US set for first Hispanic kids channel

Stateside channel producer Firestone Communications is launching the first digital 24-hour Hispanic kids service, Sorpresa, later this week, after inking carriage deals with three US cable platforms.

Sorpresa will air a mixture of acquired programming from Spain, Latin America and the US. The channel aims to score a broad kids audience, with preschool shows in the morning and teen comedies, gameshows and films in the evening.

Start-up outfit Firestone signed agreements with Time Warner Cable, Cox and the National Cable TV Cooperative to ensure that Sopresa reaches the US's largest Hispanic communities in New York, Florida and California.

Firestone recently acquired assets of the Dallas-based Hispanic Television Network (HTVN) with a view to launching Spanish-language networks for the huge Hispanic population in Texas. With these deals in place, Sorpresa will initially be available to 400k subscribers, either as part of basic packages or on the digital Hispanic tier.

{We have been watching this opportunity develop and by utilising HTVN assets, we're able to initiate a positive change on the programming landscape and also provide a valuable outlet for America's Hispanic community,{ said Leonard Firestone, the company's chairman and chief exec.

Given that one in six children in the US is Hispanic, Sorpresa's potential audience is vast. Until now this audience has only been served by kids blocks on Hispanic nets such as Telefutura and NBC's Telemundo.