 | |
| Formerly |
|
|---|---|
| Company type | Private |
| NYSE: UVN (1996-2007) | |
| Industry | Mass media andentertainment |
| Founded | Los Angeles, California, in 1962; 63 years ago (1962) |
| Founder | Emilio Azcárraga Vidaurreta ofTelevisa |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Key people | Daniel Alegre (US CEO);Alfonso de Angoitia, Bernardo Gomez Martinez (Mexico Co-CEOs) |
| Owner | Grupo Televisa (45%) |
Number of employees | 14,000 |
| Divisions | Univision Digital Uforia Audio Network TUDN Univision Television Group Videocine Pantelion Films (50%) Televisa Networks Televisa Consumer Products Televisa Internacional Televisa Regional Vix |
| Website | corporate |
| Footnotes / references [1][2][3][4] | |
TelevisaUnivision (formerly known asUnivision Communications) is a Mexican-Americanmedia company headquartered in Miami andMexico City that owns AmericanSpanish languagebroadcast networkUnivision and free-to-air channels in Mexico such asLas Estrellas,Canal 5,Foro, andNU9VE alongside a collection ofspecialty television channels and production studios. 45% of the company is held by the Mexican telecommunications and broadcasting companyGrupo Televisa, which was a major programming partner for Univision until the company sold their content assets to Univision Communications in 2022.
Since its founding in the early 1960s as Spanish International Network (SIN), the United States' first Spanish language television network, the company has catered toHispanic and Latino Americans. It is currently a multimedia conglomerate, with free-to-air and specialty, digital and audio networks, including 65 television stations, online and mobile apps and products.[5][6][7][8]
Univision Communications Inc. was founded in 1962; 63 years ago (1962), as Spanish International Communications Corporation (parent of Spanish International Network) byRene Anselmo, an American-Mexican TV executiveEmilio Nicolas Sr., owner of KUAL-TV (nowKWEX-DT) inSan Antonio, and Mexican radio-TV magnateEmilio Azcárraga Vidaurreta, head of Telesistema Mexicano (nowTelevisa). They consolidated the operations of some independent Latino stations into a network. In 1987, Nicolas sold his part of the company toHallmark Cards, and the name was changed to Univision Holdings. By 1992, Hallmark re-incorporated the company to Univision Communications.
On April 8, 1992, Hallmark sold Univision Communications to a group that included Los Angeles-based investorA. Jerrold Perenchio (a former partner inNorman Lear'sEmbassy Communications, who was outbid by the Hallmark-led consortium for the network in 1987), Emilio Azcárraga Milmo, and brothers Ricardo andGustavo Cisneros (co-owners ofVenezuelan broadcasterVenevision) for $550 million, in order to refocus its television operation efforts oncable provider Cencom Cable Associates, which it acquired the previous year for about $500 million. In order to comply with FCC rules on foreign ownership of television stations, the deal was structured to give Perenchio a controlling 75% interest in Univision's station group and 50% ownership of the network itself; Azcárraga and the Cisneroses held a 25% stake in the network and a 12.5% stake in the station group. The deal placed Univision under common ownership with competing cable channelGalavisión, which the Azcárraga-run Grupo Televisa owned at the time.[9] The Cisneroses' ownership of stake in Univision Communications led to the broadcast of Venevision telenovelas from Venezuela, & eventually, to the co-production partnership of Venevision International and Univision Communications of telenovelas. The consortium ended up selling Univision Communications for $13.7 billion in 2007.[10]
From September 1996 to April 2007, Univision Communications Inc. traded on theNew York Stock Exchange under the symbolUVN.
In 2001, Univision Communications Inc. acquired USA Broadcasting, the station group of USA Networks, which included 13 full-power television stations. Most of these stations became part of a new network called TeleFutura, which it launched in 2002.[11] Others joined Univision. In 2003, Univision completed the acquisition of Hispanic Broadcasting Corporation to formUnivision Audio Network.[12]
Prior to 2007,[13] its headquarters was in theCentury City neighborhood of Los Angeles.[14][15]
In March 2007, Univision Communications was sold to Broadcasting Media Partners, a group led byHaim Saban that includedMadison Dearborn Partners,Providence Equity Partners.,TPG Capital, L.P.,Thomas H. Lee Partners, andSaban Capital Group.[16]
In May 2008,Univision Music Group was sold toUniversal Music Group and combined with its Latin label to becomeUniversal Music Latin Entertainment.
