Latino-owned Fuse Media has partnered with Big Media to create Somos Novelas, the only Spanish-language channel featuring novelas from around the world will launch in 2024, TheWrap can exclusively reveal.
The Spanish-language channel will join Fuse’s existing DEI-focused FAST channels Latino Vibes and El Rey Network. Somos Novelas will feature titles from Latin America, such as Venezuela and Chile, as well as dubbed series from countries including Turkey, Korea, and India.
“Novelas are cultural touchstones for Latino families, connecting the generations through a shared viewing experience,” said Miguel Roggero, chairman and CEO of Fuse Media.
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“With the addition of Somos Novelas to our channel portfolio, Fuse Media is now delivering content for every segment of the incredibly diverse Latino audience — the fastest growing demographic in the U.S. with an extraordinary purchasing power to match — and to anyone who wants to enjoy all of the vibrant aspects of Latino culture,” Roggero added.
Patrick Courtney, head of streaming and business development at Fuse, added that the channel will “deliver premium content to our young, culturally diverse audience.”
“Somos Novelas will be like no other channel, generating excitement for novelas from around the world that will confirm the global fascination with this immensely popular genre,” said Courtney.
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Fuse FAST channels include Shades of Black (previously called Fuse Beat), OUTtv Proud and Backstage, which features culturally diverse superstars and emerging talent in music bios, performances, reality shows and films.
“Channels like Shades of Black or Latino Vibes… do serve specific communities through culturally relevant content,” Courtney said during a panel titled FAST Forward Thinking: Innovations and Strategies in Ad-Supported Streaming at TheWrap’s annual business conference TheGrill on Oct. 4.
Fuse Media also has linear channels Fuse and FM (Fuse Music), subscription streaming service Fuse+, and its in-house production arm Ignition Studios, which launched in May.
Big Media, which was founded in 2009, has offices in the US, UK, Germany, Czech Republic and India. The company has produced more than 70 original unscripted series for several entertainment platforms, including Netflix, Hulu and Prime Video.