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Hulu wants to immerse audiences into the world of Mexican boxing.
La Máquina, starring Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna, premiered on Hulu this week, marking the streaming service’s first Spanish language-produced original series.
Searchlight Television brought the idea to Hulu, according to Jordan Helman, executive vice president, drama, Hulu Originals and ABC Entertainment. The streamer previously produced The Dropout and History of the World Part II from the studio, and Helman was intrigued by the idea of García Bernal and Luna reuniting on screen and working with showrunner Marco Ramirez.
“All of those elements together, paired with the color and bombast of the world and idea at the core of La Máquina, made it feel like an undeniable package,” Helman told ADWEEK.
Ramirez, who was previously a writer on hit series like Daredevil and Orange is the New Black, said his background helped prepare him for the material, considering La Máquina’s elements of boxing and dramedy.
However, despite Spanish being Ramirez’s native language, La Máquina was the first time he had ever written a show in Spanish.
“I have family members, who, this will be the first show that I ever write that they’ll be able to see in their native language where they won’t have to read the English subtitles,” Ramirez said. “On a personal level, it feels wonderful to be able to know that I’ve had a small part in putting that out into the universe.”
Going international
The Hispanic audience is among the fastest growing in the U.S., with the 2020 Census revealing that the group accounted for 51% of all new population growth, making it a sought-after audience during this year’s TV upfront negotiations.
However, Helman and Ramirez explained that the series has a universal story and themes of brotherhood that reach across audiences regardless of language.
“Shows like La Máquina may likely over-index with Spanish-language speakers, but by no means are they made exclusively for that audience alone,” Helman said.
With the TV landscape changing and more international shows breaking out on a global level, Ramirez noted the opportunity ahead for La Máquina.
“There’s just a different appetite,” Ramirez said. “People are not as afraid of subtitles, which is wonderful, and so we are embracing different stories from all around the world and allowing all these other cultures to push their best stories forward in the world of TV.”
Helman agreed that the globalization of the TV business has evolved at a rapid pace over the last decade.
He pointed to how the success of foreign-language titles like Shōgun on Hulu and Disney+ has proven that audiences in both the United States and abroad can appreciate and engage with “beautifully executed” series regardless of a perceived language barrier.
“It’s only natural, given how many Spanish-language speakers there are worldwide, that content catering particularly to that demo would see a proliferation as a result,” Helman said.
Reaching new audiences
To market the series, Hulu partnered with UFC Synergy and ESPN for a celebration on Mexican Independence Day that brought the executive producers and stars of the show to the Noche UFC live 90-minute pre-show event on Sept. 14 in Las Vegas.
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 that were integrated into the event’s presentation and shown on the inside of the Sphere throughout the pay-per-view portion.
The promotion looked to reach broad audiences watching the event in an organic way. Likewise, Helman said he believes one of the core tenets of his job is to accurately reflect and speak directly to the bevy of unique cultures and audiences tuning in on Hulu.
“Our programming strategy has long been one that caters to many different types of audiences, and by ensuring that our slate is populated by an incredibly diverse offering, we have the continual ability to entice new subscribers to the platform while also retaining current subscribers,” Helman said.
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