SNL Targets Latino Audiences with Más Mejor Launch
- Erika Miranda
- Jan 19, 2016 06:00 AM EST
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"Saturday Night Live" is set to get a Latino spin with the launch of Broadway video and NBCUniversal Telemundo's new comedy studio and network to be called "Más Mejor."
This Hispanic-based comedy network will be creating similar content to that of "SNL" in English as well as Spanish. It will be distributed online via YouTube and other social media sites as well as websites whose ads target the Hispanic community.
According to Latina Magazine, the "SNL" producer decided to create this digital content to discover and develop Latino talent.
NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises EVP for Digital Media and Emerging Business Peter Blacker also noted how the Hispanic talent has been "underserved," leading to the company's decision to tread on this unfamiliar, but highly potent water.
"Hispanic comedy is an underserved area, especially in digital. There's not a lot of content focused on this market," he explained.
After a year of preparation for the Más Mejor, the team is finally ready to bring a new range of audience talents that come from unexpected places.
"We waited a long time to do this, so we wanted to do it right," Blacker added.
Más Mejor's initial lineup includes producers, digital influencers, and stand-up and sketch comedians such as Oscar Nuñez; Adriana Bello; Billy and Fernando Rovzar; David Lopez; Grace Parra; Dustin Ybarra; Melissa Villaseñor; Carlos Alazraqui; and "SNL" alums Horatio Sanz and Fred Armisen.
A report from Variety that also featured the launch added that the Broadway Video-Telemundo partnership is planning to conduct a talent search in the Latino community, and will be offering the winner a spot in an upcoming Más Mejor show.
Like other studios, Más Mejor will be supported by sponsors like the Mexico Tourism Board.
According to Blacker, the network would also be marketing cross-platform advertising packages, ranging from digital and TV to VOD.
Other media outlets consider this move good for the industry because of the potential it holds.
"We really see the potential for social distribution with something like this. It's something we feel our audience will respond to," Batanga Media chairman and CEO Rafael Urbina told Variety.
So far, Más Mejor's initial programming include several original series like "Toy Collectors" featuring Fred Armisen and Horatio Sanz in their "SNL" roles; and "Si, Pipi, Si," starring Oscar Nuñez as a popular South American entertainer who wants to live the "American Dream."
Also in the lineup are David Lopez's "Soccer Dads," which follows the story of an overconfident soccer coach; and Grace Parra's "Tiny Lady, Big Opinions" that tackles topical issues.
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