Adriana Waterston from research firm Horowitz Associates shared highlights from two surveys, State of Cable & Digital Media and Multiplatform Content & Services.  These findings were illustrated by video from their Viewing the Viewer ethnography.

The presentation focused on how multicultural consumers are adopting and using alternative/over-the-top platforms (OTT).  According to Waterston, access to OTT is almost universal, with 85% of heads of household having access.  This number rises to 96% among 18-34 year-olds.  46% of consumers view OTT content at least weekly, rising to about seven in ten 18-34 year olds.   White consumers under-index compared to their Black, Hispanic, and Asian counterparts when it comes to OTT viewing, Waterston noted.

Among multicultural audiences, one key driver for using OTT is to access culturally relevant content unavailable through traditional TV.  This is not limited to in-language or international content; young, multicultural audiences, not seeing themselves adequately reflected in mainstream media, seek content elsewhere that is reflective of their lives and experiences.  “I ask you to visualize the future– what mainstream media will look like when these creative influences are an organic part of what we see on TV– not chosen formulaically to ‘satisfy’ a multicultural mandate,” urged Waterston.   As Depelsha McGruder, Centric’s SVP of Business Operations, would later assert, “People that are multicultural are the mainstream. These are the people who are the general market of the future, and now.”

The theme of “Media’s New Generation” carried throughout the event with panels focused on each the key constituencies of the media industry:  programmers and distributors, technology, content, audiences, and advertisers.  Executives from major media companies including ABC, ESPN, Comcast, Verizon FiOS, BET, Interactive One, and HBO shared the stage with up-and-coming networks including Mnet and Myx TV, targeting the Asian American audience; Centric and ASPiRE, targeting the Black audience; and two rapidly growing Hispanic networks, Cine Sony and nuvoTV , who not only participated, but were major event sponsors.

One panel addressed the constantly evolving relationship between programmers and distributors, and alternative platforms were front and center of the conversation.  Ruben Mendiola, VP & GM of Multicultural Video Services at Comcast noted, “We want to make sure that we can give our audience the best possible services on any alternative platform, however they want it.  This is where the industry is today. The greatest challenge is being able to offer that same level of great assets to everyone, whether it’s multicultural or general market.”  Michelle Webb, Executive Director of Content Acquisition & Programming at Verizon FiOS stressed the importance of partnerships with networks, adding, “We have to go where the customers go.  Our partners work with us to make sure we are creating strategies to reach our audiences.”  Superna Kalle, SVP of Networks for Sony Movie Channel and GM of Cine Sony, agreed, explaining that partnerships with distributors play a key role in the network’s strategy.  “We are huge believers in the digital space.  The goal is to be as authentic as possible to reach out to audiences and to meet the needs of their distributors.”

Another panel focused on how networks are meeting the evolving demands of their audiences.  Lino Garcia, GM of ESPN Deportes, explained how new platforms have expanded their ability to serve Hispanic sports fans: “Before ESPN Deportes, the Hispanic sports fan was completely underserved. There were some assumptions that once you moved content from linear television to other platforms it would erode your audience, but it actually added to it.  We’ve been inspired to use all these mediums effectively.”  Later in the day, Ed Gordon and Julie Perlish of ESPN’s research team presented a case study on how ESPN is innovating to reach the U.S. Hispanic sports fan across platforms.  The panelists agreed that serving multicultural audiences with authentic, relevant content plays a major role in attracting and retaining viewers.  Lucinda Martinez, HBO’s VP of Domestic Network Distribution & Multicultural Marketing, noted that: “There is crossover, from Latino viewers watching ‘mainstream’ shows and English-speakers watching Latino shows.  We don’t make assumptions.”  Judi Lopez, SVP of Affiliate Distribution and Marketing at nuvoTV affirmed, “We constantly talk to our customers. What’s continuously reinforced is that our customers are not seeing themselves [reflected on TV].  They want to see themselves in a real authentic world, but not stereotyped.”

