MySpace targets Latin American userbase

MySpace says its Spanish-language site will feature "culturally relevant content" aimed at this quick-growing segment of the internet population.

MySpace has signed on partners that produce content for the market to support its effort, including the Spanish Broadcasting System, Billboard en Espanol, and Remezcla.com.

The service was initially launched in beta last year. MySpace claims that it has about 9.7 million Hispanic users on its service, making it the largest U.S. social networking site among that group. Competing social network Facebook recently launched its own Spanish language site thanks to the efforts of user translators.

"MySpace Latino will showcase the sports, entertainment, and video content that our users are most passionate about, while creating a truly U.S. Latino bilingual hub for our users online," MySpace Latino head Victor Kong said in a statement.

Among the communities to be launched along with the service is Acustico, featuring shows by Latin artists taking place in showrooms of its partner Gibson; Shows Secretos, a version of its popular "Secret Show" format aimed at Latinos; and En Tu Ciudad, a service featuring Latino-centric local events powered by Remezcla.com.

To celebrate the launch of the site, the company said it will hold its first Show Secreto on April 11, featuring acts Tego Calderon, Circo, and Locos por Juana. Another secret act will be announced at the show.

11:10 am April 9, 2008 - US-based Spanish-language publisher ImpreMedia contacted BetaNews today to remind us that it would be providing the platform for an exclusive soccer community, to be called "TodoFutbol," for the Spanish-language MySpace. The service promises to keep members up-to-date on information about both US and Latin American soccer teams.