WAPA América becomes Nielsen-rated

WAPA América has reached an agreement with Nielsen, the global information and measurement company, to become a nationally-rated cable network. WAPA America is the cable arm of WAPA-TV, Puerto Rico’s leading broadcaster. WAPA América will be reported in Nielsen’s national data beginning as of August 2014, to be available on September 28.Launched in the U.S. in 2004, WAPA América is seen in more than five million homes and is distributed by all major cable, satellite and telco providers. “We’ve been analyzing preliminary Nielsen data for several months and we are very excited with the findings, which confirm that WAPA America has a large and loyal audience,” said Alan J. Sokol, President of WAPA’s parent company, Hemisphere Media Group. Twenty-six year television sales veteran and former SVP of Network Sales at Univision Network, Nicolás J. Valls, was named Hemisphere’s EVP of Advertising Sales in October of 2013 and will oversee national ad sales for WAPA América.“We know WAPA América appeals to the 10 million Puerto Ricans and Caribbean Hispanics living the US, but now we’ll have the data to back it up. WAPA América offers a unique and highly-valuable proposition to national advertisers who want to get their messages in front of the second largest Hispanic community in the U.S. in content uniquely aligned to its culture and interests,” said Valls.