Also featured were three young, multicultural creative artists:  Award-winning actress Elaine del Valle, performing an excerpt from her wildly successful one-woman play Brownsville Bred; Vincent Lin, with an advanced screening of his new film Collywobbles; and Al Thompson, with footage on his hit web series, Lenox Avenue.  After showcasing their work, the artists discussed how their lives and experiences have shaped their creative visions, the challenges they face in getting exposure and distribution, and the ways in which they are overcoming obstacles to their rising success.  Del Valle’s challenge is “getting people to realize it’s not just a Latino story, it is a story,” while Thompson noted that he was inspired to produce and digitally distribute his own show because he felt a “void in his personal viewing of TV.”  The Internet provided him the platform he needed: “I love digital because I love control over the content, love connecting with the audience.”   Vincent Lin agreed, noting:  “YouTube is a stage where anybody can put work online, it’s so accessible. But the problem is to get it to the right people.” Joining the discussion was Alicin Reidy Williamson, an industry veteran and co-founder of Multi-Verse Media, an entertainment company that helps cultivate relationships between up-and-coming multicultural creatives and media clients.

The forum concluded with an advertising-focused panel moderated by multicultural marketing strategist Gilbert Dávila.  Xavier Turpin, Director of Multicultural Marketing at Dunkin’ Brands Inc., affirmed that in order to succeed, companies need to realize: “It’s not multicultural marketing, it marketing in a multicultural nation…  Everyone today is a multicultural marketer.”   Yvette Peña, Director of Multicultural for Walgreens, explained that in her company the connections between multicultural and multiplatform are understood:  “There is an emerging youthful population. Multicultural, savvy, and they know they have options.  The consumer wants to be engaged, so how are we engaging with them? We’re looking at mobile and social apps.”  Steven Wolfe Pereira, EVP and Managing Director of MediaVest Multicultural, concluded, “This is the most exciting time to be in this business… Everyone has to innovate, [but] the place we’re lacking is on the digital side.  We’re interested in who’s coming into the space because we have money to spend.”

View Forum photos here

View the excerpts from Viewing the Viewer presented at the 13th Annual Multicultural Media for Multicultural America Forum

The annual Multicultural Media Forum is organized by Horowitz Associates Market and Multicultural Research. For more information about the 2014 event, contact Stephanie Wong: 914-834-5999 (stephaniew@horowitzassociates.com) or visit www.multiculturalmediaforum.com.

The research will provide the framework for the day’s robust agenda including panels, research presentations, and programming showcases. Included among the sponsoring media companies is nuvoTV, the first and only English language network creating Latino-themed and focused entertainment. A leading network in the modern Latino space, nuvoTV recently announced a one-of-a-kind creative and business partnership with Jennifer Lopez, which will launch in the summer of 2013.

Judi Lopez, Senior Vice President, Affiliate Distribution & Marketing for nuvoTV will participate on a panel focusing on Media’s New Generation. Lopez has been instrumental in driving the network’s growth, doubling its availability to 30 million homes. Lopez will share her thoughts on the attitudes, behaviors, and demands of today’s young, multicultural, multiplatform audiences. She will be joined by executives from other networks also targeting multicultural audiences, including: Paul Butler, General Manager, Aspire; Miguel Ferrer, EP, Digital and Chief Transparency Officer, Fusion; Lino Garcia, General Manager, ESPN Deportes; Lucinda Martinez, VP of Domestic Network Distribution & Multicultural Marketing, HBO; and Miguel Santos, General Manager, Myx TV.
Other highlights of the agenda include a presentation by ESPN’s research team about the network’s brand path to innovation in order to reach the U.S. Hispanic sports fan, a special showcase of award-winning content created by up-and-coming trendsetters, and a technology-focused panel about digital, broadband, and mobile video. Attendees will be able to participate in a raffle to win a trip to Paris for two, courtesy of TV5 Monde, the French broadcaster.

The event commences promptly at 8:30 am. Walk-ins are welcome, but pre-registration is strongly recommended.
To register, visit: http://www.multiculturalmediaforum.com/register or contact Kirstyn Nimmo: (914) 834-5999, kirstynn@horowitzassociates.com.

