A&E Television Networks Expands Into U.S. Hispanic Market.

Leveraging the wealth of an existing Spanish-language programming library, along with English-language Hispanic themed content, A&E Television Networks (AETN) is launching a new service through its online store targeting the U.S. Hispanic market, announced Steve Ronson, Vice President and General Manager, AETN Consumer Products. The Official A&E Online Store,
already the sole online source for over 5,000 home videos from A&E, Biography, and The History Channel, will introduce a selection of titles in Spanish on November 20th.

Designed to launch in two phases, the initial En Español product line will consist of 28 DVD titles dubbed in Spanish-language for Spanish-speaking Hispanics. The Official A&E Online Store will also offer 26 English-language titles on VHS and DVD that appeal to bilingual and English-speaking Hispanics.

“Hispanics represent the fastest growing population in the U.S. with a diverse community of more than 14 ethnic groups,” said Mr. Ronson. “We believe that programming from A&E, Biography and The History Channel has great appeal to the Spanish-language and bilingual markets, and look forward to expanding our offerings throughout the upcoming year.”

“For our initial release of Spanish-dubbed programs, we have carefully selected Hispanic and general interest themed content from our library,” said So Young Park, Director of E-Commerce. “We are very excited about this venture and look forward to building this new business, as well as expanding our relationship within the Hispanic community.”

The Spanish-dubbed titles being offered in the initial launch have previously aired on the AETN U.S. digital channel History International and include The History Channel shows Mexico, Machu Picchu, and Cliff Mummies of the Andes, as well as A&E and Biography programs, including Ponce de Leon, Pancho Villa, Evita, Carmen Miranda, Andy Garcia, Mexico’s White House, The Power of Prayer, and The Riddle of the Maya.

To support this effort, AETN will launch a targeted advertising campaign as well as trade and consumer publicity efforts to generate product awareness and online purchases during the holiday period. A broader campaign will follow in 2004 that will include outdoor promotions and community-related activities.