Univision Could Become Nation's Largest Network
By Richard Prince, Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education
NEW YORK - As the demographic balance of the nation tilts away from an Anglo majority, the largest TV network in the country will soon be Hispanic. Univision CEO Joe Uva is confident they’re on target to achieve this in as little as three years. But will advertisers follow?," Steve McClellan asked in Adweek.
"With double-digit ratings growth so far this season, Univision is off to a better start than any of the major English-language nets. Uva believes he has the wind at his back in the ratings race.
"The new Census is expected to show a nearly 45 percent increase in the number of Hispanic Americans since 2000, to a total of 50 million. This couples with continuing audience erosion at the major networks and Univision’s recent deal with Mexican programmer Grupo Televisa, which locks up the source of much the network’s popular programming for at least another decade.
"Just a few years ago, the notion of Univision catching and surpassing them would have had mainstream network executives rolling in the aisles with laughter. They’re not laughing now. And they’re not talking publicly about it either: When asked to comment last week, all four nets refused."
