(Miami,
FL; Los Angeles,
CA; New York City,
NY and Mexico City,
Mexico) Univision
Holdings, Inc. as the proud owner of Univision Communications, Inc., has
experienced strong recent growth and performance. In fact, the recent strong performance can be
described in the following four ways.
First, Univision has been a top five broadcast television network, for
the last consecutive 16 years. The
latter, is for Hispanic/Latino adults who are 18 to 49, years of age. Second; for the fourth quarter of the 2019
business year, Univision had a rapidly growing portfolio. In fact, Univision’s prime time networks
where ranked in the U.S.A.’s
top 10. Third; when talking about
compared season to date, and in comparison to the same period of time in the
past, UniMás had a 41% prime time audience growth. UniMás is Univision’s second television
broadcast network. Fourth, in the year
2019 Univision aired 61 of the top 100 soccer matches. The latter, means that Univision is the home
to more than half, of all television viewed soccer in the United
States of America. Recently, Searchlight Capital Partners, LP
and Forgelight, LLC announced that, they have a definitive agreement to acquire
Univision Holdings, Inc. Specifically,
the aforementioned businesses revealed that, they are going to own 64%. Interestingly, the remaining 36% will be kept
by Mexico’s
Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. Regrettably, the
details of the definitive agreement to acquire, were not made public.
The details of the definitive
agreement to acquire, which were not made public, include the current owners of
Univision Holdings, Inc. For example and
as part of the announcement it was revealed that, the 64% ownership percentage
is from “The Sponsor Group.” The latter,
was revealed to include Madison Dearborn Partners, Providence Equity Partners,
TPG, Thomas H. Lee Partners and Saban Capital Group. However and returning to; Univision
Communications, Inc., the aforementioned contemporary media company, is also
known as simply Univision. As a
contemporary media company; it aims to entertain, inform and empower
Hispanics/Latinos. The previously said;
is accomplished through news, sports and entertainment media content. This media content is made available to a
viewing audience through broadcast television, cable television, audio
platforms and digital platforms. The
portfolio is made up of Univision, UniMás, Galavisión and TUDN. The first two, are conventional television
broadcast networks. Meanwhile, the third
and the fourth are cable television networks.
On a local level, Univision Communications, Inc. is the owner of the
following. It owns and/or operates 65
broadcast television stations, in major Latino markets of the U.S.A. The aforementioned business, also owns
Uforia. The latter, is Latin music. Additionally; Uforia owns and/or operates 58
radio stations, 89 affiliate radio stations, a live event series and a wide
digital audio footprint.
Returning to, the definitive
agreement to acquire, the aforementioned makes a new set of business
partnerships. The new set of business
partnerships is between Grupo Televisa, S.A.B., and, Searchlight Capital
Partners, LP & Forgelight, LLC. As a
result, Wade Davis will become the C.E.O. of Univision Holdings, Inc. when the
transaction officially closes. The
aforementioned person, is the Founder of Forgelight, LLC. As far as Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. is
concerned, this media company will keep its Program License Agreement. Additionally, the new Univision Holdings,
Inc. will continue to use Televisa’s media content, in the official television
programming. Overall it is hoped that;
this new set of business partnerships will be able to accelerate growth, and,
expand the portfolio. In reference to,
expand the portfolio, the aforementioned is best characterized in the following
way. Advertising products, a
substantially enhanced digital presence and the use of Televisa’s best in class
media content is how; expand the portfolio is characterized. This definitive agreement to acquire is still
subject to customary closing conditions.
The latter, includes government regulatory approvals. Finally, the transaction is expected to be
finalized, later on this year.
Vince Sadusky is the Chief Executive
Officer of Univision Holdings, Inc.
Through a press statement, Mr. Sadusky said the following. “We are a re-energized and refocused company,
and today marks the start of an exciting new chapter with partners that
recognize the excellent position Univision is in. I want to thank our talented employees for
their hard work and dedication—I’m so proud of everything we have accomplished
that has led us to this great outcome.
Both Searchlight and Wade are wholly supportive of Univision’s core
mission to entertain, inform and empower Hispanic America and fully embrace the
commitment and special bond we have with our audience. Our talented operating team has transformed
Univision to be strategically, operationally and financially stronger than it
has been in years. We have made
important moves—strengthened programming, secured many major distribution
deals, closed our strongest Upfront in four years, divested non-core assets,
and enhanced our news, sports, local and digital offerings. Our partnership with Televisa has never been
stronger and continues to create an unstoppable, world-class content machine,
as evidenced by Univision being one of only two broadcast groups to grow
viewership this season. Our Latin Grammy
Awards and Premio Lo Nuestro are the only major award shows on broadcast
television delivering year-over-year audience growth, and just last week Premio
Lo Nuestro beat every network in prime time.”
