Positive shift in Hspanic Cable Usage.

With nearly 20% of Hispanic P18-49 television viewing in Spanish today going to cable networks, a dramatic shift from broadcast to cable among this key audience segment is underway, according to newly-released research from the Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau (CAB). Census figures have recently revealed that Hispanics in the U.S. are now 50 million strong and a driving force in national population growth. As a result, tapping into this market will be essential to advertisers looking to maintain or increase share.

To meet the demand for information on rapidly-changing Hispanic media habits, the CAB announces the release of The Hispanic Marketer’s Guide To Cable: 2011 Upfront Edition, the latest in a series of tools designed to educate executives on trends in cable penetration and usage among this valuable target. Here are just a few key concepts this new reference illustrates:

– With fast-growing penetration of cable/satellite, DVRs, and multiple TV sets in the home, Hispanics today have access to more viewing options than ever before. Today, the vast majority of Hispanic households — 85% — have cable or satellite. DVR households have more than doubled in the last 3 years. And households with at least 4 TV sets are growing fast, now representing a third of Hispanic homes.

– With access to more channels, plus increased ability to watch alone, Hispanic viewing is becoming more individualized. When Hispanics have more than one set in the home, their capacity for solo viewing increases … and when the choice of what to watch is up to them, they frequently choose Spanish Cable.

– Hispanic viewing continues to trend toward cable. Cable is playing an increasingly important role within Hispanic households, as more and more viewing shifts toward the more targeted offerings of cable. Looking at just Spanish Broadcast and Cable alone, 20-25% of viewing in key Hispanic demos is now going to Spanish Cable. And in an apples-to- apples comparison of viewers with access to cable or satellite, Spanish Cable’s reach and frequency levels are catching up to Spanish Broadcast’s in key weekend dayparts. Additionally, mainstream cable networks are collectively matching or beating aggregated shares for the traditional Spanish broadcast networks – most dramatically among younger viewers.

“Cable accounts for a larger and larger share of Hispanic viewing and is a necessary element of any media buy today,” says Cynthia Perkins-Roberts, Vice President of Diversity Marketing and Sales Development for the CAB. “Especially now that the increasingly diverse demographics of the ‘new mainstream’ are fully apparent, marketers and the media need to revisit their strategies to account for the dramatic changes that are taking place.”

For more information at http://www.thecab.tv>