Fastest Growing Colombian Broadcast Network Canal 1 Reaches Content and Commercial Partnership Deal with Discovery Colombia

MIAMI, Oct. 3, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Hemisphere Media Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: HMTV) ("Hemisphere" or the "Company"), the only publicly traded pure-play U.S. media company targeting the high growth U.S. Hispanic and Latin American markets with leading broadcast and cable television and digital content platforms, today announced that Canal 1, one of three national broadcast networks in Colombia, has entered into a content and commercial partnership deal with the leader in real-life entertainment, in which some of Discovery's most popular programs will air on Canal 1 during select dayparts throughout the week.

Beginning on Monday, October 7th, Colombian audiences will get to enjoy new programming on Canal 1 featuring some real-life programming over-the-air, marking the first time Discovery programming will be available on broadcast television in Colombia. The new programming block, dubbed 'Zona Discovery,' will air Monday through Friday from 12:30pm to 2pm and will feature popular shows like "The Medium" from TLC, and "My 600-lb Life," from Discovery. On October 19, the block will expand to weekends, when Canal 1 will premiere the highly popular Investigation Discovery shows "Web of Lies" and "Your Worst Nightmare" from 2pm to 4pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

"We are thrilled to bring these highly captivating shows from the global entertainment powerhouse Discovery to a large audience beyond the reach of Pay-TV alone. We will also bring the superior insights of Discovery's powerful analytical tools to help clients sell effectively to even more of the Colombian market," said Canal 1 President Ramiro Avendaño. "We look forward to combining our talent and strengths to better serve advertisers and viewers alike." 

Discovery will oversee advertising sales for 'Zona Discovery' using their proprietary ad tool Discovery Beyond, which matches brands with their target audiences using artificial intelligence. The tool measures linear performance, social media and digital activity of a brand during that brand's campaign and optimizes performance to increase conversion.

"We are very pleased with this partnership, as it highlights the great value of our pay-tv content and will allow us to delight the audience of Canal 1 with a sample of our real-life stories," said Carolina Angarita Barrientos, general manager of Discovery Colombia. "This is also incredibly exciting news for our local ad partners, as it will enable us to leverage our state-of-the-art technology and Canal 1's reach, connecting advertisers in Colombia in an innovative and efficient way."

Founded in 1954, Canal 1 is Colombia's first national television channel. In August of 2017, Canal 1 launched a fully rebranded network, featuring a new programming strategy that includes 8 hours of live programming per weekday, a fresh and new on-air look, and a talented new executive team. In the past two years, Canal 1 has quadrupled its sign-on to sign-off share of broadcast viewing, capturing more than a 10% audience share, according to Ibope. At certain times the broadcaster has reached up to a 28% audience share and is consistently capturing approximately 20% share every evening with their hit original reality show competition, "Guerreros."

"This is the most innovative partnership the media market has ever seen and allows us to present a compelling offering in the broadcast, cable and digital space," said Alina Arango, Canal 1's ad sales manager. "We look forward to bringing better measurement technology to Colombian brands, allowing them to reach their most coveted customers efficiently, at scale, and in the highest-quality content."

Canal 1 is owned in partnership by Hemisphere Media Group with leading Colombian content producers Radio Television Interamericana S.A. ("RTI"), Compania de Medios de Informacion S.A.S ("CMI") and NTC Nacional de Television y Communicaciones S.A. ("NTC").

About Hemisphere Media Group, Inc.: Hemisphere Media Group, Inc. (HMTV) is the only publicly traded pure-play U.S. media company targeting the high-growth U.S. Hispanic and Latin American markets with leading television and digital content platforms. Headquartered in Miami, Florida, Hemisphere owns and operates five leading U.S. Hispanic cable networks, two Latin American cable networks, the leading broadcast television network in Puerto Rico, and has ownership interests in a leading broadcast television network in Colombia, a Spanish-language content distribution company, and a Spanish-language OTT service in the U.S.

About Discovery: Discovery, Inc. (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is a global leader in real life entertainment, serving a passionate audience of superfans around the world with content that inspires, informs and entertains. Discovery delivers over 8,000 hours of original programming each year and has category leadership across deeply loved content genres around the world. Available in 220 countries and territories and 50 languages, Discovery is a platform innovator, reaching viewers on all screens, including TV Everywhere products such as the GO portfolio of apps and Discovery Kids Play; direct-to-consumer streaming services such as Eurosport Player and Motor Trend OnDemand; and digital-first and social content from Group Nine Media. Discovery's portfolio of premium brands includes Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Travel Channel, Turbo/Velocity, Animal Planet, and Science Channel, as well as OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network in the U.S., Discovery Kids in Latin America, and Eurosport, the leading provider of locally relevant, premium sports and Home of the Olympic Games across Europe. For more information, please visit www.corporate.discovery.com and follow @DiscoveryIncTV across social platforms.

Contact:
Edelman Financial Communications for Hemisphere Media Group
Danielle O'Brien
(646) 277-1289
[email protected] 

SOURCE Hemisphere Media Group, Inc.