Why Former Viacom CFO’s Huge Univision Deal Makes Sense
Searchlight Capital Partners and Wade Davis’ ForgeLight this week purchased 64% of Univision for an undisclosed — but definitely large — sum of money. Why was the Spanish-language broadcaster, which has reportedly been plagued by internal complaints about corporate leadership and lack of strategy, so attractive to Davis, the former Viacom CFO? The network’s Nielsen TV ratings dominance coupled with the rapid growth of the U.S. Latino population, a majority of whom speak Spanish, opens up a world of possibility. Univision has been the No. 1 Spanish-language network in the U.S. for 27 consecutive seasons among adults 18-49, which is the demographic most coveted by advertisers. It’ll be 28 in a few months, as Univision is currently beating Telemundo by 19% in Monday-Sunday primetime and by a whopping 36% in in terms of total day. Also Read: Univision Sold: Searchlight Capital, ForgeLight Buy Majority Stake in Spanish-Language Network Let’s break that total day — defined as 6 a.m.-2 a.m. — down a bit into smaller morsels: Early morning: +105% Daytime: +59% Early fringe: +40% Primetime* (8-11 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 7-11 p.m. on Sundays): +19% Late fringe: +82% Weekend daytime: +20% (*In Monday-Friday — “weekday” — primetime, Telemundo has the advantage among adults 18-49.)...
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