NEW YORK — (BUSINESS WIRE) — iHeartMedia, the leading audio company in America and No. 1 podcast publisher, announced today that it will launch a new, standalone podcast venture – My Cultura, dedicated to elevating Latinx voices and creators, and sharing the Latinx experience with millions of listeners.
In partnership withEnrique Santos, iHeartMedia’s top-rated on-air personality and President and Chief Creative Officer of iHeartLatino, My Cultura will offer creators a platform to share stories and perspectives relevant to Latinx listeners and all audiences. The network will roll out 6 new shows at launch in Summer 2021, and 30 shows throughout its first year, across a variety of genres including pop culture, music, comedy, mental health, finance, news, and more – from well-known and new voices alike, includingEva Longoria,Wilmer Valderrama,Rosario Dawson, stars of Red Table Talk: The Estefans –Gloria, Lili, and Emily Estefan, Cobra Kai starsXolo MaridueñaandJacob Bertrand,Amara La Negra,Chiquis,Daniel Habifand more.
“Latinx creators drive our culture. And yet, even though almost 20 percent of the U.S. population is Latinx, this community of creators is still strikingly, consistently underrepresented across media,” saidConal Byrne, CEO of the iHeartMedia Digital Audio Group. “As the biggest podcast network in the world, we at iHeart have a chance to course correct this incredible, exploding medium so that these voices are better represented and amplified. We could not be more excited for this launch and the entire company is behind it. This will be some of the strongest content we launch this year, period.”
Tony Award-winning “Hamilton” creatorLin-Manuel Mirandaand Eva Longoria will give us a sneak peek of ‘My Cultura’ with the podcast “In the Heights: El Sueñito,” a celebration of In the Heights, Warner Bros. Pictures’ feature film adaptation of Manuel’s first stage musical. The limited series will launch on June 2 with an in-depth conversation about the inspiration for the story and how it went from the stage to the screen.
‘My Cultura’ will also partner with Sonoro, a global media company focused on creating the most sought after Latinx and global Hispanic content in the world. The Princess of South Beach, a comedy podcast that reinvents the telenovela, will launch in July in both English and Spanish. The show pays homage to classic telenovela twists with larger-than-life characters.
Exile content studio, a full-service studio producing premium content in Spanish and English for global audiences across TV, film, audio and digital, will launch a slate of shows beginning with El Flow. The show takes a historical look at the rise of Reggaeton from the creation of the Panama Canal, to the streets of San Juan, to conquering the world.
In addition, the new network will kick off with season two of Santos’ own popular podcast “Hola, My Name Is,” which debuted last year and has featured conversations with guests includingGloria Estefan,J. Balvin, andDr. Anthony Fauci, in early 2021.
“iHeartMedia’s commitment to serving the needs of the Latin community throughout the nation is unparalleled and I’m honored by their continued commitment to our community,’ said Santos. “This is why iHeartMedia and I are collaborating to build upon the current programming and to create the largest Latin focused podcast network that celebrates our culture, people, and community.”
State Farm has signed on as an inaugural sponsor of My Cultura with others to be announced.
All shows on the My Cultura podcast network will be distributed through the iHeartPodcast Network, home to more than 750 original podcasts. With over 257 million downloads each month, iHeartRadio is the leading podcast publisher according to Podtrac, with a substantial lead over the next largest commercial podcaster. iHeartPodcasts span every category from business, sports, spirituality and technology to entertainment, family, comedy, and true crime – and everything in between – making iHeartRadio the largest publisher of podcast content in the world. iHeartPodcasts are distributed on all major podcast platforms, including the iHeartRadio app.
About iHeartMedia
iHeartMedia, Inc. [Nasdaq: IHRT] is the leading audio media company in America, reaching over 250 million people each month. It is number one in both broadcast and digital streaming radio as well as podcasting and audio ad tech, and includes three segments: The iHeartMedia Multiplatform Group; the iHeartMedia Digital Audio Group; and the Audio and Media Services Group. Visit iHeartMedia.com for more company information.
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