If anyone ever doubted that competition was good for consumers, the great American Spanish-language media wars have now extended into the digital sphere, and they just brought out the heavy weaponry: short form comedy. Of course we all know about Univision’s digital platform Flama, and then there’s YouTube startup Mitú, which has gone on to clock literally billions of views since it first started back in 2012. But Big Two stalwart Telemundo has been conspicuously lagging behind behind the pack, sticking instead to its trusty but unadventurous telenovela programming and throwing in some savvy digital tie-ins.
Until now, that is. Because Telemundo has formally announced a partnership with Lorne Michaels’ Broadway Video production house (the folks behind SNL) in the form of digital comedy platform Más Mejor. And none other than Horatio Sanz and Fred Armisen will be at the helm. Now Más Mejor’s marketing materials might have the uninitiated viewer thinking that they were breaking some new ground (Horatio Sanz was quoted as saying, “There is no real hub for high-quality Latino comedy”), but we all know that they’re actually just showing up a little late for the party.
Still, with the deep roster of talent they’ve got on board for this project – including collabs with Mexico City-based What a Bear Productions – Más Mejor may very well set a new standard for quality in the Latino millennial digital content game. In line with the platform’s founding fathers, Más Mejor will be shooting for an SNL aesthetic, and they’ve already signed some impressive talent, including stand-up comedienne Gina Brillon and sketch comedy troupe Room 28. Whether or not Más Mejor ends up blowing away the competition, there’s nothing wrong with a little more consumer choice.
Más Mejor’s programming schedule will be announced in January 2016.