Spanish-Language TV is no longer just the most overlooked opportunity in advertising — it’s also one of the fastest-growing, especially when it comes to driving business results.
For years, the average ad on Spanish-Language TV (SLTV) has generated stronger engagement than the average ad on English-Language TV (ELTV), giving brands more bang for their buck when it comes to the ad-driven consumer actions that predict future sales. But over the past year, this delta has grown wider.
According to EDO's 2026 Spanish-Language TV Outcomes report, the average SLTV ad generated 47% more impact than the average ad on ELTV from August 2025 - July 2026. Fueled by a growing U.S. Hispanic population, new milestones in Latin cultural prominence, and a record-setting World Cup, this performance gap grew 34% from the prior 12 months. Even when normalizing for audience size, SLTV ads were 24% more effective than ELTV spots in driving engagement on a per-person, per-second basis.
The upshot? If you’re not investing in SLTV, you’re missing out — especially if your competitors are already building a relationship with its highly-engaged viewers.
Tentpole events serve as launchpads for SLTV creatives
Looking to score with SLTV viewers? Try using a major tentpole as a launchpad for your newest creative.
This year’s World Cup was a hit on SLTV among both Spanish-speaking and non-Spanish-speaking viewers, with the average ad driving 11x as much impact as the average ELTV and SLTV ad on broadcast and cable TV. This number shot up to 40x for on-screen sponsorships during the tournament’s hydration breaks, but the biggest winners at the 2026 World Cup were the brands that used it to kickstart a debut creative.
Ads that debuted during the 2026 World Cup were 43% more effective than the average SLTV ad when they ran during other soccer programming after the tournament, and 15% more effective even when airing during non-soccer SLTV. Unfortunately, only about one-fifth of the ads that debuted during the World Cup ran on other SLTV programming afterward, suggesting that many advertisers missed out on a post-tournament performance boost.
Brands looking to enact a similar strategy might want to look ahead to Super Bowl LXI, where a contextually relevant creative debut could earn continued returns across other sports programming. The 2026 Big Game was the most-watched Spanish-language Super Bowl broadcast ever, with ads generating 26x as much total impact as the average spot on broadcast and cable SLTV.
Celebs drive big gains for SLTV brands
Celebrities proved to be another winning strategy for SLTV advertisers over the past year.
Latino celebrities like actress Stephanie Beatriz and sportscaster Andrés Cantor made their marks for Walmart and Coors Light, respectively. For instance, one of Beatriz’s Walmart ads — which included dialogue in both English and Spanish — was 192% more effective than the average ad on SLTV, helping Walmart finish 6th on our list of the most effective SLTV advertisers.
Beyond Latin celebs, sports legends David Beckham and Shaquille O'Neal drove results for Stella Artois and The General, respectively. Beckham’s ad for Stella Artois, scored to “I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You,” was more than twice as effective as the average SLTV ad this past year. Shaq even busted out a bit of Spanish in a spot for The General that outperformed the benchmark by 206%.
See the full impact of SLTV in EDO’s SLTV Outcomes Report
As this past year has shown, SLTV advertising is a fast-growing powerhouse for brands. Not only does this programming pull in large audiences, its viewers are also highly likely to engage with the advertisers they see by searching for a brand or visiting its website — actions that are proven and predictive of future sales.
To gain a more complete picture of how brands can win by advertising on SLTV, including which programming genres had the strongest results and what aspects of winning creatives stood out, download EDO's 2026 Spanish-Language TV Outcomes report.