TelevisaUnivision was formed in 2021 through the merger of Univision and Grupo Televisa’s television, content, and production businesses.
© Timon/stock.adobe.com
- Also Known As:
- Univision
- TelevisaUnivision, Inc.
- Univision Holdings, Inc.
TelevisaUnivision, Inc. is a Spanish-language media company serving audiences in the United States and Latin America through television, streaming services, and audio. Its properties include the U.S.–based Univision broadcast network, Mexico’s Las Estrellas network, and a range of cable channels, websites, and other media operations. Its programming includes news, telenovelas, variety shows, sports, and other genres, much of which has historically been produced in Mexico by Televisa.
The company was formed in 2021 through the combination of Univision Holdings and the media, content, and production assets of Grupo Televisa, bringing together one of the largest libraries of Spanish-language programming with extensive distribution throughout North and Latin America. TelevisaUnivision is based in Doral, Florida, and its chief executive officer is Daniel Alegre.
Origins and early expansion
The idea for a TV network for Spanish speakers throughout the U.S. originated with Emilio Azcárraga Vidaurreta, a Mexican media entrepreneur, in the 1950s. Azcárraga launched his first TV station in Mexico in 1951, and soon began exporting programs to other Spanish-speaking countries. He sent an employee, Rene Anselmo, to look for business prospects in the U.S., with the hope of launching a network that would air programming from his existing operation.
The first full-time Spanish-language TV station in the U.S. was KCOR-TV Channel 41 in San Antonio, which began operating in 1955. Its owner was Raoul A. Cortez, another Mexican-born entrepreneur who also ran a radio station.
In 1961, Cortez sold KCOR-TV to Azcárraga, who had recruited a team of financial backers based in the U.S. to comply with laws restricting foreign ownership of broadcasting licenses.
The following year, Azcárraga and his partners opened a new Spanish-language station in Los Angeles, KMEX Channel 34. The combined potential audience of the two stations was about two million. The group next expanded to Paterson, New Jersey, allowing them to reach New York City—the country’s largest Spanish-speaking market, about 12 miles away—and then into Fresno, California; Miami; San Francisco; and Phoenix. During this period, Azcárraga also built Telesistema, his Mexico City–based network, which later became Televisa.
Azcárraga died in 1972, leaving the company primarily in the hands of his son Emilio Azcárraga Milmo and Anselmo.
Key programs and personalities
Much of Univision’s programming has historically been produced in Mexico by Televisa, but the network has also developed original content for U.S. audiences. Its flagship news broadcast, Noticiero Univision, was anchored for decades by Jorge Ramos, one of the most prominent journalists in Spanish-language media.
The network also aired Sábado Gigante, a long-running variety show that became a staple of Spanish-language television in the United States after its debut on Univision in 1986.
Satellite distribution and network growth
In 1976, Spanish International Network (SIN), the branch of the business that provided programming, became the first commercial television network to regularly distribute its programming via satellite, transforming it from a group of regional stations into a national network. The shift allowed it to reach beyond major cities into smaller markets and rural areas, using satellite distribution in combination with low-power and repeater stations to extend its signal.
The satellite distribution system was part of a broader initiative—later associated with the name Univision—by Televisa to link Spanish-speaking audiences across regions. By 1978, stations in 10 U.S. cities were connected by satellite, and by 1980 the number had grown to 56. With its expanded reach, SIN launched the first nationally broadcast Spanish-language newscast in the U.S., Noticiero SIN.
Ownership conflict and sale (1980s)
After Azcárraga’s death, tensions grew among the company’s leadership, including Milmo, Anselmo, and other shareholders. The shareholders eventually filed suit, arguing that the Azcárraga family exercised excessive control over the company and was violating U.S. restrictions on foreign ownership of broadcast licenses.
The dispute drew the attention of federal regulators, and a Federal Communications Commission probe found that foreign influence over the company indeed exceeded legal limits. In 1986, the FCC required the owners to sell the company. The network was purchased by a group of investors led by Hallmark Cards, Inc., for about $600 million, and they gave it a new name: Univision.
Turnaround and growth under new ownership
Hallmark suffered a setback when Televisa withdrew its Mexican telenovelas from the network, representing much of its most popular programming.
In 1992, facing the prospect of bankruptcy, Hallmark sold the company to the investor A. Jerrold Perenchio, a former partner of American TV producer Norman Lear. Perenchio worked to stabilize Univision by putting more money into its stations, tightening management, and restoring its supply of programming. He later took the company public.
The ViX streaming service became part of TelevisaUnivision following the company’s 2021 merger with Grupo Televisa.
© Eric Thayer—Los Angeles Times/Getty Images
Growth and audience expansion in the 21st century
In the 21st century, as the U.S. Latino population grew, so did Univision’s audience.
In the 2010s, its awards show Premios Juventud regularly ranked among the most-watched programs in the key advertising demographic of adults ages 18 to 49. In 2019, the broadcast outperformed all English-language networks in that demographic during its time slot.
Merger with Televisa and corporate restructuring
In 2020, a group of investors took control of Univision, and Wade Davis, the former chief financial officer of Viacom, became CEO.
In 2021, Univision agreed to acquire Grupo Televisa’s media, content, and production assets in a deal valued at about $4.8 billion, combining them with its own operations to form TelevisaUnivision, one of the largest Spanish-language media companies.
Jorge Ramos spent decades as the anchor of Noticiero Univision, becoming one of the most prominent journalists in Spanish-language television in the United States.
© Kiko Huesca—EPA-EFE/Shutterstock.com
Univision’s news division has at times been a prominent voice on issues affecting Hispanic audiences, particularly immigration. Its relationship with President Donald Trump has been contentious. In 2015, after Trump announced his candidacy for president, Univision ended its business relationship with him following remarks he made about Mexican immigrants. The network declined to air the Miss Universe pageant, which Trump co-owned at the time.
In 2023, TelevisaUnivision aired an interview with Trump during his campaign for reelection. The broadcast drew criticism from some viewers and commentators, who argued that the interviewer failed to challenge several of Trump’s statements. Company executives said the decision reflected an effort to present a range of political perspectives.
Corporate structure and evolution
TelevisaUnivision is a major producer and distributor of Spanish-language media, combining broadcast, streaming, and audio operations to serve audiences throughout the United States and Latin America.
Its structure reflects a decades-long evolution from a small group of U.S. television stations into a multinational media company, shaped by cross-border partnerships, regulatory challenges, and changes in media technology.
Nick Tabor
