Canela Media Feb. 9 announced the launch of Canela News, what it claims is the first free live-streaming newscast for the U.S. Latino market. The Spanish-language daily newscast will cover topics most relevant to U.S. Latinos, including breaking news, sports, immigration, and more.
On March 8, Canela News will begin broadcasting daily live 30-minute segments Monday-Friday at 6 p.m. ET and repeats at 9 p.m. ET on the advertiser-supported streaming service Canela.TV, which will also be distributed on free, ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels. There will also be a daily segment focused completely on sports. On Fridays, it will air a special five-minute segment called “Buenas Noticias,” bringing inspirational good news.
“Viewing habits of U.S. Latinos are rapidly changing as more of this audience shifts to digital platforms and abandons traditional TV,” founder/CEO Isabel Rafferty said in a statement.
Rafferty said that U.S. Latino cord cutters have heretofore been unable to get streaming access to the Spanish-language, U.S.-centric news.
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“There was a void in the market which presented an opportunity for [us] to fulfill,” she said.
According to eMarketer, in 2021 more than 6 million U.S. households will cut the cord with pay-TV, bringing the total number of cord-cutter households to 31.2 million. However, most streaming services are geared towards English-speaking audiences and tastes, with a smattering of content gathered from around the Spanish-speaking world.
Canela News is made with a team of producers and anchors delivering culturally relevant content led by Alejandro Medina, who previously ran the TV Azteca national newscast. Journalist and TV host Jimena Duarte will be the anchor for the Daily Newscast. René Romero, an international sports commentator and journalist with over 10 years of experience, will anchor the Daily Sportscast.
“We will continue to forge meaningful connections with our audience through our growing variety of high-quality content options,” Rafferty said.
Launched in May 2020, Canela.TV is a streaming service with more than 10,000 hours of entertainment for adults and children, including comedies, docuseries, novelas, cartoons, dramas and action films. The Canela.tv app is available for download on the App Store and Google Play, Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV and smart TVs.