The Spanish-language TV giant may pitch itself to Disney, Viacom and Fox, but its sale likely won’t make much for investors.
Anecdotally, Univision Communications should have suitors lining up to kick its tires since it announced July 3 that it is for sale. After all, Hispanic Americans are 20 percent of the U.S. population and the nation’s second-fastest growing segment, according to Claritas, a marketing firm. Each Hispanic household will spend $2.5 million in a lifetime, about $539,000 more than the average white household, a statistic that whets the appetite of savvy advertisers.
The U.S. Hispanic audience "represents one of the very few certain growth opportunities in today's media," Univision crowed in its July 3 statement confirming that its board “is reviewing strategic options.”
Nonetheless, a deeper dive into Univision’s financials might indicate it will be difficult for its private investors — including Thomas H. Lee Partners, Providence Equity Partners and Madison Dearborn Partners — to make much of a profit on their $12.3 billion purchase in 2007.
