Some stories the Latin Advertising and Media world is talking about this week.» New Broadcast Network: From the Iranian Regime to the Spanish – speaking world
Spanish newspaper El Pais reports about HispanTV’s plans to launch a broadcast network targeting the Spanish-speaking world in the Americas (U.S. Hispanic market, Latin America) and Spain. The new network intends to play an important role in legitimizing the Iranian government and institutions led by ayatolá Ali Jamenei. By November, HispanTV expects to air 6 hours a day and two months later it plans to expand to 24 hours. Interestingly, David Tejera, ex boyfriend of princess Letizia Ortiz, the future queen of Spain, has been employed by HispanTV.
» Retailers morph into Magazines
Mashable reports about an emerging breed of retail sites that feature magazine-like editorials, photo spreads and inspiring video, all designed to instruct and, ultimately, sell a product. They have identified three sites that best exemplify that model — sites that go beyond a side blog or other siloed content offering and thoroughly integrate content into an engaging and meaningful retail experience. According to Mashable’s editorial team “Arriving at Mr Porter, a high-end men’s retail site connected to online luxury retailer Net-a-Porter, feels more like opening a magazine spread than entering an online shopping destination.” That’s no accident. The site is edited by former British Esquire editor Jeremy Langmead, who works alongside other veterans in the magazine and retail industries. One Kings Lane launched in 2009 as a flash sales site for upscale home furnishings. At the beginning of the year, the company acquired design firm Helicopter, best known for launching Domino magazine. Joyus, a women’s retail site launched early 2011 by former executives from Google and eBay, has created an integrated shopping and editorial experience using video. The site offers limited-time sales on a range of luxury apparel, beauty and home goods. Each sale is accompanied by a short infomercial — typically two to four minutes — in which a guest contributor gives an overview of the product and its uses.
» Reporting about Gadhafi’s Death: El Nuevo Herald shows pic, so does Clarin.
The Poynter Institute reports that very few front pages of U.S. newspapers featured photos of a dead Moammar Gadhafi Friday morning, choosing instead to show rebels and citizens celebrating or archival images of the Libyan leader. However, one of them belongs to a Hispanic daily El Nuevo Herald. Among the foreign newspapers which shoed Gadhafi’s corpse is Argentine newspaper Clarin.
» Impremedia Backer Acon Investment with new Fund
More money to fund Latin companies and media ventures? DC based ACON Investments, an early backer of Impremedia, plans to hold a first close of more than $200 million on its third fund sometime in the next couple of weeks, Pehub reports. Such a closing suggests ACON is off to a promising start in raising capital for its third fund, for which it hopes to raise $600 million. The firm started reaching out to potential new investors for ACON Equity Partners III LP only in August, Buyouts previously reported. ~ ACON’s investors include David Bonderman, the founder of TPG Capital, a big brother firm of sorts with which ACON sometimes invests; TPG also backed an earlier ACON fund focused on Latin America. Other investors in ACON’s previous fund included the California Public Employees’ Retirement System and The New York State Common Retirement Fund. ~ In 2008, ACON raised $565 million—$375 million for its second fund and a $190 million sidecar vehicle to co-invest in deals larger than it typically would seek with the main fund. The buyout fund was generating a 22.37 percent IRR as of March 31, according to CalSTRS. ~ The firm typically invests $20 million to $150 million, often to acquire energy and energy services-related companies, Latin American companies and companies that serve the U.S. Hispanic population.
