Kevin Salguero drives TelevisaUnivision’s programmatic strategy, leveraging first-party data and cross-platform insights to grow ViX, the company’s streaming service, and help advertisers reach U.S. Hispanic audiences.
You never know where the overlap between programmatic and parenting might show up but for Kevin Salguero, Director of Programmatic Operations at TelevisaUnivision, it often appears through the lens of soccer. When he’s not managing PMP deals, SSP relationships, or strategizing how to grow TelevisaUnivision’s presence in the open exchange, he’s coaching a team of under 10 girls—including his daughter—on how to hold down the midfield.
Salguero grew up playing soccer from the age of four, earning a college scholarship before eventually returning to the game through adult leagues. Now, coaching has become both a family connection and, interestingly enough, a strategic parallel to his day job, where he has to make plays and decisions to be ahead of the curve.
“Depending on the task, you have to prepare and plan accordingly,” he explained. “If we’re going to roll out a new SSP partner, you want to know about their demand facilitation efforts, how to align tags or server-side header bidding, IDs, and placements.”
That mix of foresight and adaptability defines his role at TelevisaUnivision, which has 28 million U.S. viewers across digital video on its streaming platform ViX and a strong presence in linear networks. With the help of his team, he monitors day-to-day pacing dashboards and manages relationships with SSPs to ensure the company’s inventory is positioned effectively in their marketplaces.
Andrew Byrd: You’re working across SSPs, DSPs, PMPs, and multiple platforms such as linear and streaming. How do you balance all those moving parts?
Kevin Salguero: AVOD is definitely our biggest focus right now, with ViX being our fastest-growing property and a priority from leadership. We work with SSPs and DSPs to create always-on packages, but it’s also about balancing that growth with the rest of our portfolio.
We still have TV Everywhere through the Univision app, which mirrors the linear feed for cable and satellite subscribers, and we also monetize distributor content on platforms like Samsung TV Plus and The Roku Channel. So while we evangelize ViX, we also make sure we highlight the value of our other premium inventory.
AB: Reports show TelevisaUnivision’s U.S. ad revenue rose and ViX recently surpassed 10 million global subscribers. How did you achieve that growth, and how has it shaped your programmatic strategy?
KS: When I started a few years ago, the ViX app was brand new, and the marketing team really pushed it as a standalone property. Since then, our user base has grown year over year, with the most significant increase occurring late last year and continuing into this year. All the early work we put in with SSPs, DSPs, and in the upfronts is now paying off. That foundation is what’s driving the growth we’re seeing today.
AB: I came across TelevisaUnivision’s “Good, Better, Best” framework, which seems to have boosted advertiser engagement. Can you walk me through what that framework actually means and how you operationalize it for programmatic campaigns?
KS: The framework is really about taking as many buys as we can from the open exchange and creating direct, engaged relationships with advertisers. We guide them through their buys by focusing on their KPIs and overall campaign strategy, essentially removing the complexity of the media itself. It’s about understanding their goals, reaching their target audience, and backing into ways to deliver results.
For example, if you’re buying on the open exchange and wonder why you should use a PMP with us, the framework ensures you get full support not just from our programmatic ad operations team, but also from sellers and media strategists who help you hit your campaign KPIs, troubleshoot issues, and understand precisely what you’re buying.
One of the strongest advantages of the framework is how we overlay first-party data through our household graph. This data, drawn from our web properties and apps like Univision and ViX, provides insights into the U.S. Spanish-speaking and bilingual audience. So instead of a PMP with third-party data of uncertain origin, advertisers can maximize reach and KPI performance using TelevisaUnivision’s first-party insights.
AB: We’ve touched on cross-platform measurement a bit. Can you walk me through what tools or tech you’re using to track it?
KS: We use our segments and household graph, which we built into LiveRamp, and a few other platforms for data management.
Basically, we compile user information and build it into different segments based on contextual information like the content they’re consuming on Univision or ViX so that we can measure and understand audience behavior across platforms.
AB: What unique opportunities or challenges do you see in advertising to U.S. Hispanic audiences?
KS: There’s definitely a challenge, but also a big opportunity to educate general-market advertisers on the power of Spanish-language content and the U.S. Hispanic audience. My focus is on helping brands understand why they might not yet have U.S. Hispanic-specific plans or creatives in Spanish.
The data shows that 78% of our user base is bilingual. With that kind of audience, it really doesn’t make sense not to advertise to the U.S. Hispanics.