iHeartMedia Announces New Podcast Network For Latinx Voices & Stories

One of the intrinsic strengths of podcasting is its ability to narrowcast to specific audiences. Unlike TV or radio that require larger audience numbers to generate ad revenue, podcasts can focus on groups that are often neglected, misunderstood or misrepresented. 

Today, at the Podcast IAB Upfronts, iHeartMedia took a big step forward into programming for a specific audience.

 iHeartMedia announced that it will launch a new, standalone podcast venture – My Cultura, dedicated to elevating Latinx voices and creators, and sharing the Latinx experience with millions of listeners.

In partnership with Enrique Santos, iHeartMedia’s top-rated on-air personality and President and Chief Creative Officer of iHeartLatino, My Cultura will offer creators a platform to share stories and perspectives relevant to Latinx listeners and all audiences. 

The network will roll out six new shows at launch in Summer 2021, and 30 shows throughout its first year, across a variety of genres including pop culture, music, comedy, mental health, finance, news and more – from well-known and new voices alike, including Eva Longoria, Wilmer Valderrama, Rosario Dawson, stars of Red Table Talk: The Estefans - Gloria, Lili and Emily Estefan, Cobra Kai stars Xolo Maridueña and Jacob Bertrand, Amara La Negra, Chiquis, Daniel Habif and more.

“Latinx creators drive our culture. And yet, even though almost 20 percent of the U.S. population is Latinx, this community of creators is still strikingly, consistently underrepresented across media,” said Conal Byrne, CEO of the iHeartMedia Digital Audio Group. “As the biggest podcast network in the world, we at iHeart have a chance to course correct this incredible, exploding medium so that these voices are better represented and amplified. We could not be more excited for this launch and the entire company is behind it. This will be some of the strongest content we launch this year, period.” 

Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eva Longoria will give us a sneak peek of ‘My Cultura’ with the podcast ““In the Heights: El Sueñito,” a celebration of the Warner Bros. film In the Heights. The limited series will launch in June 2 with an in-depth conversation about the inspiration for the musical and how it went from the stage to the screen. 

 ‘My Cultura’ will also partner with Sonoro, a global media company focused on creating the most sought after Latinx and global Hispanic content in the world. The Princess of South Beach, a comedy podcast that reinvents the telenovela, will launch in July in both English and Spanish. The show pays homage to classic telenovela twists with larger than life characters.

Exile content studio, a full-service studio producing premium content in Spanish and English for global audiences across TV, film, audio and digital, will launch a slate of shows beginning with El Flow. The show takes a historical look at the rise of Reggaeton from the creation of the Panama Canal, to the streets of San Juan, to conquering the world.

In addition, the new network will kick off with season two of Santos’ own popular podcast “Hola, My Name Is,” which debuted last year and has featured conversations with guests including Gloria Estefan, J. Balvin and Dr. Anthony Fauci, in early 2021. 

“iHeartMedia’s commitment to serving the needs of the Latin community throughout the nation is unparalleled and I’m honored by their continued commitment to our community,’ said Santos.  “This is why iHeartMedia and I are collaborating to build upon the current programming and to create the largest Latin focused podcast network that celebrates our culture, people and community.”

State Farm has signed on as an inaugural sponsor of My Cultura with others to be announced.

All shows on the My Cultura podcast network will be distributed through the iHeartPodcast Network which is home to more than 750 original podcasts.