Why Did MTV, TelevisaUnivision VMAs Simulcast Connect with Latino Gen Zs?

MTV and TelevisaUnivision brought together the Video Music Awards 2023 this week on UniMás network with Alejandra Espinoza as host, who shone on the #VMAs red carpet according to critics.

With this partnership, the most global "VMAs" in the show's history further expanded its reach with UniMás and Univision Networks as the exclusive U.S. destination for the show's Spanish-language broadcast.

"We are excited to be the exclusive Spanish-language destination in the U.S. for this year's VMAs, a celebration of music that will honor Latin artists like never before," said Ignacio Meyer, president of the U.S. networks at TelevisaUnivision.

With this partnership, UniMás viewers had exclusive access to the show presented by live segments of Univision's fan-favorite show, Alejandra Espinoza, during the three-hour broadcast, adding an additional Latin flavor to the event with her presence.

The 2023 "VMAs" featured performances by the hottest celebrities in Latin music including Anitta, Karol G, Peso Pluma and Shakira, who received the Video Vanguardia Award and performed a career-spanning medley of their greatest hits, lighting up fans' social media yesterday afternoon.

Empowering Fans

As Latino artists and culture gain prominence in the US, this collaboration taps into the cultural expressions of members of Gen Z seeking to connect with their heritage through artists who embrace and express their intersecting identities between their ancestry and their US present.

According to a 2020 report from the Pew Research Center, one in four members of Generation Z living in the United States is Hispanic. It is no coincidence that brands are seeking to engage with this enormous audience in a current and evolved way, while today's young generations are redefining their past identity within a worldly perspective.

The MTV VMAs were one of the most important awards shows in the music industry during the beginning of the new millennium. Although we live in an era where television culture - where MTV was once one of the most culturally relevant spaces in the '90s - today gave way to social media and the live streaming lifestyle, the VMAs remain a space where celebrities and influencers come together to unleash unmissable "viral moments", such as one of the most iconic performances in the history of the MTV Video Music Awards when Madonna kissed Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera in 2003.

The VMAs aim - through this alliance with Univision - to reposition themselves among the Hispanic audience of Gen Z's, eager to participate and find representation. Unlike the Grammy Awards, since the 2006 VMAs, major category winners have been determined by viewer votes via MTV's website.

By spending a large amount of time to social networks like TikTok, the influential power of networks evolves and spreads, driving Gen Z's to co-create and add their contributions to what is happening out there, and these awards are seen as groundbreaking moves for Hispanic fans to co-create and be represented both in Hispanic and LatAm communities in entertainment like never before.