As podcasts continue to gain traction with Hispanic audiences, an expert panel at the 2025 Hispanic Radio Conference encouraged broadcasters to rethink content distribution through an IP-centric lens rather than siloed media platforms.
“The Podcast Revolution: Marketing to Hispanics” mirrored aspects of the call-to-arms that Telemundo Station Group President Jose Cancela to open the conference on the previous day, encouraging using all means necessary – terrestrial and digital – to be extraordinary.
Moderated by TelevisaUnivision Florida Regional President and General Manager Eric Garcia, the session featured insights from Harker Bos Group Vice President of Strategy Katie Miller, Televisa-Univision Director of Podcast Production Hernán García March, and El Flow co-hosts and married duo Santi y Laurita.
Miller opened the session with never-seen data from Harker Bos’s 2025 State of Spanish Language Media Report, which found that 50% of Spanish-speaking adults aged 18–54 now listen to podcasts weekly – a nine-point jump from the previous year. The growth is particularly pronounced among adults 35–54, countering assumptions that podcasting skews younger.
The study also revealed a significant supply-demand gap: nearly half of respondents said they couldn’t find enough Spanish-language podcasts, even though a majority preferred to hear shows in Spanish or a mix of Spanish and English. That gap, panelists argued, represents a major opportunity for Hispanic broadcasters to leverage existing talent and cultural insight to create new IP extensions, provided those extensions are tailored for the medium.
“We need to stop thinking of media in silos,” said García March. “Radio is one touchpoint. Podcasts are another. Video and social are others. The focus should be on IP development and how each format serves that strategy.” He emphasized that translating a morning show into a podcast isn’t a viable strategy by itself: “If the only thing you’re doing is uploading a four-hour aircheck, you’re not podcasting.”
Santi y Laurita shared their journey from recording casual conversations at home to becoming a cross-platform franchise now based at Univision Miami. They underscored that quality doesn’t require a high budget: “We started at home with a console and two mics. You don’t need big equipment to get started,” Laurita said.
Panelists agreed that consistency is critical to podcast success, not just creativity. “We’ve never skipped a week,” Santi said. “Sometimes we only have time for audio. But we never stop. That’s the key.”
Video also plays a growing role in podcast discoverability. According to Miller, most Hispanic podcast listeners prefer a visual element, with YouTube emerging as a key platform for discovery, far ahead of traditional podcast apps.
Monetization, too, is evolving. Panelists discussed a creator economy model where talent can co-own content, sell host-read ads, or benefit from broader network promotion. Garcia noted that Univision supports creators by handling distribution, promotion, and monetization, “so creators can focus on creating.”
For broadcasters considering podcast investments, the advice was clear: start now, build with purpose, and prioritize talent that connects authentically. As Laurita put it, “Podcasting is not the future. It’s the present. If you’re not doing it, you’re already behind.”
