Latest news with #Speciale
The Independent
2 days ago
- Automotive
- The Independent
Don't like your new Alfa Romeo EV? Give it back after six months
Alfa Romeo will let drivers cut and run after six months with the Junior Elettrica Special under its new 'Flex & Free' scheme. Aimed at EV-curious drivers hesitant to commit to a fully electric car, the scheme is a tweak on the usual personal contract hire offer – drive the new Junior Elettrica Speciale for six months and you have the freedom to hand the car back, change to a different Alfa Romeo model, or continue with your contract. The move is an attempt to address the fear of commitment that new EV buyers face, offering a get out of jail free card for those unsure if an electric vehicle will suit their lifestyle. The modified personal contract hire (PCH) agreement, provided by parent company Stellantis's financial arm, aims to provide peace of mind in a fast-changing market. For an initial rental fee of £1,497 followed by monthly payments of £499, customers can get behind the wheel of the Junior Elettrica Speciale on a 48-month contract. Unlike a standard PCH deal, customers can give just one month's notice to exit the agreement without penalty after five months, so long as you haven't ruined the car with mileage or damage. To sweeten the deal, Alfa Romeo throws in a home wall box, a service plan, roadside assistance and an additional £1,500 EV grant on top. Jules Tilstone, Managing Director at Alfa Romeo UK, explained the strategy: 'In a rapidly changing market, we're offering customers the chance to have the vehicle they want, when they want. This offer is designed for those who want to try an EV without the fear of commitment. We are confident that when someone experiences the Junior Elettrica and feels that special Alfa Romeo DNA all our models share, they'll fall in love with it.' Tilstone added, 'however, if they decide that the switch to electric doesn't suit them, then they can end their contract or change into another model and still get to experience that Alfa Romeo feeling.' The offer centres on the well-equipped Junior Elettrica Speciale, which features a 156hp electric motor and a battery capable of up to 255 miles on a single charge. It supports 100kW rapid charging, which can complete a 20-80 per cent topup in less than 30 minutes. The Speciale launch edition comes with a distinctive sports styling kit, 18in Petali alloy wheels and an impressive level of standard interior equipment, including a six-way, electrically operated driver's seat with a massage function. This flexible, subscription-style offer is a canny move for a storied brand like Alfa Romeo, as it navigates its transition to electrification amid huge competition. The Junior is a critical part of Alfa Romeo's plan, tasked with attracting a new generation of EV buyers. By lowering the barrier to entry and removing long-term risk, Alfa Romeo hopes to get more drivers behind the wheel of its electric compact SUV, banking on the car's style and driving dynamics to win them over for the long haul. The Flex & Free offer is available on orders placed between 1 July and 30 September, 2025.
Business Wire
02-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
TelevisaUnivision Announces Leadership Transition in U.S. Advertising Sales
MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--TelevisaUnivision, the world's leading Spanish-language media company, today announced that Donna Speciale will step down from her role as President of U.S. Advertising Sales and Marketing. Tim Natividad has been appointed as her successor and will assume the role effective June 9. Speciale will remain with the company during a transition period to ensure continuity. 'We're thrilled to have Tim at the helm of our U.S. advertising business at such a pivotal time for both our business and the industry at large,' said Daniel Alegre, Chief Executive Officer of TelevisaUnivision. 'Tim's deep expertise in platform strategy, data-driven marketing, and emerging media will accelerate innovation, sharpen our commercial edge, and reinforce our position as the partner of choice for brands looking to engage the most critical growth consumer in America today: U.S. Hispanics.' Natividad brings deep experience across some of the world's leading technology and media platforms, including senior roles at TikTok, Roku, Amazon, and Google. Over the course of his career, he has led high-performing teams and spearheaded commercial strategies focused on digital transformation, platform monetization, and performance-led marketing innovation. 'I'm honored to join TelevisaUnivision at a moment of such transformation in media, marketing, and consumer engagement. The company's unrivaled connection to U.S. Hispanic audiences presents a powerful opportunity for brands to grow through cultural relevance, innovation, and measurable impact. I look forward to building on the momentum of this world-class team and advancing solutions that deliver performance at scale for our partners,' said Natividad. Alegre continued, 'Donna has left an indelible impact on TelevisaUnivision, serving as a fierce advocate who helped shift the industry's focus toward the full potential of U.S. Hispanic consumers—bringing hundreds of new advertisers into the fold and expanding the market's understanding of our value. Her leadership has been instrumental in elevating our commercial strategy and positioning us for continued growth. We're deeply grateful for the foundation she's built and the momentum she's helped create as we enter this next chapter.' 