In 2009, Univision Interactive Media was formed to house Univision.com, Univision Mobile, and an array of digital offerings.[17] Univision On Demand also debuted in 2009, through distribution partners.[18] That same year Univision also created Univision Studios, a new production arm focused on producing and co-producing content for the company's platforms.[19]
Randy Falco became Univision's CEO in 2011.[20] Under Falco, the company began to expand its platforms, including launching new cable networks such asUnivision Deportes Network andUnivision Tlnovelas, as well as English-language properties targeting Hispanic audiences such as Flama (aYouTube channel featuring content aimed toward Hispanic young adults),[21] andFusion, anews channel operated as a joint venture withDisney–ABC Television Group.[22][23][16]
On January 7, 2013, TeleFutura rebranded asUniMás.[24][25] In May 2013, Univision announced an investment inRobert Rodriguez's new English-language cable channelEl Rey Network.[26]
In 2014, UCI launched Univision Mobile, La Fabrica and TheFlama.com and also continued to increase the reach of Univision Deportes, Fusion, and El Rey.[27][28][29][30] Also in 2014, UCI expanded its partnership withHulu, building on its launch as the first Spanish-language offering on Hulu in 2012.[31]
On August 16, 2016, Univision Communications purchasedGawker Media for $135 million.[32] The sale included six Gawker blogs –Kotaku,Jalopnik,Lifehacker,Gizmodo (and its sub-siteio9),Deadspin, andJezebel – but not the flagshipGawker site, which shut down in late August.[33] On September 21, 2016, the Gawker Media assets acquisition was completed and said assets were moved toGizmodo Media Group.[34][35][16]
On May 30, 2018, Vincent Sadusky, formerly of Telemundo and the local station groupsLIN Media andMedia General, was appointed the new CEO of Univision, replacing outgoing Randy Falco.[36] Under Sadusky, the company began to backpedal on its attempts to diversify into English-speaking markets, electing to focus more on its core Spanish-language properties targeting Hispanics. As part of this effort, Gizmodo Media Group was divested to private-equity firm Great Hill Partners in April 2019.[16][37]
On July 20, 2019, Univision rebranded itsUnivision Deportes Network cable channel as TUDN, as part of a collaboration with its content partner Televisa.[38][39][40]
On February 25, 2020, private investment firmsSearchlight Capital Partners and ForgeLight (launched by founder & CEO & ex-Viacom CFO Wade Davis) agreed to acquire 64% controlling stake in the company held by its investment group ownership, while minority owner Televisa would continue to hold its 36% stake. As a result, the company would be led by Davis as CEO, eventually replacing outgoing Vincent Sandusky. The sale was completed on December 29, 2020.[41][42]
On April 13, 2021, Televisa announced they would sell their media, content, and production assets to Univision. The new company would be known asTelevisaUnivision.[43] As part of the transaction, Televisa kept the company's telecommunication andmultichannel television service assets, as well asbroadcast licenses for stations that air Televisa's four Mexican networks; the Mexican news operations were spun off into Tritón Comunicaciones.[44] The merger was approved by MexicanFederal Telecommunications Institute (IFT) on September 15, 2021, and later by the U.S.Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on January 24, 2022, with the transaction completed on January 31 the same year.[45][46]
In February 2022, TelevisaUnivision announced the relaunch ofViX as a streaming platform featuring both an ad-supported and a subscription tier, with an intended rollout of theAVOD tier set for March 31, 2022.[47]
In September 2022, TelevisaUnivision completed the acquisition of American OTT streaming servicePantaya from Hemisphere Media Group in exchange for cash and select Puerto Rican radio assets, including San Juan-basedWKAQ (AM) andWKAQ-FM.[48][49] That same month, TelevisaUnivision acquired the rights to theLatin American Music Awards fromDick Clark Productions.[50]
On September 27, 2023, TelevisaUnivision partnered with theRepublican National Committee, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute,FOX Business, andRumble to host the second Republican presidential primary debate from theRonald Reagan Presidential Library inSimi Valley,California.[51][52]
In November 2023, TelevisaUnivision faced serious backlash from Democrats and the Hispanic community when network executives decided to air an exclusive hourlong interview with former PresidentDonald Trump on Univision in Spanish and UNIMAS and ViX in English with Spanish subtitles, despite Trump's vulgar comments towards the Hispanic community. Many Latino celebrities, politicians, and activists have called for a boycott and branding the network as "MAGAvision".[53][54][55]
On December 2, 2024, TelevisaUnivision CEO Daniel Alegre announced that, as part of a major restructuring plan, it would be laying off a “mid to high single digit percentage” of its workforce (between 5-9%, or 120 people, of its 14,000 staff), both in the US and Mexico “with the goal of reforming our position for 2025 and beyond.” The company is facing challenges like cord-cutting and an unsettled ad market. This coincided with the introduction of a revamped leadership team and the creation of a “Global Content Organization”.[56]
TelevisaUnivision's portfolio of properties consists of broadcast, cable, and digital networks, as well as consumer products and brand licensing.
