Participación de Adriana Cisneros en NATPE

1. ADRIANA CISNEROS NATPE Daily 2012 . Day 1 . January 23
Cisneros Group’s Adriana Cisneros tells Sean Davidson how the company test-flies ideas in Venezuela before taking
them abroad and how she’s now taking those ideas into the English-speaking U.S. market.
W
Today
hen Adriana Cisneros
looks north to the U.S.
market, she’s really
thinking about Venezuela. Because
Caracas,
when the Cisneros group of
companies takes something to the
international market – whether it’s
telenovelas for Latin America or the
scripted ideas it’s currently pushing
on the Big Five networks in the
tomorrow
U.S. – the idea is often informed by
extensive test flights over its native
country.
Venezuela, home of the
Cisneros-owned Venevision
the world
broadcast network and its many
corporate siblings, acts as a
laboratory for the group’s media
holdings, she explains, in no small
part because Venezuelans are so
Cisneros telenovela Eva Luna
mad for social media.
"We have an amazing advantage
because, for some bizarre reason, to be a border-agnostic player country, she notes. “But we no so does interest from networks
it’s a very interactive, social country,” across Latin America. longer have to create content that other than Univision. Cisneros says
she says of the fourth or fifth busiest That said, Cisneros says the rise has to work well in all countries. the company is also “starting
country on Twitter and the seventh of netcasting – she expects Netflix There could be great value in conversations” on possible co-
busiest on Facebook. “We picked will do well in Lat Am – is changing seeing programming that’s actually productions with the Big Five
up on this and started designing programming tastes across the a very specific snapshot situated in English-language majors – offering
new productions that have a 360- region. Viewers are getting so used a specific country.” their expertise on Hispanics in
degree approach – making all our to seeing content from so many Lessons learned in South exchange for getting a foot in
productions completely interactive,” different territories, thanks to the America often apply in the North, Hollywood’s door.
and appealing to viewers younger internet, that taboos against local where the U.S. Hispanic market is “I’m telling the networks they
than the typical telenovela fan. material are starting to fade away, growing rapidly. When Cisneros need to have the Hispanic market;
That was five years ago, around she says. sold its telenovela Eva Luna to there are 55 million in the U.S. and
the time the granddaughter of Latin American media firms used longtime partner Univision, the a lot of them really like watching TV
founder Diego Cisneros stepped to live by the rule of avoiding ratings surprised even the in English. They need programming
into her role as vice chairman and specific references to a particular statisticians at Nielsen. that will bring them to their
director of strategy at the family The ratings company called networks, so why not, when
company. Back then, interactive Cisneros to say that two million creating a new sitcom or series, let
meant setting up Facebook pages young Hispanic viewers had us help you give it a Latin
and she pulled what she admits “appeared out of nowhere” to watch undertone?”
was a less-than-innovative the show, which arrived on the Cisneros says the company has
company into the 21st century. Now Spanish-language U.S. network one such project that is set in Miami
the Cisneros Group is keen on with ample interactive add-ons. amid a circle of American women.
social TV applications like GetGlue, Nielsen hadn’t known that those “But it has a very strong Latina
which, similar to the Foursquare viewers even existed. aspect,” a subtle combo of music,
app, allow viewers to ‘check-in’ to Eva Luna was “the first soap we’d culture and setting that will lure
programs. done in the U.S. where we brought Hispanics without alienating Anglos.
The company is also close to a over all our knowledge of Cisneros points to Modern Family
deal with Argentina-based social interactive strategy from and its Latin cast as an example.
TV service ComentaTV on a roll-
out in Venezuela. “For the next
“U.S. networks need the Venezuela,” she says. It’s now the
template on which all the
The ABC series is “step one,” she
says, “but we need to do things with
three years we’re going to be very Hispanic market – there company’s other Univision shows a little more sophistication, a little
focused on continuing to learn and are based – both for additional more depth.”
explore social TV,” says Cisneros.
are 55 million in the U.S. telenovelas and upcoming projects
Cisneros Group is also investing and a lot of them like that look to push the traditional Hear more from Adriana Cisneros
in ‘TV everywhere’ technology so boundaries of the U.S. Hispanic in the Thought Leadership one-on-
that its content can be screen- watching TV in English. ” market. one session today at 11:00 a.m. in
agnostic, just as the company looks But as the U.S. market grows, the Fontaine Ballroom.
Adriana Cisneros
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