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Comcast markets Spanish-language TV serviceMar 07, 2011 (The Philadelphia Inquirer - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- With its cable-TV and Internet service passing an estimated five million Hispanic households in the United States, Comcast Corp. on Monday launched a national marketing campaign for its muscled-up offerings of Hispanic channels and a Spanish-language XfinityTV.com website. The nation's largest cable company has sizable cable-TV franchise areas in Miami, Chicago, Houston and Philadelphia -- metro areas with significant Hispanic populations -- and has said that as it makes more bandwidth available on its cable-TV network it will broaden its Hispanic entertainment and news. A new wrinkle is the Spanish-language website for subscribers, available at XfinityTV.com/latinoTV, that complements the English-language Xfinity site -- both part of Comcast's "anytime, anywhere" strategy of making entertainment available on devices other than the living room TV. There are about 50 million Hispanics in the United States, according to Census statistics, and by 2050 the number could reach 133 million, or 30 percent of the U.S. population. Marcien Jenckes, senior vice president and general manager of video services, said Monday that Comcast would have "the most compelling offering to the Hispanic market" among pay-TV operators. "We have made large investments." Comcast's new Hispanic cable-TV package -- which is available in the Philadelphia area -- begins at $29.95 a month and comprises 85 channels, 60 of which are Hispanic channels, Comcast officials said. A more expensive offering of 178 channels costs $76.90 a month. This package also includes the 60 Hispanic channels and additional English-language channels. The Hispanic channels include CNN en Espanol, Discovery en Espanol, Discovery Familia, ESPN Deportes, Fox Deportes, Galavision, mun2, Telefutura, Telemundo and Univision. Cable hasn't been a leader in the ethnic market, according to industry sources, leaving the ethnic market to satellite-TV providers. Hispanics also generally have been slower to enroll in pay-TV services, preferring traditional over-the-air TV. Actress Sofia Vergara, who plays Gloria Delgado-Pritchett in ABC's "Modern Family," will appear in advertisements for Comcast. Contact staff writer Bob Fernandez at 215-854-5897 or [email protected]. To see more of The Philadelphia Inquirer, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.philly.com/inquirer. Copyright (c) 2011, The Philadelphia Inquirer Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. |