The Growth of Spanish-Language TV

Between the years 2000 and 2010, the number of U.S. residents who identify themselves as Hispanic or Latino increased by more than 40 percent. As the country becomes more diverse, broadcasters have been working to ensure this growing demographic has options when it comes to TV programming.

MundoFox, one of the many broadcast TV options for Hispanic Americans officially launched last August, with nearly 50 stations nationwide running Spanish-language programming, including local news.  MundoFox also recently announced that it is expanding into four new markets: Boston, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Tampa-St. Petersburg, meaning more options for viewers.

But MundoFox isn’t the only Spanish-language broadcaster enjoying strong growth. Hispanic Americans across the country – more than 22 million to be exact – tuned into Telemundo’s coverage of the Olympics this year, a 42 percent increase from the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The men’s soccer final between Mexico and Brazil was one of the most popular events with an estimated 3.6 million people cheering on their favorite team. Telemundo also provided viewers with in-depth coverage on Latino athletes and extensive coverage of a variety of popular events, including soccer, swimming and boxing.

The growth of Spanish-language TV is just one of the many ways that America’s television broadcasters are working to provide their viewers high-quality, diverse content. What other types of diverse content do you think the future of TV should include? Tell us in the comments below.