TelevisaUnivision provides programming throughoutMexico through four networks, and in the United States viaUnivision andUniMás through local affiliates. 253 Mexican local television stations (54.8% of the total commercial stations), and 59 U.S. local television stations air programming from all six terrestrial networks.[57][58]
The six terrestrial networks are:
| Network | Flagship | Programming |
|---|---|---|
| Las Estrellas | XEW-TDT 2 | general programming, sports, first-runtelenovelas, and news |
| Canal 5 | XHGC-TDT 5 | youth-oriented programming, American series, and films |
| Nueve | XEQ-TDT 9 | telenovela reruns, sports, news, and comedy shows |
| N+ Foro | XHTV-TDT 4 | all-news channel, talk, and debate programming |
| Univision |
| general programming, sports, first-runtelenovelas, and news |
| UniMás |
| youth-oriented programming, reruns of novelas, American-produced movies and exclusive content. |
TelevisaUnivision beams its terrestrial brands to affiliates. Some of its Mexico-based affiliates are owned by its parent Televisa throughTelevisa Regional network, airing a mixture of Televisa programming and regional programming from all four Mexico-based terrestrial networks. Foro is the only network that only has one full-time affiliate,XHTV, but some of Foro's programming can be found on most Televisa Regional television stations.
TelevisaUnivision also operates a subsidiary calledTelevisa Networks (often recognized within the entertainment industry by its previous moniker, Visat).[citation needed] This subsidiary is responsible for the distribution of TelevisaUnivision Mexico programs by satellite. It is Televisa Networks that distributes the Las Estrellas signal through satellite toEurope,Australia, andNew Zealand. As of 2019, the subsidiary is currently known asTelevisa Internacional with Televisa Networks being folded into the company's international division. Other channels under the Televisa Networks umbrella include:
Aside from Televisa Networks, TelevisaUnivision also operates US-based cable channels:
Univision and its executives have been recognized for their news, entertainment, humanitarian efforts and sports.
Univision News has been recognized with thePeabody, Walter Cronkite and Gracies awards for its special "Entre el abandono y el rechazo"; the King of Spain International (Digital) Journalism Award for "Niños de la Frontera" part of Univision Noticia's La Huella Digital; andGLAAD Media Awards in the categories Outstanding Local TV Journalism for "Cobertura de Spirit Day" byNoticias Univision 34 (KMEX-DT) and Outstanding Documentary for "Identidad sin fronteras" part of Panorámica, a Univision/Pivot co-production.[65][66][67][68][69] The Radio & Television News Association of Southern California (RTNA) also recognized Univision Noticias with eight Golden Mikes including the top honor, Broadcast Legend Award to Univision News anchorMaría Elena Salinas.[70] Univision News anchorJorge Ramos, described as "one of the most aggressive and influential newsmen in America" by Michael Scherer in his profile of Ramos published November 20, 2014, was named to the 2015TIME 100, the magazine's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.[71][72]
Univision's former president and CEO, Randy Falco, has been recognized byNational Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) with Board of Trustees' Award and by Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), with a Champion Award.[73][74] Univision is also the recipient of ReadyNation's 2015 Business Champion for Children Award.[75] The company's social impact initiative Univision Contigo has been recognized with a variety of awards, including Cynopsis Social Good Awards for its 2016 Vote For Your America campaign and its ongoing early childhood development initiative, Pequeños y Valiosos.[76][77]
Univision's sports network, Univision Deportes (TUDN) is recipient of two Sports Emmy Awards for Outstanding Live Sports Coverage in Spanish:2014 FIFA World Cup and Outstanding Studio Show in Spanish: Fútbol Central by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS); additionally, UDNs' President Juan Carlos Rodriguez has been bestowed the Sports Network Executive of the Year Navigator Award by Cynopsis, while UDN accepted awards in the categories 'Tech Innovation' and 'Best Spot Over:30.'[78][79]
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