One year ago, Roku launched Espacio Latino, a special destination for Spanish-language programming on The Roku Channel. With sports, news, entertainment, telenovelas, movies, music and more, Espacio Latino features thousands of free, original, and exclusive movies and TV shows in Spanish, along with popular English titles dubbed and sub-titled. In Q4’2022, Spanish-language programming on The Roku Channel was streamed by more unique households than any free, ad-supported standalone app for Spanish-language content on the Roku platform in the U.S.¹
From the outset, we wanted this new offering to reflect the diversity and cultural influence of US Hispanic and Latino communities by offering something for everyone. And our audience favorites do just that, with shows like “Thanks A Million,” executive-produced by Jennifer Lopez, which celebrates ‘paying it forward.’ Another popular show, iQué Delicioso!, features contestants adding a taste of home to dishes prepared by world-renowned chefs. As we celebrate one year of Espacio Latino and look ahead to a new slate of programming, below are some key learnings from Roku’s experience establishing a dedicated home for Spanish-language programming.
Spanish-language representation fuels streaming growth
About half of US Hispanic audiences say the increase in streaming options has provided more Latino representation in content/programming, according to a survey conducted in partnership with Luth Research.² This increases to nearly two-thirds among Spanish-only speakers.
Additionally, nearly one-third of US Hispanic streamers said Latino characters are represented more on streaming channels than on traditional TV networks.³ Agreement with this sentiment is higher among non-English speakers.
The success of Roku Originals like iQué Delicioso! paved the way for new titles that are set to premier on Espacio Latino this Summer and beyond, including shows that champion the interconnectedness of family and food in Latino culture, such as “Batalla en Abuela’s Kitchen.” Additionally, we’re excited to debut new titles announced at Roku’s 2023 NewFront, including “Carpe DM with Juanpa,” a bilingual adventure series featuring actor/social media star Juanpa Zurita, and "Desde La Raíz," a docuseries featuring Jamie Camil ("Jane the Virgin") that celebrates the food and culture of Mexico.
Align with the right content and context
Once advertisers have chosen to align themselves with streaming content opportunities geared to Hispanic audiences, what else can they do to connect with these households? One strategy is to include Spanish language content in their ad creative. While US Hispanic audiences don’t mind ads in English, our survey data suggests ads in Spanish may be more persuasive. Fifty-nine percent say they don’t mind seeing an ad in English when watching a program in Spanish. However, 34% are more likely to purchase a product advertised in Spanish.⁴
Other advertiser opportunities include sponsoring Roku Recommends en Español, a new iteration of our popular Roku Recommends franchise, dedicated to highlighting the best new shows, movies, and hidden gems that will appeal to our US Spanish-speaking audiences.
Whatever their campaign goals, advertisers should keep in mind the content and context in which they’re reaching these audiences. Roku is here to help.
Help audiences find all the content they love, in one place
Long before Espacio Latino, many US Hispanic streamers watched live TV news in Spanish from our Electronic Programming Guide on The Roku Channel. As they migrate to streaming, these audiences have continued to grow in number and time spent on Roku, a trend that only accelerates as we add more Spanish-language publishers to the platform.
In 2022, engagement by Spanish-speaking audiences increased 176% year over year across Roku.¹ Much of the growth we’ve seen in Espacio Latino happened as audiences accessed familiar programming and were then exposed to other titles in our Spanish language library via Roku’s content discovery options.
Many of these streamers watch with loved ones. Eighty-four percent of The Roku Channel’s Hispanic viewers say they stream together as a family. And Roku's US Hispanic audiences are also more likely to have children present than non-Roku Hispanic streamers.⁵ With the inclusion of family-friendly movies and Spanish-language TV series in our Kids & Family destination, we continue to make it easier for bilingual family households to access customized content across The Roku Channel.
As Espacio Latino celebrates its first birthday, we also celebrate the diverse community of Hispanic streamers who increasingly look to Roku as the starting point for the TV and movies they love. It’s more important than ever to reach these audiences with relevant messaging in programming environments that matter to them. As you build your media plan for the year ahead, Roku and Espacio Latino are here to help.
¹Roku Data, Q4 2022
²Luth Research + Roku Profiling the Hispanic Streamer, 2023; Q: QM12: Using a 7 point scale where 7 is “Agree Strongly” and “1” is “Disagree Strongly”, how much do you Agree or Disagree with the following statements?:
“The increase in streaming options has also provided more Latino representation in content/programming”
³Luth Research + Roku Profiling the Hispanic Streamer, 2023; Q: QM12: Using a 7 point scale where 7 is “Agree Strongly” and “1” is “Disagree Strongly”, how much do you Agree or Disagree with the following statements?: “Latino characters are more represented in programs on streaming channels than the traditional networks”
⁴Luth Research + Roku Profiling the Hispanic Streamer, 2023; Q: QM12: Using a 7 point scale where 7 is “Agree Strongly” and “1” is “Disagree Strongly”, how much do you Agree or Disagree with the following statements?:
“I’m more likely to purchase a product that is advertised in Spanish”
⁵Luth Research + Roku, Profiling the Hispanic Streamer, 2023; QS11: What generations of your family are currently living in your household?
