NuvoTV

NuvoTV (formerly known as Sí TV) was an American cable television network. It was launched on February 25, 2004, and catered to the Latino community with exclusively English-language programming. It ended operations on September 30, 2015, when its programming merged with Fuse; the channel space was replaced with the new channel concept, FM.

History

Beginnings as a production company (1997–2003)

Founded by American entrepreneurs Jeff Valdez and Bruce Barshop, Sí TV was established in 1997 as a production company to develop, produce and distribute original English-language entertainment aimed primarily at a Latino audience. In 1998, the company produced two half-hour bilingual programs – the talk show ''Cafe Ole with Giselle Fernandez'' and the comedy series ''Funny Is Funny'' – for the Spanish-language cable channel Galavisión. The two series, which dealt primarily with Latino culture in the United States, helped boost Galavisión's audience share on weekends in the 18–34 Latino demographic by 83%. When Sí TV and Galavisión parted ways in August of that year, Valdez sold the shows into national syndication in 52 markets, drawing solid ratings in New York City, Miami, Houston, and San Antonio.

On March 10, 1999, Sí TV announced plans to launch the first English-language cable network aimed at young Latinos. Valdez expressed interest in debuting the channel during the first quarter of 2000. George A. Greenberg of Newberger Greenberg & Associates, a media advisory firm that helped develop the Sci-Fi Channel prior to its August 1992 launch, said the network was expected to initially be available to approximately 6 million U.S. homes. Greenberg estimated that it would cost about $30 million to get Sí TV "up and running" and another $70 million to operate it for its first three years. According to ''Los Angeles Times'' columnist Kevin Baxter, although Latinos make up 11% of the population of the United States, and "their numbers are growing six times faster than the population at large", there have been few attempts to develop programming of "relevance to the acculturated segment of that community". Esther Renteria, chairwoman of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, stated that: "I think there's a need for Sí TV, but whether it's too soon or not, I don't know".

Sí TV's production of the Nickelodeon sitcom ''The Brothers García'' (which ran from 2000 to 2004), made television history as the first English-language sitcom with a cast and creative team of writers, directors and producers made entirely of Latinos. In January 2003, it was announced that Sí TV would be launched nationally on satellite provider Dish Network at the beginning of that summer. Valdez stated that: "For years, people have ignored the young demographic that doesn't speak Spanish but needs a voice and wants a place to call home".

Launch as a cable television network (2004–10)

Sí TV was launched as a cable network on February 25, 2004, becoming the first exclusively English-language cable channel catering to the Latino community. It became a bicultural alternative to Spanish-language networks such as Univision and Telemundo. According to Sean O'Neal of ''The A.V. Club'', the channel is marketed toward audiences who "enjoy a Spanish flavor without all the actual Spanish". Sí TV's target audience of young adults aged 18–34 are "presumably those who have long since assimilated into American convention", and who "don't necessarily have any particular fealty to the sort of programming that goes to great lengths to remind them of their heritage – unlike their first-generation parents or grandparents". Within three months of its launch, Sí TV had seven million subscribers nationwide.

In April 2004, Sí TV announced that it had secured more than $60 million in financing from a large group that includes "major pay" television distributors and several private equity investors, including Time Warner, EchoStar Communications and DND Equity Partners. That August, Sí TV hired Rori Peters (who began her career in commercial banking, was previously a vice president at Comedy Central, worked for Court TV and served as a 2002 national chairperson for Women in Cable) as its vice president of affiliate relations. In this role, she was responsible for developing the department and increasing the network's subscriber base. In August 2005, the network appointed Michael Schwimmer (a former top lieutenant at EchoStar Communications) as its CEO. In April 2006, Valdez stepped down as head of programming of Sí TV. Edward R. Leon, the network's senior vice president of production, assumed the additional role of acting head of programming.

During the 2008 presidential election, Sí TV teamed up with voter registration organization, Voto Latino, to mount a "Crash the Parties" contest to pick two Latino "political junkies" to serve as reporters for the channel at the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. Video entries were judged by the public and a panel, including CNN anchor Rick Sanchez, actress Rosario Dawson, Craigslist's Craig Newmark, former Texas congressman Henry Bonilla, YouTube's Steve Grove and Republican National Hispanic Assembly chairman Danny Vargas. The contest awarded Sí TV national impact. Sí TV and Voto Latino also hosted a series of registration events in Chicago, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Jose and San Diego. According to SNL Kagan, in 2009, the network was estimated to have earned more than $15 million in net ad sales revenue.

Relaunch as NUVOtv (2011–13)

On January 18, 2011, Telemundo ad sales veteran Craig Geller was named Sí TV's senior vice president of advertising sales. Of his move, Geller stated that: "It's the right time in the right market and Sí TV is the right network. The marketplace is poised for explosive growth and the 2010 Census will validate the fact that bicultural Latinos are absolutely the fastest-growing demo in the U.S." He further stated that the job "was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up". He commented: "Having been a student of the marketplace for as many years as I have, I recognized that the network is ready to take a huge leap forward. At the same time, our audience is growing tremendously. The time has come for advertisers to embrace these consumers, in a culturally relevant way, and the place to do that is Sí TV".

In March 2011, the channel reached approximately 25 to 27 million households, according to its senior vice president of marketing Rafael Oller. The network expected to reach 30 million households by the end of 2011; a milestone that would make it eligible to be rated by Nielsen and would therefore be of more interest to advertisers.

On July 4, 2011, the network underwent a rebrand and changed its name to NUVOtv ("nuvo" being a portmanteau

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