Why the Latino boom that built Univision could ultimately hurt it

*We’ve been saying this for a while, and the Univision brass has made some moves – partnering with ABC on Fusion, going public – that lead us to believe that they see it as well. The Univision behemoth is struggling to make a profit as second and third generation Latinos turn away from Spanish language TV. VL


washingtonpostBy Thad Morore, The Washington Post

For years, Univision has had the Spanish-language TV market wrapped up.

Its flagship channel is the fifth-most watched network in America. It had better prime time ratings than at least one of the big four networks — ABC, CBS Fox and NBC — most nights during its first quarter. Nearly one in three Americans who watched the World Cup final last year were watching Univision — a record 9.2 million people.

[pullquote]”As viewers become younger and younger, maybe Spanish isn’t their primary language.”[/pullquote]

Now the company is planning to go public, hoping to capitalize on Wall Street’s interest in America’s growing Hispanic population. It is expected to be one of the year’s biggest initial public offerings.

But [tweet_dis]Univision’s dominance has slipped as traditional networks jockey for a slice of the Hispanic market, and despite its top spot, it has struggled to turn a profit.[/tweet_dis] And all the while, Spanish-language media faces a fundamental question: Will second-generation Hispanic Americans tune in?

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[Photo courtesy of Univision Facebook]
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