Vince Sadusky also said. “We are
also appreciative of the years of leadership and guidance from Chairman Haim
Saban along with the other sponsors, including Madison Dearborn Partners,
Providence Equity Partners, TPG and Thomas H. Lee Partners, which have been
supportive stewards of our business and mission. I remain committed to leading the company and
supporting a smooth and successful transition over the coming months to ensure
Univision is best positioned for the future ahead.”
Haim Saban is the Chairman of the
Board of Univision Holdings, Inc.
Through a press statement, Mr. Saban said the following. “On behalf of the entire Sponsor Group, we
are confident that we have found the right path forward with Searchlight and
ForgeLight. Our goal in launching a
comprehensive strategic review was to ensure that Univision was best positioned
for future growth and success, and we believe this is the ideal outcome. Univision serves a critical purpose, and the
value its programming brings to audiences, partners and communities is
immeasurable. We are proud of all that
Univision stands for and how much the company has accomplished over the years,
and we look forward to seeing Univision continue to grow and evolve under
Searchlight and Wade Davis’ leadership as it enters this exciting new chapter.”
Bernardo Gomez is the Co-Chief
Executive Officer of Grupo Televisa, S.A.B.
Additionally; Alfonso de Angoitia is the Co-Chief Executive Officer of
Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. Through a joint
press statement, Mr. Gomez and Mr. de Angoitia said the following. “Televisa’s decision to maintain its
partnership and ownership stake in Univision strongly reflects our deep
confidence in Searchlight and Wade’s leadership, as well as the continued
positive outlook we have for Univision as a long-term strategic
investment. Univision is an outstanding
media organization that will now be even better positioned to pursue its path
forward towards innovation and growth.
We view this transaction as a strong vote of confidence by Univision’s
new owners in Televisa’s insight, creativity and its place as an undisputed
leader in producing high-quality Spanish-language content targeting a dynamic
and growing audience demographic.”
To end, Searchlight Capital
Partners, LP and Forgelight, LLC did release press statements. Eric Zinterhofer is the Founding Partner of
Searchlight Capital Partners, LP.
Through a press statement, Mr. Zinterhofer said the following. “Univision has a proven track record of
success in reaching and serving the U.S. Hispanic community, who represent 1 in
5 Americans and growing. Most recently,
Univision and its talented employees have made great strides under the
leadership of Vince Sadusky and the stewardship of Chairman Haim Saban and the
full Sponsor Group. The strong support
of Televisa, a premier content producer in the Spanish speaking world, and Wade
Davis, a proven executive in areas which include advanced advertising and
digital distribution, further enhances our confidence in Univision’s bright
future.” Wade Davis is the Founder and
the Chief Executive Officer of Forgelight, LLC.
Through a press statement, Mr. Davis said the following. “First, I would like to thank the Sponsor
Group for their work to bring Univision to where it is today and for choosing
us to take the company forward. I am
proud to partner with Searchlight and Televisa to lead Univision at such an
exciting point in its history.
Univision’s leadership and connection with one of the most important
audiences in the U.S.
today creates an amazing platform to drive innovation, build market-defining
content and create an even deeper relationship with its audience. Vince and the entire Univision team have done
an outstanding job of refocusing the company over the past 18 months, which has
further enhanced the company’s position as a market leader in Spanish-language
media and created this incredible opportunity going forward.” Wade Davis also said. “I am honored to be partnering with Televisa
and Searchlight to help steward Univision into this next phase. Televisa has a shared history with Univision
dating back many years and a deep strategic relationship today. The context, insight and strategic content
that Televisa brings to Univision have been key to the company’s success. I have worked with Searchlight as a limited
partner, board member and friend since the team founded the firm. They are among the smartest and most value
additive investors in our industry and there is no one I would rather partner
with in this transaction. This group of
owners will be able to support the incredible team at Univision to deliver even
more value to its advertisers, distributors and most importantly, its
audience.” As previously stated,
Searchlight Capital Partners, LP and Forgelight, LLC recently announced that,
they have a definitive agreement to acquire Univision Holdings, Inc. Specifically, the aforementioned businesses
revealed that, they are going to own 64%.
Interestingly, the remaining 36% will be kept by Mexico’s
Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. Lastly and
regrettably, the details of the definitive agreement to acquire, were not made
public.
###
Written
from Press Release
Registered
Writer with
PR
Newswire Association, LLC
R-Berumen28
03/06/2020
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