The Forum will also feature special guest appearances by up-and-coming trendsetters who will showcase their work and participate in a discussion about how their experiences as bicultural Americans impact their creative vision and the role new media—Internet and social media in particular—plays in furthering their reach and growing their audience. The trendsetters include multiple award-winning playwright and actress Elaine Del Valle, who CBS News Radio referred to as “A female John Leguizamo.” Del Valle, who also runs a successful casting agency for Latino talent, will perform a segment from her one-woman play, Brownsville Bred (www.brownsvillebred.com). Vincent Lin, an award-winning Taiwanese-American filmmaker and founder of Valiant Pictures (www.valiantpictures.com), will present a sneak peek of his latest short film, “Collywobbles.” The Q&A session will be moderated by Digital/Social Media Strategist Rosa Alonso, host of the “Mi Vida Tec” series on Telemundo’s “Buenos Dias New York.”
Four other panels featuring top advertising and media industry executives will address this topic from the programming and distribution, audience, technology, and advertising angles.

The discussions about multicultural consumers and technology will be contextualized by brand- new findings from Horowitz Associates Market and Multicultural Research on Hispanic, Black, Asian, and White young people and their media attitudes and habits. “Our latest survey data show that a full 84%—virtually all of multicultural 18-24 year-olds—watch content on an alternative platform at least weekly,” says Adriana Waterston, Horowitz’ VP, Marketing & Business Development. “These numbers are staggering, and a game-changer for everyone in media, advertising, and technology. At the Forum, we’ll also share some ethnographic videos of real consumers talking about the impact new media is having on their lives and lifestyles.” In addition to Horowitz’ research, ESPN’s research team will be presenting their latest research on Hispanic sports fans.

The March 14th event attracts an audience of about 350 media industry, technology, and advertising executives. With very limited seating remaining, pre-registration is strongly recommended. To register and for more information, please visit www.multiculturalmediaforum.com.

Press is invited to attend. To secure a press pass, please contact Kirstyn Nimmo kirstynn@horowitzassociates.com or call (914) 834-5999.

Kalle spearheaded the development of Cine Sony Television, a Spanish language entertainment network that features uncutHollywood blockbusters dubbed in Spanish.  As Sony Pictures Television’s SVP of Networks, Kalle also oversees distribution, marketing, programming, and all other operations for Sony Movie Channel and has oversight for the group’s television networks business in North America.  She has an extensive background in multicultural media, and was also responsible for expanding the portfolio of Indian channels and content across multiple distribution platforms in the United States.

Kalle will join a roster of renowned speakers including Ruben Mendiola , VP & General Manager of Multicultural Video Services, Comcast; Michelle Webb , Executive Director of Content Strategy and Acquisition, Verizon FiOS; Glenn Goldsmith , VP, Programming, Mediacom; and Depelsha McGruder, SVP, Business Operations for Centric on a panel moderated by Tom Umstead , Programming Editor, Multichannel News.  The panel will address the constantly evolving relationship between programmers, distributors, advertisers and audiences.

Panels at the conference will address how multicultural audiences are evolving, the impact of new technologies on the business of traditional media, and the evolution of advertising in an increasingly multicultural, multiplatform world.

Organized by Horowitz Associates, one of the media industry’s leading providers of multicultural and Hispanic research, the Forum will also deliver valuable research and insights.  Adriana Waterston , Horowitz’ VP, Marketing and Business Development, will present findings from Horowitz’s newest quantitative and ethnographic studies on how Black, Hispanic, Asian, and White urban consumers are adopting digital platforms, alternative screens, and social media, and how these technologies are impacting traditional TV behaviors.  ESPN’s Ed Gordon , Senior Director of Distribution and Audience Research, and Julie Perlish , Senior Director of Advertising Analytics will be presenting a case study titled “ESPN’s Brand Path to Innovation for Reaching the U.S. Hispanic Sports Fan.”

The March 14^th event attracts an audience of about 400 media industry, technology, and advertising executives.  Pre-registration is strongly recommended as seating is extremely limited.  For more information about the Forum agenda and speakers, and to register, please visit www.multiculturalmediaforum.com. Limited sponsorship and speaking opportunities are also available.

For more information about Horowitz Associates Market and Multicultural Research, visit www.horowitzassociates.com.

