Cinelatino

Overview

Cinelatino is a 24-hour Spanish-language movie channel launched on October 12, 1993, and based in Mexico City. The channel is jointly owned by MVS Comunicaciones (a Mexican telecommunications and media conglomerate) and Hemisphere Media Group (99.9% owned by private equity firm InterMedia Partners). Cinelatino broadcasts across North America and Latin America, reaching viewers in the US, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean (excluding Brazil and Cuba) through cable, satellite, and IPTV services. The channel programs Hispanic films from Mexico, Latin America, and Spain, presented in their original format without commercial interruptions during movies.

In the United States, Cinelatino is available on Sling TV, FuboTV, Vidgo, YouTube TV, and Roku (channel 610), alongside traditional cable and satellite providers. In Canada, the channel is represented and distributed by TLN Media Group (Telelatino Network), and is carried by Rogers Cable, Videotron, Cogeco, and Bell Fibe TV. TLN has run free preview periods for Cinelatino, including a fall 2025 promotion from October 1 through January 5 that made the channel available at no cost to participating TV providers.

The channel reports approximately $10.7 million in annual revenue and maintains a small corporate team. Its US offices are located in Neptune, New Jersey; Westlake Village, California; and Coral Gables, Florida. Sister channels under the same ownership umbrella include MVS TV, Exa TV, Multicinema, Multipremier, Claro Sports, WAPA-TV, WAPA America, Pasiones, Television Dominicana, CentroAmerica TV, and Canal 1 (Colombia).

Programming and Acquisition Model

Cinelatino licenses films and series from producers and distributors across Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Spain, and other Spanish-speaking territories. The programming mix spans commercial Latin American blockbusters, prestige drama, comedy, action, romance, horror, and telenovelas. The channel also produces behind-the-scenes content, interviews with film stars, coverage of Spanish-language film festivals, and news related to the Hispanic film industry.

The channel has a working relationship with the Los Angeles-based production company Plus Entertainment, headed by executive producer Pejman Partiyeli and producers Gonzalo Gonzalez and Rene Michelle Aranda. Plus Entertainment produces an annual slate of features targeting Cinelatino's niche market, with distribution through US home-video and streaming outlets. Titles that have aired on Cinelatino through this partnership include Cherry Red Kiss (Beso de cereza), Sins of a Call Girl (Pecados de una dama del noche), and Smile Now Cry Later (Sonrie hoy llora despues). Plus Entertainment has also been developing Cinelatino's first original television series.

For Latin American filmmakers and producers, a Cinelatino licensing deal works differently from a traditional theatrical or SVOD distribution agreement. The channel pays licensing fees for broadcast rights, typically on a fixed-term basis, and the film reaches a dedicated Spanish-speaking audience that actively seeks Latin American content. This is a more targeted placement than appearing incidentally on a general-purpose streaming platform where the film competes for attention against English-language content.

Broadcast vs Streaming: The Cinelatino Position

Cinelatino operates in a specific niche that sits between traditional broadcast television and modern streaming. The channel transmits at 480i (SDTV) resolution, which is standard definition rather than HD. This technical limitation reflects the channel's cable-first distribution model and its focus on reach rather than image quality. For filmmakers whose primary goal is maximum audience exposure across Spanish-speaking households in North America, this tradeoff may be acceptable. For filmmakers concerned about presentation quality, the channel's SD broadcast is a drawback compared to HD streaming alternatives.

The channel's availability on streaming TV services (Sling TV, FuboTV, YouTube TV, Vidgo) extends its reach beyond cable subscribers to cord-cutters who want Spanish-language programming. However, Cinelatino does not offer an on-demand streaming platform of its own. Films air on a scheduled broadcast basis, which means viewers cannot select specific titles on demand. This scheduled programming model is closer to traditional television than to the algorithm-driven recommendation systems of Netflix or Amazon Prime Video.

The North American Spanish-Language Market

The Hispanic population in the United States was approximately 63.7 million as of 2023, representing about 19% of the total US population. Of this group, roughly 42 million people speak Spanish at home. In Canada, the Hispanic population is smaller but growing, concentrated in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. This demographic represents a commercially significant audience for Spanish-language film content that mainstream North American platforms have not consistently served.

Cinelatino's value proposition for filmmakers is direct access to this audience through a dedicated channel. A film licensed to Cinelatino is programmed alongside other Spanish-language content, marketed to Spanish-speaking viewers, and presented in its original language without dubbing. For commercial Latin American films that may not secure SVOD deals in the US market, Cinelatino provides an alternative distribution pathway that monetizes the diaspora audience directly.

What Filmmakers Should Know

Cinelatino is a broadcast licensing partner, not a theatrical distributor or SVOD platform. Filmmakers should understand the following before pursuing a licensing deal:

Rights scope: Cinelatino typically acquires limited-term broadcast rights for specific territories (US, Canada, and/or Latin America). These rights are non-exclusive in most cases, meaning filmmakers can pursue separate SVOD, theatrical, or home video deals in parallel. Filmmakers should confirm exclusivity terms before signing.

Licensing fees: Broadcast licensing fees for Spanish-language cable channels are generally modest compared to SVOD acquisition deals. Fees depend on the film's commercial profile, cast recognition, genre, and territory scope. Filmmakers should not expect Cinelatino licensing revenue to replace a theatrical or major SVOD deal, but it can supplement overall revenue.

Submission process: Cinelatino acquires content through relationships with international sales agents handling Spanish-language catalogs and directly from Latin American producers and distributors. There is no public submission portal on the channel's website. Filmmakers or their sales representatives should contact the channel's programming department directly at comentarios@cinelatino.com or through the US offices.

Content fit: The strongest candidates for Cinelatino licensing are commercial genre films (action, comedy, romance, horror), prestige drama with recognized Latin American talent, and series with diaspora appeal. Arthouse films with limited commercial appeal are less likely to be acquired, as the channel's programming is designed for broad Spanish-speaking audiences rather than cinephile niches.

See Also

For how Latin American international sales are structured, see Latido Films in this directory. For the broader streaming landscape for Spanish-language content, see Streaming vs Theatrical Revenue. To compare the financial model of a broadcast licensing deal against a theatrical or SVOD distribution offer, use the Revenue Forecast Calculator. For understanding how distribution fees and licensing terms affect filmmaker receipts, see What Does a Distributor Keep?.