Report Tracks Rising Streamer Demand for Spanish-Language Content

As pay-TV penetration among U.S. Hispanic households continues to slip, there is a growing demand for Spanish-language content on SVOD and FAST services, according to a new report from Horowitz Research.

Per the study, FOCUS Latinx Volume I: Subscriptions 2024, only 39 percent of U.S. Hispanic/Latine households subscribe to an MVPD, versus 48 percent of all consumers. This is down from 60 percent in 2023, Horowitz said.

Delivering Spanish-language content is key for streaming and MVPD services looking to draw and retain Latine audiences; 75 percent of Latine viewers watch at least some content in Spanish. Further, almost 70 percent of Spanish-dominant and bilingual Latine consumers say that having Spanish-language content is an important consideration when choosing a TV service.

The report also found that 78 percent of Latine content viewers use SVOD services (versus 63 percent of all audiences), 80 percent use free streamers (67 percent of all audiences) and 36 percent use virtual MVPDs, as compared with 23 percent of all audiences.

Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Hulu and Max are the top-used SVODs by Latine households. In FAST usage, Tubi, Pluto TV, YouTube, Freevee and Roku lead.

“The rules of engagement with Latine audiences have not inherently changed despite variations in which platforms and services consumers are using to access content,” said Adriana Waterston, executive VP and insights and strategy lead for Horowitz Research. “Services hoping to attract and retain Latine audiences must continue to focus on presenting the best Spanish-language offerings with high-quality, desirable new content as well as robust libraries of classic Spanish shows and movies to represent real value for these viewers.”