Univision Launching Local Newscasts for Cross-Platform Broadcast

After testing the idea at the national level, Univision is launching local daily newscasts produced to air simultaneously on digital platforms and linear TV.

Local versions of Edición Digital (Digital Edition in English) will debut in California, where a regional edition will be produced, as well as New York, Dallas and Miami on April 17, according to Univision. A Houston edition of the 30-minute show will launch May 8.

The newscasts—which will cover news, lifestyle and stories trending on social media—are designed to fill the gap in midday news offerings for Spanish speakers, while also appealing to digital users, Univision said. The shows will air in their markets at 12:30 p.m., following the national news show Noticiero Univision Digital.

“As our audiences needs and habits change, we must evolve with them. Edición Digital allows us to experiment and be more engaging and creative with how we present news, content and information to our viewers,” said Chris Peña, Univision’s senior VP of news, local media. “The new midday shows allow our stations to make headline topics more accessible and personal to our audience, giving our communities what they demand and delivering content how and where they want to consume it.”