Hulu’s “La Máquina” brings Spanish to streaming

As the television landscape changes and more international shows come to market on a global scale, Ramirez recognized that La Máquina had an opportunity in front of it.

“The appetite is just different,” Ramirez said. “People aren't as afraid of subtitles, which is wonderful, and that's why we're taking different stories from around the world and allowing all these other cultures to push their best stories forward in the world of television.”

Helman agreed that the globalization of the television business has evolved rapidly over the past decade.

He noted that the success of foreign-language titles like Shōgun on Hulu and Disney+ has proven that audiences both in the United States and abroad can appreciate and engage with “beautifully realized” series, regardless of perceived language barriers.

“Considering how many Spanish speakers there are around the world, it's only natural that this will result in a surge in content specifically tailored to this demo,” Helman said.

Reach new target groups

To promote the series, Hulu partnered with UFC Synergy and ESPN for a Mexican Independence Day celebration that brought together the show's executive producers and stars for the 90-minute live pre-show Noche UFC event in Las Vegas on September 14 .

As part of the event, García Bernal and Luna participated in an extended live pre-show segment hosted by ESPN's Mauricio Pedroza to highlight Mexican culture.

Noche UFC also created six vignettes directed by Carlos López Estrada, composed by Germaine Franco and narrated by García Bernal. These were integrated into the presentation of the event and shown inside the Sphere throughout the pay-per-view portion.

The aim of the campaign was to reach a wide audience who followed the event organically. Likewise, Helman said he believes one of the core ideas of his work is to accurately reflect and speak directly to the swath of unique cultures and viewers who tune in to Hulu.

“Our program strategy has long been aimed at many different target groups. By ensuring our list is filled with an incredibly diverse offering, we are able to continually attract new subscribers to the platform while retaining existing subscribers,” Helman said.