LEADERS FROM BRANDS, AGENCIES, TELEVISION PROGRAMMING AND DISTRIBUTION MET IN NYC THIS WEEK AT THE 23RD ANNUAL HISPANIC TELEVISION SUMMIT

This past Monday, October 20, leaders assembled from the various segments of the Hispanic television community, including brands, agencies, programming and production executives as well as content distribution platforms at the 23rd Annual Hispanic Television Summit & Awards. The Summit was held at the New York Marriott Marquis and was among the first in a week-long series of television industry events including the NAMIC Conference, WICT Leadership Conference, Walter Kaitz Foundation event, and NAB Show NY.

“Hispanic television is a key element to the success of the overall television industry,” said Joe Schramm, the Summit producer for all 23 years. He continued, “Hispanic television has earned its seat at the table. That is why we scheduled this year’s Summit when so many executives were in town to participate in conversations about the future of television and video.”

Welcoming comments by Chris Monteleone, president of KIVI Connected TV, the Summit’s presenting sponsor, reflected support for Schramm’s sentiments. As a television industry veteran, but a newcomer to the Hispanic market, Monteleone said that simple demographics led him to recognize Hispanic television and video to be “the most essential component to the potential growth and success of the media business in the coming years.”

Daisy Exposito, president and partner of D’exposito & Partners stressed in her address on the state of Hispanic media that this summit offers the unique opportunity for gathering the different players in the business of Hispanic television in one place.

Gonzalo Del Fa, president of Group M Multicultural ignited the panel on advertising, by encouraging the different players in the Hispanic television industry to adopt new strategies for cooperation and collaboration. Fellow panelist, Michael Roca of Omnicom echoed those sentiments by stating the time had come for the industry to accept the realities of the current market situation, like AI for example, and to unite on a collaborative strategy for moving forward. Fellow panelists Heather Conneely of Televisa/Univision and David Tardio of Warner Brothers Discovery said that their respective companies were making efforts with agency partners and brands to create more collaborative content projects.

Soccer or Futbol, was the key topic of two of the Summit’s content-related discussions. Telemundo’s Luis Rosero spoke about the corporate support across all Telemundo and Peacock platforms for the promotion and distribution of FIFA World Cup including the creation of National Futbol Day, an annual celebration each June 11. Another discussion focused on the relevance of international soccer to growing a fan base for live televised sports included ESPN’s on-air announcer, Fernando Palomo, and ESPN executive, Manuel de le Fa as well as Nic Garcia Hemme representing Spain’s La Liga.

The session about connecting content with consumers was moderated by Hispanic media veteran, Liz Blacker, which explored various platforms and new opportunities for programmers to distribute their content in this environment of fast-changing technology. Panelists included executives like Eric Turpin of HITN, Brett Leitner of Music Choice, Jorge A. Fiterre of Condista, and Betti Ortega of Castalia/Mexicanal.

The earlier segment of the program was hosted by Telemundo 47 morning news anchor, Odalys Molina while the Awards portion of the program was hosted by ESPN Deportes’ announcer, Fernando Palomo.

The Awards Ceremony closed the condensed three-hour luncheon event with the presentation of the two Awards for Leadership in Hispanic Television presented to Jose Cancela, president of Telemundo Station Group, and NAMIC, whose award was accepted by Sandra Girado, NAMIC’s vice-president of Events and Partner Relations. The two Rafael Eli Awards for Pioneers in Hispanic Television were presented to Stacie De Armas of Nielsen and Joe Torres, news reporter, and anchor for WABC TV and host of “Tiempo,” the weekly talk show that has aired on Channel 7 in New York for four decades.

Presentation of the Pioneer Awards opened with a video about the award’s namesake and Summit co-producer, the late Rafael Eli. The video was produced courtesy of D’exposito & Partners and voiced by talk show host Cristina Saralegui, a past Award recipient herself. In his acceptance remarks, recipient Joe Torres commended Rafael Eli as an innovator in Hispanic marketing for his role as co-producer with Joe Schramm of the summit.

Joe Schramm said about the award recipients “These awards are intended to be personal. I am glad that each recipient was moved by the acknowledgement. Our recipients, this year, as well as in the past, have played an important role in advancing the business of television for Hispanic audiences. I am proud of their legacy, and I am especially grateful to know each of them.”

The Hispanic Television Summit has been produced by Schramm Marketing Group all 23 years and had previously been presented in association with B+C and Multichannel News magazines. The next Annual Hispanic Television Summit & Awards event will be presented by Schramm Marketing Group in October 2026.