The first true Internet TV OTT (over-the-top) streaming subscription service in the U.S., DirecTV's Yaveo, was aimed squarely at Latinos. Now that audience of tech-savvy cord cutters has proved valuable enough for the budding industry's leader, DISH's Sling TV, to create its own special Latino branded service.

On late Thursday, Sling TV announced it was launching the "Sling Latino" brand, a service similar to the company's main $20-per-month live Internet TV subscription that already had already partnered with Univision from the start and had subsequently introduced several add-on packs aimed at Latino viewers.

The new service is designed to appeal both to Spanish-speaking and bilingual viewers, following Latino acculturation trends to try to appeal to the whole household.

"Whether viewers are solely interested in Spanish-language programming or are looking to supplement an English lineup with a few Spanish channels, Sling Latino is a flexible, affordable and mobile way to connect viewers with the best of Latino programming," said Roger Lynch, CEO of Sling TV in the company's release. "Providing this connection remains fundamental to who we are, and we have been eager to give Hispanic viewers a new and contemporary way to watch Spanish-language TV."

What Sling Latino Offers

Available now, Sling Latino offers two tiers of base packages, both of which are cheaper and more targeted at Latinos than the Sling TV "Best of Live TV" base package.

"Pacquete Total" gives viewers several Spanish-language sports and movie channels, along with the flagship Univision station, for $12 per month.

Channels include: Univision, UniMás, Galavisión, Univision Deportes Network, beIN Sports en Español, Azteca, Az Clic, Cinelatino, De Película, De Película Clásico, BabyTV, Cbeebies, Pasiones, NTN24, Univision tlnovelas, Az Corazón, Telehit, Bandamax, FOROtv, TeleFórmul. Sling says AZ Cinema and Teleromántica are coming soon, as well.

"Paquete Esencial" offers fewer channels -- 16 as opposed to 22 total -- but even beats Netflix's basic package with its price of $7 per month. However, Univision is not available, and live sports offerings are slim.

Channels include: Azteca, Az Clic, Cinelatino, De Película, De Película Clásico, BabyTV, Cbeebies, beIN Sports en Español, Pasiones, Univision tlnovelas, Az Corazón, Telehit, Bandamax, FOROtv. Again, AZ Cinema and Teleromántica pending.

Both Sling Latino base packages come with an on-demand library and three-day replay on select channels, and Sling TV's "Best of Live TV" base package is not required to get either Sling Latino pack, though viewers can subscribe to both if they want. In addition, the add-on packs work the same way with either Sling Latino base package.

Beyond these two Sling Latino base packs, there are two new $7 per-month country-specific standalone packages available under the Sling Latino brand:

The Colombia Pack comes with Nuestra Tele, NTN24, and RNC Novelas (pending).

The España Pack gives viewers access to Antena 3 and TV Española Internacional, with MIS Películas and SupereÑE on the way soon.

Unlike Sling Latino's two "Paquete" base offerings, the Colombia and España packs are limited to one device stream at a time, though for $5 more you can add two additional streams.

The streaming service is offering a free seven-day trial for Sling Latino, just like with its English-language base pack, and has additional offers for free or discounted streaming devices for customers who prepay for six months when they sign up.

Competition for Latino Cord-Cutters Heats Up

Sling TV's interest in the Latino audience, especially the growing millennial subset, isn't surprising. Latinos tend to own smartphones at a higher-than-average rate, and consume, on average, an hour and a half more per month streaming video than the average U.S. consumer.

As we previously noted in our hands on review of DirecTV's Yaveo -- which officially inaugurated the new wave of Internet TV services when it was announced late 2014 -- the $8 per month Spanish-only service Yaveo may have gotten to market first, but that was no guarantee that it would stay relevant or attractive to its target market.

As millennials continue to grow as trendsetters in the U.S. consumer technology market, the modern Latino audience isn't the safe niche for providers it used to be. It's a dynamic, changing, complicated, and sometimes contradictory market that encompasses people of different needs, backgrounds, generations, interests, and languages -- sometimes all within the same household.

Innovation, choice, and followup is the key; Something Yaveo has so far lacked, and which Sling TV has now overtaken in spades, with not only Latino-targeted add-on packages like Deportes Extra, but Sling Latino.

But the game isn't over yet, and new players are continually taking the field -- like bilingual millennial-focused startup TuYo launching in July and RCTV telenovela-boosted Pongalo, also coming this summer.

It's still far from clear who, if anyone, will ultimately claim a decisive victory in the race for Latino Internet TV audiences. One thing is for sure, though. With so many options for entertainment, there's never been a better time for Latino cord-cutters than now.

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