WAPA+ launched on Roku Channel
New FAST channel brings Puerto Rican programming to stateside viewers.
Miami-based Hemisphere Media Group has launched its free ad-supported television (FAST) channel WAPA+ on The Roku Channel.
Launched in 2017, The Roku Channel says it features “more than 80,000 on-demand movies and programs, more than 400 live linear television channels, and premium subscription offerings” in the U.S., and licenses and distributes content from more than 250 partners and produces its Roku Originals.
Hemisphere, which targets the U.S. Hispanic and Latin American markets, said WAPA+ “is the only FAST channel serving the large and rapidly growing Puerto Rican community in the U.S., leveraging the programming of WAPA-TV, Puerto Rico’s top TV network for 14 consecutive years.”
Hemisphere owns WAPA Media, a conglomerate that includes WAPA TV in Puerto Rico; the WKAQ 580AM and KQ105 FM radio stations, sports network WAPA Deportes and WAPA Digital.
The company said WAPA+, which will be on channel 913 on The Roku Channel, will offer 70 hours of programming each week to Puerto Ricans living in the mainland U.S., describing them “the second largest group of U.S. Hispanics, with an estimated 5.8 million.”
The programming will consist of live daily newscasts of local and international news led by NotiCentro. The lineup includes NotiCentro América, which the news release said is the “first and only newscast tailored for the Puerto Rican diaspora.”
Also available will be news analysis programs such as “Ahí Está la Verdad,” led by journalist Normando Valentín; “Temprano en la Mañana con Rubén Sánchez”; “Jay en el 580,” hosted by analyst Jay Fonseca; “580 en la Tarde” by Kike Cruz; “WKAQ Analiza” with attorneys Luis Pabón Roca and Carlos Díaz Olivo; and content from NotiCentro’s election news platform, “Decisión 2024.”
Entertainment programming includes “Lo Mejor de Pégate al Mediodía” and “¡Viva la Tarde!” with interviews, games, comedy, music, cooking and other segments. Comedy shows include sketch comedy from producer Sunshine Logroño and sitcoms such as “Carmelo y Punto.”
WAPA+ will be launching the culinary competition “Super Chef Celebrities,” while its current reality show, “Guerreros,” involves a mix of physical and intellectual challenges.
Alan Sokol, CEO of Hemisphere Media Group, said: “We are thrilled to bring the best of Puerto Rican news and entertainment to Roku users in the U.S. mainland, elevating the richness of the Puerto Rican culture nationwide. WAPA has been a pioneer in Puerto Rican broadcasting for over seven decades, providing top-quality programming that resonates with audiences of all ages. With this new partnership, WAPA+ will keep Boricua viewers in the mainland connected to their beloved island.”
Hemisphere’s FAST channels operation includes TODOCINE, a channel featuring Spanish-language films, TODO NOVELAS, Más Pasiones, which features dramas from around the world, and the upcoming ES24, dedicated to the Salvadoran community residing in the U.S.
