New York-based IBT MEDIA has launched The Latin Times, a bilingual online destination targeting U.S. Hispanics. The site, which had a soft launch earlier this year, features stories on current events, entertainment, business, technology and travel among other topics.
“We see an opportunity to create a voice for U.S. Hispanics,†Johnathan Davis, Co-founder and Chief Content Officer of The International Business Times, tells Portada. The company has not yet made an official announcement about The Latin Times, but it has begun to recruit bilingual reporters and editors. Among the first hires is Ernesto Sánchez, a former Terra.com and People en Español.com editor, who joined The Latin Times as Editor in Chief late last month. The Latin Times employs around 10 people between reporters, staff writers and copy editors, says Davis.
Created in 2006, IBT Media is the parent company of International Business Times, an online business newspaper that so far has spun off 11 international editions, including one in Mexico, which according to Davis himself has yet to be developed.
Expanding the Business Model
Headquartered in Downtown Manhattan, IBT produces and syndicates multi-format content across a variety of categories, with a focus on business. According to Davis, the network reaches between 12 to 15 million monthly unique readers globally, out of which 6 to 7 million are in the U.S. IBT works with content providers including The Economist, AOL, Nasdaq, Thomson Reuters and Yahoo among others.
Since its creation, IBT has worked under the model of an ad-supported website, though its founders are working in adding other layers and expanding the business model. This includes putting some content behind a paid wall; paid newsletters and corporate events.