Highlights Market For Broadband Services Among Latino, African-American & Asian Consumers.

Multicultural Media for Multicultural America was the topic of the 4th Annual Horowitz Associates, Inc. Forum, held this morning at the NY Marriott Marquis, to a packed audience of over 260 media industry executives. In his keynote speech, Gilbert Davila, Vice President of Multicultural Marketing for Walt Disney Co. discussed the impact of America’s changing demographic makeup on corporate America. Davila used the recent launch of ESPN Deportes as a case study illustrating one of the Disney Company’s most recent investments for multicultural consumers.

Howard Horowitz, President of the research firm and Adriana Waterston, Director of Marketing, presented data from the company’s State of Broadband Urban Markets V study. The study series has tracked the growth in cable, satellite and high-speed Internet services among urban consumers over the past five years. During that time, penetration of digital services has grown from 11% to 42%. Today, almost one-third (29%) of urban homes have digital cable, and 15% have a satellite dish.

Nearly six in ten (59%) of urban homes now have access to the Internet, and 32% of these connections are high speed, according to the Horowitz report.

Among Asian consumers, the Internet is penetrated in eight out of ten homes, with almost six in ten of these reporting a high speed Internet connection.

“This urban, multicultural market is highly sophisticated, complex and dynamic,” advised Waterston. “New issues and challenges will continue to emerge as second generation, U.S. born multicultural consumers begin to demand their own brand of culturally relevant content.”

Horowitz added, “There are numerous opportunities — ranging from mass market channels for basic digital service to popular foreign language offerings as premium services for those niche segments willing to pay extra for quality, in-language programming.”

Joe Schramm, President of Schramm Sports and Entertainment, moderated a lively panel discussion on what some of America’s major media brands are doing to reach, acquire and retain multicultural consumers. Panelists included Mauro Panzera, Senior Director of Multicultural Marketing, Comcast; Cesar Cruz, Director of Multicultural Marketing, Cox Communications; Lynette Pinto, VP, Marketing, NBC Cable; Jim Honiotes, VP, Marketing and Communications, International Channel, and Michael Lewellen, VP, Corporate Communications, Black Entertainment Television (BET).