Telemundo's Luis Silberwasser Joins Hispanic TV Summit

In a special presentation session recently added to the agenda for the 13th Annual Hispanic Television Summit, Telemundo Network president Luis Silberwasser will be interviewed by María Celeste Arrarás, co-anchor of Noticiero Telemundo and host of Al Rojo Vivo con María Celeste,” Multichannel News and Broadcasting & Cable said Monday (Oct. 12).

The one-day conference covering the business of Hispanic television in the United States, Latin America and around the world is set for Thursday, Oct. 22, at the Park Central Hotel New York. 

The Hispanic Television Summit will be, for the first time this year, one of the signature events comprising New York City Television Week (#NYCTVWK), which also includes The Next TV Summit & Expo, The Content Show, Advanced Advertising and the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame.

“Telemundo’s continued participation in the Hispanic Television Summit is extremely gratifying,” said Louis Hillelson, vice president and group publisher of Multichannel News/Broadcasting & Cable. “The high-profile participation of both Luis and María Celeste -- two of the most noteworthy and influential figures in all of Hispanic television -- underscores the Summit’s position as the premiere industry conference of its kind.”

Titled "The Importance of Creating Original Content for Today’s Hispanic Audiences," the session will look at why original programming is critical for the Hispanic media market. As audience tastes change in today’s cross-cultural environment, from traditional telenovela formats to faster paced super series, the content evolution is also stretching to live music and sports events, as well as the trans-adaptation of popular general-market reality series for Spanish-speaking audiences.

Silberwasser, named president of Telemundo in August 2014, has overall responsibility for the Telemundo broadcast network, including Telemundo Studios, the leading producer of original Spanish-language primetime content for U.S. Hispanics. Working closely with NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises' senior team and Telemundo’s leadership, Silberwasser is responsible for developing and executing the Spanish-language network’s entertainment, sports and news growth strategy. Prior to joining Telemundo, he was executive vice president and chief content officer for Discovery Networks International.

María Celeste Arrarás, an Emmy award-winning journalist and investigative reporter, is one of the most popular Spanish-language television news personalities. She has been a guest host for NBC’s Today and has collaborated with Dateline and NBC Nightly News. She received the Award for Outstanding Achievement in Hispanic Television, which was presented to her at the third annual Hispanic Television Summit.

The Hispanic Television Summit is the premier event for those in the business of television for Hispanic audiences and covers programming, advertising and online distribution technology. This year it will also focus on the genre of telenovelas.

More than 500 executives attend from around the world, representing broadcasters, pay TV providers, over-the-top digital services, programming networks, production companies, advertisers, ad agencies, technology suppliers, research firms, investors and more.

The Summit includes the presentation of the Leadership in Hispanic Television Award, which this year goes to Verizon, as well as the Award for Achievement in Hispanic Television, which will go to actress, TV host and singer Lucero.

Previous recipients of the Leadership Award include Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Dish Latino and Major League Soccer. Past recipients of the Achievement Award include on-air personalities Don Francisco, Andrés Cantor and Cristina Saralegui; network news anchors Jorge Ramos, Arrarás, María Elena Salinas and José Díaz-Balart; sports celebrity Oscar De La Hoya; and advertising executives Monica Gadsby of SMG and Edgar Sandoval of P&G.

The Summit is produced by The Schramm Marketing Group, based in New York City (contact Joseph Schramm, 212-983-0219 or jschramm@schrammnyc.com, regarding speaking inquiries). Rebecca Shottland is handling registration (917-281-4782 or rshottland@nbmedia.com), while publisher Charlie Weiss is overseeing sponsorship opportunities (212-378-0478 or cweiss@nbmedia.com).