Mexicanal will celebrate its 20th anniversary next year and is already working to make it memorable.
“For an independent, minority-owned company like us, this is a great achievement, and we are extremely proud of our team. When we launched Mexicanal in 2005, we were the new kid on the block. Fast forward 20 years, and we are still going strong. We remain relevant and have a strong, loyal viewership; we see it in our ratings every week, and we work hard to keep bringing the Mexican-made TV content that they enjoy and want to see,” said Demian Torres-Bohl, Mexicanal’s General Manager, and Mauricio Torres-Bohl, Mexicanal’s Production Supervisor.
ORIGINAL PRODUCTIONS
The executives noted that Mexicanal is wrapping up the seventh season of their original production, La Liga Mexicana de Jaripeo (LMJP), which will again consist of 13 episodes.
They are also working on several new shows premiering this year:
–Escaramuzas, a traditional horse-riding competition featuring female riders, will have 13 episodes. «This is entirely new and the kind of content we know how to deliver to our audience uniquely and excitingly.»
– Por Fin Mexicanal, a weekend magazine show featuring entertainment news, social media highlights, and a recap of the best content from Mexicanal with a preview of the upcoming week.
–PerriToks, an entertainment show featuring the most popular animals on social media, always with a Mexican flair.
–Al Ritmo del Son, is a music and dance show featuring «sones,» a regional music genre popular among immigrants from southern Mexico, with 13 episodes.
“In addition, we are also planning for our 20th anniversary with new imagery and content. It’s a huge milestone, and we want to make it special. To celebrate, we are putting together a retrospective featuring our current and past talent and shows. It will be something truly special,” they said.
PerriToks
THE LOYALTY OF THE US HISPANIC MARKET
The Torres-Bohl noted that the US Hispanic market is very loyal. “For years, it has grown quietly, and now that it has reached critical mass, everyone is paying attention. We have served this audience for almost 20 years and know it very well. For us, it’s not a challenge but a tremendous opportunity. More importantly, any company looking to stay relevant in the next 10 years must engage with this market or risk disappearing,” they emphasized.
They continued, saying it’s not enough to offer content in Spanish. “Companies need to go the extra mile and do the work to provide content that Hispanics want to watch—content that speaks to them in their languages: English, Spanish, Spanglish, and where they see themselves reflected, rather than the stereotypes the industry has set. US Hispanics want more, not less, and Mexicanal and Castalia work constantly to deliver that,” they concluded.
DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENTS
The channel has renewed all of its distribution agreements and added new OTT services from Comcast and Charter—NOW and XUMO, respectively. “These new services are currently very successful and are growing month by month. We are working with other distributors on similar options to offer viewers new ways to watch and enjoy the content they want. Additionally, we continue working with our distribution partners in Canada to increase Mexicanal’s presence with Bell Canada and to add additional distribution with other providers,” they added.
They emphasized their continued partnership with only pay-TV distributors and their OTT and streaming services. “We still see the value that pay TV offers, and although the industry is changing, many unknowns remain. We see our relationship as a partnership, and we are not working with any other distributors.”
Among industry trends, they mentioned the use of AI. “AI is already making work more efficient and effective. Social media crossover, with content originally shared there, is now making its way onto TV. We also see an opportunity to produce more human-interest content, such as behind-the-scenes stories of Jaripeo. We’re presenting the riders as people who have stories to tell beyond the bullring,” they said.
