• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, January 6, 2004

Hispanic Cable Subscribers Higher Than Overall Urban

The latest Horowitz Associates study on the U.S. Urban Latino market for cable programming and new media services, shows that 24% of all urban Hispanics currently subscribe to digital cable service from their cable company. Penetration of digital service in urban markets is 26%, according to the survey data. With three in ten "English-oriented" urban Latinos subscribing to digital cable, penetration among these consumers is notably higher than among the "Spanish-dominant" segment of the Latino marketplace among whom 19% of report having digital cable.

A higher than average (43% vs. 38%) percentage of all Hispanic cable subscribers are digital subscribers, and among "Spanish-dominant" cable subscribers, the percent digital reaches 38%. Importantly, the survey found that one in ten (10%) urban Hispanic cable subscribers also have a satellite dish -- a high percentage compared to cable subscribers in general and again indicative of the competitive impact of Spanish programming.

Among the urban Latinos surveyed, Fox and HBO are mentioned most often as favorite channels (each by 10% of Hispanics surveyed) followed by Discovery and MTV (each mentioned by 8% of those surveyed). Among the "Spanish-dominant" Latinos surveyed, Univision tops the list of favorites. Among "English-dominant" Latinos, none of the Spanish language channels were mentioned. Nevertheless, in response to a separate rating question, four in ten (41%) of those who speak English more than Spanish in the home indicate that having Spanish-language channels is important to their household.

Interest in each of the channels varies by demographic subgroup, including important differences by age, sex, and language preference. For example, three out of ten Spanish-dominant Latinos said that channels ESPN Deportes and Fox Sports en Español would make them more likely to get or keep digital cable (32% for each channel).

"Variables like country of origin, age, sex, and length of time in the U.S. can make or break programming, advertising and marketing strategies targeting U.S. Hispanics," said Adriana Waterston, Director of Marketing for Horowitz Associates, Inc

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