Friday, June 13, 2014

Report: Univision On The Block

The owners of Univision Communications Inc., in their search for an exit, have held preliminary discussions in recent weeks with several media companies, including CBS Corp. and Time Warner Inc., according to a story at wsj.com.

Univision is controlled by a consortium of investors including billionaire Haim Saban. The owners are seeking north of $20 billion for the company, according to people familiar with the matter. The group bought Univision for $13.7 billion, including debt, in early 2007.

Univision has long been the dominant Spanish-language broadcaster in the U.S. Even so, there is no sign any of the preliminary discussions have led anywhere, however. Among other issues, one person familiar with the situation said, was the price.

The discussions come in the wake of two megamergers struck in the pay-television industry that are sending tremors across the media landscape.

Comcast Corp.'s proposed $45 billion purchase of Time Warner Cable  and AT&T Inc. $49 billion deal to buy DirecTV have left entertainment executives wondering whether they also need to bulk up to have leverage in negotiating against the soon-to-be giants.

Propelled by the country's rapidly growing Hispanic population, Univision's flagship network was the only one of the top five networks to increase its prime time viewership in the 2012-13 season in the coveted 18-49 demographic.

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