'It's been a privilege to have led this team during such a pivotal phase of growth and reinvention. Together, we've elevated the role TelevisaUnivision plays in helping hundreds of new brands connect with U.S. Hispanic audiences in powerful and performance-driven ways—from introducing ViX to the marketplace and advancing creator-driven social solutions, to expanding how we deliver for clients across every platform. The work is far from done, and I'm confident the team is poised to keep pushing boundaries and deliver impact where it matters most,' said Speciale. About Tim Natividad Tim Natividad is a seasoned digital media and advertising executive who has led growth and innovation across some of the world's leading technology platforms. He joins TelevisaUnivision from TikTok, where he served as U.S. Head of Enterprise Sales, leading strategic marketing solutions for Fortune 500 brands and major agency partners. Prior to that, he held senior roles at Roku, where he helped transform TV advertising with real-time measurement and streaming innovation, and at Amazon, where he led global search and performance advertising sales across key verticals. Earlier in his career at Google, Natividad supported top marketers in developing brand and performance strategies across YouTube, Search, and Display. He currently serves on the IAB Digital Video Board and the Board of Future Now, is Chair of the American Advertising Federation's Hall of Achievement, and is a judge for the ANA B2 Awards. About TelevisaUnivision TelevisaUnivision is the world's leading Spanish-language media company. Powered by the largest library of owned Spanish-language content and a prolific production capability, TelevisaUnivision is the top producer of original content in Spanish across news, sports and entertainment verticals. This original content powers all of TelevisaUnivision's platforms, which include market-leading broadcast networks Univision, Las Estrellas, Canal 5 and UniMás, and a portfolio of 38 cable networks, which include TUDN, Galavisión, Distrito Comedia and TL Novelas. The company also operates the leading Mexican movie studio, Videocine, and owns and operates the largest Spanish-language audio platform in the U.S. across 35 terrestrial stations and the Uforia digital platform. TelevisaUnivision is also the owner of ViX, the largest Spanish-language streaming platform in the world. For more information, please visit
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
TelevisaUnivision Bets on Microdramas and Music in Upfront Push
TelevisaUnivision plans to lean into new formats and areas of cultural conversation, as the Spanish-language media giant seeks to stand out in a crowded upfront marketplace. That will include the addition of 24/7 reality formats, where viewers can watch the goings-on at any time in addition to regular episodes, a slew of music programming (and an entirely new live music festival), and a substantial investment in 'microdramas,' which will seek to bring the telenovela format to mobile devices. More from The Hollywood Reporter Kim Kardashian Plays Hardball Divorce Lawyer in Ryan Murphy's 'All's Fair' Legal Drama Trailer FX Sets Premiere Dates for 'The Bear' Season 4, 'Alien: Earth' and Sterlin Harjo's 'The Lowdown' Inside the Amazon Upfront: There's No Escaping Walton Goggins 'Where all other businesses are trying to be everything to everyone, we are laser focused, and always have been,' days Donna Speciale, TelevisaUnivision's head of ad sales, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. 'I think we have a uniqueness to us, you know, we are a cultural force. We're built on trust over 70 years. We have this authenticity and this deep connection with our audience, we are the heart of the Hispanic connection, and that unique proposition really makes us stand out and makes us be very different than everything else that's out there.' The company has the Univision network, of course, but it has also built up the ViX streaming platform, which is increasingly where it is investing in a push to retain relevance with younger consumers. The microdrama strategy is a key part of that. As TikTok-style vertical video has exploded in popularity, some Asia-based apps and studios have created ultra short-form dramas built with extraordinarily low budgets. While they aren't a threat to ultra-premium TV dramas, they are sucking up time on mobile devices, and TelevisaUnivision thinks that it can leverage its expertise in the telenovela space to secure a piece of that pie. The company plans to debut about 40 of the microdramas, which will be presented in ViX in one minute or so episodes, with plans to expand into documentaries, comedies and other genres later. 'This format has been exploding in the Asian markets, and it really taps into the appetite of that young, digital centric user based across a massive mobile footprint. We're basically capturing that craze, and we're building on our expertise with episodic scripted dramas,' Speciale says. 'We're going to be putting a lot of different types of innovation, messaging and stuff for clients and brands to sponsor and lean into.' Speciale adds that the company expects to experiment more with brand integrations in the microdrama space, given the short episodes and a desire to minimize viewing interruptions. 'Clients actually want to kind of test with us, because we all don't have the answers quite yet, but we all know, given what we're seeing and given the surge of TikTok and how this audience now lives on their phones and vertical content now is what they're used to,' she says. 'There's a huge opportunity here, and we really believe that we're going to seize the moment.' In the music space, TelevisaUnivision has a slew of programming on tap, and is planning to launch its own branded music festival called YA Fest, which will also run across the company's platforms. The company plans to host the festival across multiple cities with different genres of music. 