Contact:
Kirstyn Nimmo
kirstynn@horowitzassociates.com
(914) 834-5999

This year’s Forum theme is Media’s New Generation: multicultural, multiplatform, tech-savvy 18-34 year-olds who interact with both traditional and new media in myriad ways, through a host of cutting-edge devices. The event and lunch is attended by an audience of 400+ media, marketing/advertising, technology, and financial industry executives. The agenda includes a presentation of Horowitz’ latest research on multicultural consumers and their media habits, a Showcase of the most exciting new multicultural programming, and four panels of key industry executives organized around four topics that drive the media industry: the Audience, Content, Technology, and Advertising.

Dávila has been behind the multicultural marketing strategies of many well-respected companies including Procter & Gamble, Sears, Roebuck and Company, Coca Cola, and the The Walt Disney Company. Today, Dávila helps corporations, media entities and agencies better understand business opportunities in the various segments that make up today’s multicultural market in the United States, while helping to embed a multicultural perspective into all facets of their business processes. He will moderate a panel of top advertisers and agencies who will discuss best practices for maximizing ad sales, revenues, ROI and creative impact in today’s market. They will explore the hottest topics in multicultural advertising, including the creation and management of cross-platform strategies and how a changing America affects the planning and buying process.

Mendiola is responsible for directing, designing and implementing the multicultural video services strategy for Comcast Cable, the nation’s largest video, high-speed Internet and phone provider to residential customers. Webb manages the operations and programming as well as acquisition for all local, Hispanic and multicultural programming for FiOS TV. In addition to her Executive Director role, Webb is the General Manager of FiOS1, where she created Verizon’s first owned and operated local channel network. They, along with a panel of other top industry executives, will discuss the constantly evolving relationship between programmers, distributors, advertisers and audiences. The panel will address the business of acquiring and retaining customers in today’s media environment. Key elements of this discussion will include how companies can leverage digital and broadband platforms in an era when consumers want content anywhere, everywhere, and on demand; and how networks and distributors can forge successful partnerships to better reach and serve multicultural audiences.

For more information and to register for the event, please visit www.multiculturalmediaforum.com and take advantage of the “Early Bird” registration. Limited Sponsorship and speaking opportunities are also available. For more information about Horowitz Associates Market and Multicultural Research, visit www.horowitzassociates.com

Contact:
Kirstyn Nimmo
kirstynn@horowitzassociates.com
(914) 834-5999

Larchmont, NY, September 4, 2012 — The growing impact of social media on viewership and loyalty to the television platform is a core focus of Horowitz Associates’ latest consumer survey, Multiplatform Content and Services 2012 edition.  Social media disproportionately impacts the viewing behaviors of younger consumers: One-quarter (24%) of 18-34 year old adults and 30% of 15-17 year olds have started watching a show on TV because of something they saw online or through social media, compared to 16% of total 18+ adult consumers surveyed.

Amid concerns about time-shifting, ad-skipping, and alternative platforms, the study reveals social media’s potential to drive consumers to live TV.  14% of social media users surveyed agree that social media helps them remember to tune into shows they want to watch, rising to 19% among 18-34 year-old adult social media users and 28% of 15-17 year-old social media users.  Furthermore, 12% of social media users say interacting with other viewers through social media makes their TV shows more enjoyable (14% among 18-34 year olds and 20% among 15-17 year olds).

Over 1 in 10 consumers (11%) say they find themselves actively interacting — through social media or some other site/app — with content they are watching on TV, and 10% say they enjoy posting to social media sites or other websites about shows they watch.  Younger viewers are more likely to actively engage with TV content.   These findings highlight the opportunity to strengthen network viewership and loyalty through a strong social media presence and interactive apps/sites designed to enhance the TV experience (click chart to enlarge).

“Harnessing the power of social media and social interactivity with TV is essential in order to keep younger viewers engaged with the live TV experience,” notes Adriana Waterston, Horowitz’ VP of Marketing and Business Development.  “It’s not as easy as it sounds, because social media is inherently organic, about personal empowerment and community-building.  In the social media environment, consumers do not want to feel ‘marketed to’ or manipulated. A successful social media or interactive strategy must feel genuine, not fabricated.”

