An Encino entrepreneur is launching a new Hulu-like digital television network targeting the Hispanic male – a hard-to-reach consumer market. Scheduled to debut in the fourth quarter of this year, streaming station HombreTV will feature original and acquired programming geared toward Spanish-speaking men between the ages of 18 and 49 in hopes of providing quality content and attracting advertising dollars. Dennis Richard, the man behind the vision, is setting up the station through Global Synergy Holdings Inc. of Encino, where he serves as chief executive. He came up with the idea in 2004. “Spanish-language television for the most (part) has skewed and continues to skew females, and thus the male has been difficult to reach by advertising agencies,” Richard said. HombreTV’s revenue will be generated from channel subscriptions, sponsorship opportunities and advertising. Richard is already in talks with various ad agencies, such as Santa Monica-based Acento Advertising, which have expressed interest in marketing clients on the station. Nicholas Segura, chief executive of Hispanic marketing company Somos Agency in Kansas City, Mo., said it has been a challenge for brands to reach Hispanic consumers for two reasons. First, there is a lack of diversity within agencies, and second, advertising executives tend to be older, as the average age of Hispanic-Americans is 27. “In the last five years, Hispanic spending power has grown by 50 percent, and businesses ignore that all the time,” he added. To target HombreTV’s audience, Richard conducted research to find out what Spanish-speaking men watch. “Hispanic men are looking for programming that grows out of their culture, inspires them and entertains and teaches them something,” he explained. “They are looking to assimilate into the culture and better their jobs, positions in life and to be great fathers and husbands.” Thus, the channel will include traditional programming such as sports – including boxing and mixed martial arts – news and politics as well as comedy and music. It will also offer newer show-types focused on how-to and do-it-yourself content as well as father-and-child adventure and activity shows. “There are people who watch (tele)novelas and people who watch Nova on PBS,” Somos’ Segura said. “The reality of the Hispanic market is it’s incredibly diverse.” When Richard originally came up with the concept, he envisioned the station as a cable network completely in Spanish. Yet now many Hispanic millennials tend to be bilingual and even sometimes prefer English, he said. Therefore, the station will provide programming in both languages. “I want HombreTV to be the movement of men in the spirit of family and unity,” Richard explained. – Stephanie Henkel
