Isabel Rafferty, CEO of Canela Media, highlighted the growth, diversification and expansion of the company in recent years and confirmed the launch of its new OTT Canela Kids, which will be available as a TV channel and as AVOD, on August 16.
In February 2019, the executive observed how the new streamers did not consider the tastes of the Spanish-speaking audience in the USA within their offer. And that’s why she decided to launch Canela Media in May 2020 with more than 10,000 hours of content.
‘We bet on AVOD first because our Latino audience in the US has little access to credit cards (60% do not have access); and second, the high cost: they cannot purchase more than 1-2 services. Latin content is at the core of our strategy, but our success is not only explained by acquiring and programming it, but mainly by the content we choose. Beyond the fact that Mexicans represent 60% of the Latino community in the US, there are others in clear expansion: Venezuelans, Brazilians and Puerto Ricans.
‘During the pandemic, the advertising market was reduced, but the audience grew. We launched Canela Noticias, which was our first channel. Later another 14 came. Today we have 25 between our own and third parties, but we hope to reach 50 by the end of this year. There is a lot of demand to reach the Latino audience and we are a good option’, Rafferty remarked.
‘After the success in the USA, we decided to launch in Latin America, first in Mexico and then Colombia. We want to be present in the entire region before 1Q 2023, including Brazil, where we will launch with content in Portuguese,’ she completed.
The other big announcement is Canela Kids, with children’s content that is curated and safe for children of all ages. It launches on August 16 as an AVOD and as a channel. ‘We are developing originals for Canela Media and Canela Kids. For the latter, Yo Soy, an 8-episode series about pioneering Hispanic women whose life stories are told through motion graphic animation: Frida Kahlo, Sonia Sotomayor, Rita Moreno, Katya Echazarret, Isabel Allende, Selena and Rigoberta Menchú’, Rafferty said.
‘We are also developing puppet shows and a cooking contest for children. We want to build on our growth with more original content, more target diversity, and reach new territories in Latin America’, she concluded.