Click for more information on the Multiplatform Content and Services study.

Contact:

Adriana Waterston

adrianaw@horowitzassociates.com

914-834-5999

Larchmont, NY, June 5, 2012—In our increasingly multicultural world, how is mainstream media perceived by multicultural consumers who make up the majority of the U.S. audience?  In Horowitz Associates’ 13^th annual State of Cable and Digital Media: Multicultural Edition study, White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian urban consumers were asked how well TV represents racial and ethnic groups in terms of quality (accuracy in comparison with reality) and quantity (proportionate with reality).  One-third (32%) say TV does a good job with quality, but a comparable number (27%) give unfavorable ratings; two in five (40%) give favorable ratings for quantity and one-quarter (23%) give unfavorable ratings.  Across total multicultural consumers, neutral ratings fall between 37% (quantity) and 41% (quality).

The study reveals important dynamics across races, particularly among key Hispanic segments.  Spanish-dominant Hispanics are the most satisfied with racial representation in the media, reporting the highest favorable ratings and lowest unfavorable ratings for quantity (53% favorable; 11% unfavorable) and quality (46% favorable; 13% unfavorable).  Spanish-dominant Hispanics watch 69% of their TV in Spanish, however, making their evaluation reflective of the content on Spanish networks.  On the other hand, English-oriented Hispanics, who watch 92% of their programming in English, give the media high unfavorable ratings for quality (35%) and quantity (29%).

Asians are the least satisfied with multicultural representation, giving the lowest favorable ratings for quantity (24%; 31% unfavorable) and quality (22%; 27% unfavorable).  Asians are the only segment that gives higher unfavorable ratings than favorable ratings for both quantity and quality.

“Multicultural audiences have always been the best customers for television and entertainment.  Tokenism and stereotypical representation of ethnicities in the media will not pass muster among this new general market for media,” notes Adriana Waterston, Horowitz’ VP of Marketing and Business Development.  “Our findings, particularly the dramatic differences between key segments of the Hispanic market, help underscore the value viewers place in seeing themselves represented in the stories, voices, and faces they watch on TV.”

State of Cable and Digital Media: Multicultural Edition: An annual, syndicated survey tracking key trends regarding attitudes and adoption of television, broadband, and mobile technologies among urban, multicultural consumers. The 2012 survey was conducted among a national sample of 1,532 urban (cities with a population of 50,000+) heads of household 18+.  Published by Horowitz Associates Market and Multicultural Research.

Contact:

Adriana Waterston

adrianaw@horowitzassociates.com

914-834-5999

Let’s Talk About…

The TV Experience

This month, we asked participants to describe how they usually watch TV: do they usually watch alone or with others? Is there specific content that they tend to watch more with others? And, what does the shared viewing experience mean to them?

Here’s what they had to say:

AAbout one-quarter (25-30%) of participants say TV is typically a solitary experience for them; about 15-20% say it is normally a social event for them. Over a third (35-40%) say it can be both solitary or social, depending on the content and their mood; and about 10-15% say that they often watch with their significant other, but do not necessarily consider it “social.”

The one genre that stands out is sports: more than half (55-60%) say they prefer watching sports with others, and about 15-20% say that TV is usually a solitary experience except for sports.

“Being a primarily social person most other times of the day, I keep my TV watching pretty much a private affair. I have a set schedule of shows that I watch regularly, and I treat myself to TV as my “alone” time.” – 25-34 year-old Black Male

“Typically I watch television alone, but I tend to watch sporting events with other people. When I watch my favorite shows (Criminal Minds, etc) I don’t like a lot of noise or commotion, but watching sporting events in large groups is more entertaining than watching alone.” – 25-34 year-old Black Female

For many, a “shared viewing experience” still means sitting down with friends, family, or loved ones and watching a show together. However, the idea of a “shared viewing experience” is evolving as TV viewers take advantage of texting, social media, and online forums while watching TV. About 10-15% of participants say that they engage in some form of interaction, including posting on Facebook, tweeting, or using another type of digital communication, about a TV show or movie (both in real-time and after).

