Startup Net To Bring Cuban TV Stateside Cuba Play Television Will Offer Never-Before-Seen

 

Platinum Member
Username: Plymouth

Canada

Post Number: 15931
Registered: Jan-08
Startup Net To Bring Cuban TV Stateside
Cuba Play Television Will Offer Never-Before-Seen

By Laura Martinez --1/19/2011 4:23:00 PM


If Michel Martin has his way, U.S. Hispanics will soon be enjoying the best of Cuban television on their TV screens.
The French-born executive is the force behind Cuba Play Television, a compilation of the best original programming from the communist nation, never seen before in the U.S. and free of any political affiliation or ideological influence.
Cuba Play Television is being offered by West Palm Beach, Fla.-based satellite distributor Olympusat and will feature up to 12 hours of new, original programming a day, says Martin. The HD channel's 5,000 programming hours hail from six state-owned television channels in Cuba; deals for the content have been in the works for some time.
"We are reintroducing Cuban programming after 50 or so years ... since the U.S. imposed a commercial embargo on the island," Martin told Hispanic TV Update.
Martin has had his share of experience doing business in Cuba. He has founded and edited a magazine in the island and in the 1990s began distributing Cuban cinema in France and Spain. Taking advanage of his Cuban acquaintances - and contacts - the French native eventually succeeded in buying exclusive U.S. cable, DVD and Internet retransmission rights to fare from Cuba's state-run TV channels.
The content for the new channel is being carefully edited and selected by a group of Cuba Play TV editors, who will "clean" its political messages, Martin said.
"Cuba itself knows about the conflicts that could arise [from this] and they, themselves will not give us political content," he said.
CubaPlay TelevisiA³n will bring live, simultaneous programming to the U.S., including same-day film premieres, sports coverage and children's and music shows.
Although the main target of Cuba Play TV is the Cuban population in the U.S. - estimated at 1.5 million, according to the Pew Hispanic Center - the idea is to extend the offering to other U.S. Hispanics, not only those of Caribbean heritage, but from the entire hemisphere.
"We have shows such as [comedian] Robertico, whose quality is just great, and appeal to the whole continent," Martin said.
"By introducing CubaPlay Television, we are expanding our unique programming for Hispanic viewers in the U.S. and reinforcing the diversity of the American Latino audience, both culturally and geographically," Olympusat president said Tom Mohler said in a statement.
« Previous Thread Next Thread »



Main Forums

Today's Posts

Forum Help

Follow Us