Relaunch as NUVOtv (2011–13)
On January 18, 2011, Telemundo's ad sales veteran Craig Geller was named Sí TV's senior vice president of advertising sales. Of his move, Geller stated that: "It's the right time in the right market and Sí TV is the right network. The marketplace is poised for explosive growth and the 2010 Census will validate the fact that bicultural Latinos are absolutely the fastest-growing demo in the U.S." He further stated that the job "was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up". He commented: "Having been a student of the marketplace for as many years as I have, I recognized that the network is ready to take a huge leap forward. At the same time, our audience is growing tremendously. The time has come for advertisers to embrace these consumers, in a culturally relevant way, and the place to do that is Sí TV".[9]
In March 2011, the channel reached approximately 25 to 27 million households, according to its senior vice president of marketing Rafael Oller.[10] The network expected to reach 30 million households by the end of 2011; a milestone that would make it eligible to be rated by Nielsen and would therefore be of more interest to advertisers.[10]
On July 4, 2011, the network underwent a rebrand and changed its name to NUVOtv ("nuvo" being a portmanteau of "NUevo" and "VOice", reflecting "the dual cultural pillars of today's American Bi-Cultural Latinos"), in a "bid to better pursue bicultural Latino audiences".[11][10] The name change was their part of an effort to tackle the power of the America's growing Latino population. Oller stated that: "Most everyone is focused on total U.S. Hispanics, but the real story is the bicultural Latino. Three out of four speak English well or very well. These bicultural Latinos self-identify as Latino and American and are looking for culturally relevant programming".[10] In August 2012, nuvoTV announced that they had raised $40 million from current investors, Columbia Capital LLC and Rho Capital Partners Inc., and new investors, Veronis Suhler Stevenson LLC and Tennenbaum Capital Partners LLC.[12]
On September 11, NUVOtv announced a premier partnership with entertainer/entrepreneur Jennifer Lopez,[13] which would focus on appealing the network's programming to a modern, Latino audience that is "growing rapidly and in need of new, high-quality content". Lopez would work on the creative side of the network, managing marketing and programming production with her production company, Nuyorican Productions, as well as periodically appearing on programs featured on the network's programming.[14][15] According to The Huffington Post, with a growing Latino audience, "there is more demand for television programming around that audience. Until now, there have only been a few networks focused on this demographic, and really none focused on providing Latino cultural content in English".[14] Lopez told USA Today that when she was growing up there was very little programming that appealed to her heritage, stating that: "Growing up in the Bronx as a little Puerto Rican girl watching TV and not having a lot to identify with. West Side Story was really my favorite thing because it had Puerto Ricans in it".[13]