“While it’s not extremely important to me to spend time watching these shows with others, I do find myself chatting online or sending texts to other folks I know also watch them to discuss what’s going on. This is especially true of reality-type shows where there are contestants and you’re rooting for a team to win.” – 25-34 year-old White Male

“A shared viewing experience has changed for me over the past few months. When my wife and I sit down to watch the Voice, she gets on her cell phone and starts texting with her cousin. It’s come down to a point where she rushes home from work just so they can go back and forth about what’s going on in the show. Before, i would think that you would have to be in the same room, watching the show together for it to be considered a shared viewing experience. Now I’m realizing that it’s more than that.” – 25-34 year-old Hispanic Male

A couple also note that interacting via Skype or Justin.tv (a website that streams live content) helps them keep in touch with friends and loved ones, and allows them to enjoy TV content together, apart.

“I miss the days when I would watch TV with friends and actually have them there. However, the ease of using Skype / justin.tv and things like that add a whole new sense of community when watching things. I do enjoy real time typing and chat rooms while watching these. [...] I have friends serving in the military that I rarely get to see and hang out with in person. Using Skype to watch shows together lets us talk as if he or she were really “there”, I know it sounds really corny and not many people do this…but it is just fun to actually talk during slow moments in shows here and there.” – 25-34 year-old Hispanic Male

Last Thoughts

These findings from our Consumer Voice Community speak to the true power of social media and its evolving role in the promotion of television content and as an enhancement to the viewing experience. Social media is the ultimate television companion: Today’s viewers are communicating with communities of other fans wherever they may be, sometimes friends and relatives, sometimes, total strangers, with whom they share a common bond around a TV show, event, or personality.

Walking though the Cable Show floor this week, and having presented at Imagine Park where I got to see first-hand some of the cool, new technologies that are on the horizon, it became immediately evident that we are entering into a completely new world when it comes to the TV experience. TV will no doubt get even more personalized, even more social, and even more intrinsic to our lives and routines. The technologies of the very new future will make it seamless to port our favorite content wherever, interact with or about it socially on the spot, and share it with others- all of which we know from our research (and personal experiences!) enhances the viewing experience and drives loyalty to the show and network brand. In fact, social media in particular is starting to play a role in driving viewers back to live (or at least almost live) TV, so that they can enjoy it with others, albeit virtually (and avoid Facebook spoilers!).

I, for one, am very excited to see what’s to come. Yes, it is probably true that the set-top box is “going the way of the Dodo bird,” as TWC CEO Glenn Britt confirmed at The Cable Show, but replacing it are amazing new technologies that will keep consumers connected—to their favorite content, to their provider, and to each other.
- Adriana Waterston, VP, Marketing & Business Development

For more information about the Consumer Voice Community, including how to submit your own topic, please visit: www.horowitzassociates.com/newsletter/consumervoice

The study is beginning to measure and track the “water cooler” effect of social media as an important vehicle to promote television shows and brands.  According to the study, 19% of TV viewers with Internet access have started watching a show because they heard about it through social media or the blogosphere, increasing to 23% among 18-34 year-old viewers.  And, one in ten (10%) have posted on social media about a show or movie they saw—13% among the 18-34 set. Among these younger viewers, 8% at least occasionally interact about a show on social media in real time, at the same time as they are watching the show (see chart).

“The potential power of social media to drive TV viewership—and perhaps even to drive consumers back to live, real-time viewing—is enormous,” notes Adriana Waterston, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development at Horowitz Associates.  “But media brands and marketers will need to figure out how to do it right.  As we heard in our recent Viewing the Viewer videography, consumers don’t want to feel ‘marketed to’—they want to feel in control of their social media experience,” adds Waterston.

Now in its 19th year, State of Cable and Digital Media is an annual, syndicated survey of television households published by Horowitz Associates Market and Multicultural Research.  The study tracks key trends in consumer behaviors towards and adoption of new television, broadband, and mobile technologies.  National and Multicultural Editions are available for purchase.  Contact Adriana Waterston (adrianaw@horowitzassociates.com, 914-834-5999) for information.