the company as a leader in the emerging Spanish-language streaming space. ForgeLight founder Davis was named to his role last month, following the completion of his company’s majority stake acquisition of Univision, in partnership with Searchlight Capital Partners and Grupo Televisa.

“The announcement of PrendeTV within two weeks of closing our acquisition of Univision underscores our focus and commitment to rapidly driving the transformation and growth of the company,” said Davis, pledging that the service will “completely change the landscape for video streaming in Spanish-language media in the United States.”

Davis added that the new service would allow Univision’s advertising partners to reach the US Hispanic audience in new ways, while the company would be able to grow the scope of its business partnerships with key distributors.

The announcement comes just one day after Univision revealed a restructuring of its senior team, with the hire of former ViacomCBS exec Pierluigi Gazzolo as president & chief transformation officer at Univision Communications, while ex-Telemundo president Luis Silberwasser was appointed as president of Univision Television Networks Group.