Beatriz Acevedo and partner Doug Greiff were often asked by clients to name a “destination on the web that had critical mass” for U.S. Hispanics. Neither had an answer.
So the self-described “hardcore television oriented” duo set about crafting MiTú, a YouTube network catering to Latinos. Three months later, the site boasts more than a million subscribers and cultivates content from 180 channels in six categories.
“As a bilingual Latina… it’s just hard to find a place to find a lot of what interests you. You see yourself represented in some places in traditional media… but it’s hard to find things that are culturally relevant, and in Spanish it is incredibly hard. We felt that there was this big niche where we could go at it, because of the way we felt as Latinos,” said Acevedo, the company’s CEO.
But Acevedo and her colleagues are not amateurs who struck gold on accident, they are professionals in the television and digital world. Acevedo has 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry, working for clients like The Food Network and New Line Cinema, as well as launching digital networks in Latin America for Discovery and BBC. She also has won three Emmy awards and served as president of HIP Entertainment Group.
“Pretty much [clients] wanted to find the Machinima (a video game-based network of YouTube channels) for Latinos and it was incredible to us that it didn’t exist! So we built it!” she said.
Acevedo understood what MiTú needed to be. Other YouTube channels existed before MiTú, she noted, but they were not really into the how-to lifestyle areas that MiTú covers. Moreover, she saw that good content was being produced, someone just needed to make it accessible and easy to find in the sea of YouTube videos uploaded every day.
“We literally took a lot of the Machinama model. 180 channels are aggregated in our network. Creating a critical mass of channels has helped,” Acevedo said.
Acevedo felt that MiTú, despite not being “traditional,” has done so well simply because it exists. Along with Telemundo, Univision, and the new Mundofox, there really isn’t much variety out there for this massive demographic.
MiTú’s conglomeration of channels caters to a variety of people and covers a lot of bases. Subscriptions and revenue for MiTú network conglomerates have gone up 200%.
Plus, according to Acevedo, most channel owners have been Latinas.
“We’re very proud to empower women,” she said. “To keep growing the network and empowering the entrepreneurs. It’s a very exciting time for the community, so much opportunity.”
MiTú categorizes content into six categories: Food, Health, Beauty, Home, Family, and Pop Culture. According to Acevedo, food and beauty are the most popular categories.
“Food, which is no surprise, with Latinos in general, followed very closely by beauty. We skew very young; 14 year-old girls are most drawn to that. It’s very ultra-targeted. If you wanted to learn a specific recipe or makeup that is what makes it so special to viewers, the fact that they can connect to whoever is doing that tutorial unlike TV. All of these details are really loved by people.”
And unlike TV, it is very easy for channel owners to communicate with viewers, something Acevedo praises.
“You learn a lot from the audience and it’s immediate. There is no sugar coating, so you very quickly have audience feedback. It is a useful tool for programming the network and finding out what they like or what they don’t like. It’s incredibly useful for us, and it’s incredible for the audience because they have a person they are close to. Here, if you see the comments people post, they’re so loyal with these new YouTube celebs because they engage the audience. In return, they are loyal, passionate followers.”
Acevedo and her team are working on growing MiTú in a variety of ways. While MiTú does offer a variety of programming, it does not offer something which television does: scripted programs. Acevedo made clear, though, that these co-produced shows would not merely be YouTube uploads of shows on cable. MiTú is not going to re-host cable’s content.
“We’re hoping to continue the network’s growth, which is a number one priority. We hope to do more original productions from the genres audiences are passionate about, and we are close to launching MiTú Música, which we are incredibly excited about! I think those are the few things we’re focused on in the future. We’re very excited about the possibilities.”
Editor’s note: Más Wired Editor Sara Inés Calderón is social media manager for MiTú. Co-editor Elaine Ayo handled all editing for this story.
Elaine Rita Mendus is a undergraduate student working on graduating college (someday soon). Her career interests include geopolitics, the Hispanic community, and urban planning. She really wouldn't mind ending up a scriptwriter though...
