Hemisphere Media Group’s Jim McNamara

Jim McNamara, vice chairman of Hemisphere Media Group’s board of directors, speaks to World Screen’s Elizabeth Bowen-Tombari about the importance of the U.S. Hispanic market and its growth potential. He also sheds light on how Hemisphere’s channels are staying competitive amid a challenging landscape, as well as the developments at Pantaya and Snap TV.

Targeting the high-growth U.S. Hispanic and Latin American markets, Hemisphere Media Group has a broad range of channels and services in its footprint. Hemisphere owns and operates five U.S. Hispanic cable networks, two Latin American cable networks and the leading broadcast television network in Puerto Rico, and it has ownership interests in Canal 1, the number three national broadcast television network in Colombia, and Pantaya, a Spanish-language OTT service in the U.S., among other digital assets.

The bouquet houses the Spanish-language movie channel Cinelatino; WAPA America, a cable network targeting Puerto Ricans and other Caribbean Hispanics living in the U.S.; WAPA, Puerto Rico’s leading broadcast television network; Pasiones, showcasing telenovelas and serialized dramas; Centroamerica TV, targeting Central Americans living in the U.S.; and Television Dominicana, created for Dominicans living in the U.S.

Last year, Hemisphere Media Group took a majority stake in Snap TV, which distributes content in Latin America to broadcast, pay-TV and OTT platforms. Snap is now responsible for the distribution of content owned by Hemisphere’s networks, as well as content from the production joint venture between Hemisphere and MarVista Entertainment.