Azteca America Successfully Closes 5-Year Agreement With Pappas Telecasting

Azteca America Successfully Closes 5-Year Agreement With Pappas Telecasting

- "Consolidates Our Solid Market Positioning, and Allows to Continue Adding Increased Value for the Network" -

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Azteca America -- the fastest growing Spanish language broadcast network in the U.S., and a wholly owned subsidiary of TV Azteca-announced today a five-year agreement with Pappas Telecasting, which will grant Azteca America the right to continue airing its programming until December 2012, on the Los Angeles flagship station, KAZA-TV Channel 54. Under the contract, the US$129 million payable by Pappas Telecasting to Azteca America has been adjusted and extended. The station is full power and covers the entire Los Angeles television market, including Los Angeles and Orange counties.

"The agreement ensures a long term presence in the nation's largest and most important U.S. Hispanic market at favorable conditions," said Adrian Steckel, President and CEO of Azteca America. "It consolidates our solid market positioning, and allows to continue adding increased value for the network, and steadily raise overall profitability."

Currently, Azteca America offers 24 hours a day of top quality programming, including novelas, soccer, live shows, news and variety entertainment. The network reaches 89% of Hispanic households in the U.S. and it operates in sixty-one markets nationwide.

As part of the FCC mandate to convert from analog to digital by 2009, Pappas and Azteca America have included in this new agreement an option to Pappas that allows for TuVision, the channel owned and distributed by Pappas Telecasting, to be broadcast in one of KAZA-DT's secondary digital channels alongside Azteca America's primary channel as part of a digital package.

About Azteca America

Azteca America is the alternative choice in broadcast television for Spanish speaking families residing in the United States. As the fastest- growing Hispanic network, Azteca America now reaches 89% of the Hispanic households in the U.S., operating in sixty-one markets nationwide. Wholly owned by Mexican broadcaster TV Azteca, S.A. de C.V, Azteca America has access to approximately 10,000 hours of top quality television programming per year. The network complements Mexican programming with an innovative line-up of shows from international producers and distributors to ensure the finest programming to Spanish speaking viewers and unique advertising solutions to partners seeking to reach the most dynamic market in the country.

About Pappas Telecasting

Pappas Telecasting Companies is the largest privately-held, commercial television broadcast group in the United States in terms of U.S. Household coverage as defined by Nielsen Media Research. The company owns 27 stations, including market-leading FOX, The CW, ABC, CBS, TuVision, and MyNetworkTV affiliates, and operates four other stations pursuant to local marketing agreements, in most regions of the United States. According to statistics from Nielsen, Pappas Telecasting television stations serve more than 16% of all U.S. television households. In addition, the company owns or operates television stations in markets reaching nearly 36% of U.S. Hispanic households and 38% of all U.S. Hispanic persons age 2+. In total, Pappas owns or operates stations in 24 Designated Market Areas.

Source: Azteca America

CONTACT: Monica Taher, Director of Communications of Azteca America,
+1-818-415-7297, mtaher@aztecaamerica.com

Web site:

http://www.tvazteca.com.mx/

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