'We're going to be simulcasting them at the same time between linear and digital, having a lot of influencers and hosts going across back and forth,' Speciale says. 'It's going to be a huge social play. Clients are definitely now leaning into wanting to do social first, digital first events. And I think this is going to be one of them that I think could be a huge success.' The company is also launching ViX Música, which it frames as a music destination within the larger ViX experience In the entertainment space, new series include reality concepts like the 24/7 reality concept La Mansión 24/7 and the survival reality show El Conquistador, and scripted fare like Doménica Montero and Los Hilos del Pasado. But the upfront comes at an uncertain moment for the ads business. Media buyers are seeking flexibile terms given tariffs and economic uncertainty, while media companies are leaning into sports and live events to try and secure as many commitments as possible. TelevisaUnivision is no exception, with a new deal with Concacaf adding its women's events to the lineup. Speciale says that her company is prepared for what's coming. 'Uncertainty is not new to the marketplace, I mean, we've have had recessions before, we all went through COVID. That was a first for us,' she says. 'What I can say and what has happened in all times of uncertainty is that marketers lean in and focus on areas and investments that drive the biggest impact, and don't scale back on the areas that drive growth, and I feel really good about that, because the Hispanic audience now being 20 percent of the population, clients are realizing that this is a huge business imperative, and it shows day in and day out the ROI when they lean in.' 'What they're talking about is flexibility. They want flexibility only because of the unknown and the upfront gives them the flexibility. The terms and conditions have always been there,' she adds. 'So to me, we're in a great place, because we are such a huge growth engine for them and such a huge growth driver that I'm really confident going into this, that we're not going to not going to be affected.' 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Nikkei Asia
13-05-2025
- Business
- Nikkei Asia
India's deep tech startups fight for funding in a retail-dominated market
BENGALURU -- Arjun Rao wanted to go off the beaten track with his venture capital firm Speciale Invest, convinced that he could strike gold with startups dealing in robotics, rockets and chips and other complex technologies loosely called "deep tech." Not many people in India shared his enthusiasm. Most money from global VCs flowed into e-commerce and food delivery ventures, and it took Rao two and a half years to close Speciale's first fund, of $8.5 million, in February 2019. During that time, India-focused VCs as a whole mopped up roughly $3.6 billion, according to estimates by consultancy Bain & Co.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Ferrari 296 Speciale revealed with 868bhp and radical aero set-up
The new Ferrari 296 Speciale is billed as the 'most fun to drive, emotionally charged' car the marque has built yet, with its 868bhp claimed to be 'very close' to the limit of what a rear-wheel-drive car can offer. Priced from €407,000 (£349,000) in Italy and offered in both coupé and spider forms, it packs 49bhp more than the 296 GTB, has 20% more downforce and is 60kg lighter. However, it is 'not just an exercise where we put a few additional horsepower', said Ferrari marketing chief Enrico Galliera. The Speciale instead represents a more comprehensive engineering effort. For instance, its twin-turbo V6 uses aluminium pistons and the titanium conrods from the new F80 hypercar, and the head is secured to the block with titanium bolts. This has allowed an increase in combustion chamber pressure of 7%, boosting the V6's output from the previous 654bhp to 690bhp. Moreover, the crankcase has been shaved down to save 1.2kg and the turbo design has been reworked to shed another 1.2kg. Ferrari has also doubled the size of the 'hot tube' – the sound pipe linking the engine bay and cabin – to improve the sound quality and volume of the V6. Revised cooling for the hybrid system has unlocked a further 13bhp, independent of the V6. 'We are very, very close to the limit of the maximum horsepower that we can manage for a rear-wheel-drive car,' said development chief Gianmaria Fulgenzi. With that in mind, an aerodynamic overhaul has resulted in a redesign of the 296's rear end, inspired by the Challenge and GT3 racers. This has brought about the fitment of two winglets atop the car's rear haunches and a small active spoiler that rises from the back end – from just above the Prancing Horse badge. The spoiler has three possible positions and adjusts based on the steering angle and throttle position. It plays a key role in boosting the car's maximum downforce by 20% compared with the 296 GTB, with 435kg at 155mph. The damper and spring set-up has been revised, bringing a 5mm drop in ride height and a claimed 13% reduction in maximum body lean when cornering. The cockpit has been reworked to minimise weight, with new seats that are said to be 5kg lighter than those in the 296 GTB. There is more carbonfibre than before, including on a new single-piece door card, and the new steering wheel swaps the previous unit's touchsensitive control pads for traditional buttons. Ferrari said the Speciale will not be strictly limited in number but by the time it spends in production, which will be significantly shorter than for the GTB. It will be 'very exclusive', said Galliera. Ferrari will offer the car only to what it calls 'active' clients: those who have bought a new or approved-used car (or maintained an older car) through an official dealer within the past five years. ]]>
