Univision facts for kids
 |
|
| Type | Free-to-air television network |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Affiliates | See list of affiliates |
| Headquarters | 605 Third Avenue New York, NY 10158 U.S. |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | Spanish |
| Picture format | 1080i HDTV 1080p via ATSC 3.0 in some markets (re-scaled to 16:9 480i for some affiliated stations) |
| Timeshift service |
|
| Ownership | |
| Owner | TelevisaUnivision |
| Key people | Wade Davis (CEO) |
| Sister channels |
|
| History | |
| Launched | September 29, 1962 |
| Founder | Debateable: Raoul A. Cortez, Emilio Nicolas Sr., Rene Anselmo |
| Former names | Spanish International Network (1962–1987) |
| Availability | |
| Streaming media | |
| FuboTV | Live Stream |
| YouTube TV | Internet Protocol television |
| Vidgo | Internet Protocol television |
Univision (Spanish pronunciation: [uniβiˈsjon]) is a major American Spanish-language free-to-air television network. It is owned by TelevisaUnivision. Univision is the biggest provider of Spanish-language shows in the United States. Its programs are made for the Latino community. These include telenovelas (soap operas), sports, sitcoms, reality shows, news, and Spanish-language movies. Univision's main office is in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Its main studios and operations are in Doral, Florida (near Miami).
You can watch Univision through pay television providers across most of the United States. It has local stations in over 60 areas with many Latin American people. Many of these stations offer local news and other local shows. In big cities like Los Angeles, Miami, and New York City, the local news on Univision's stations are very popular.
Contents
How Univision Started
The Early Days: Spanish International Network
Univision began in 1955. That's when Raoul A. Cortez started KCOR-TV in San Antonio, Texas. It was the first TV station in the U.S. to broadcast only in Spanish. In 1961, Cortez sold KCOR-TV (now KWEX-TV) to a group led by Mexican media owner Emilio Azcárraga Vidaurreta. His company was Telesistema Mexicano, which later became Televisa.
On September 29, 1962, Azcárraga and his partners started a second Spanish-language station, KMEX-TV, in Los Angeles. KWEX and KMEX became the start of the Spanish International Network (SIN). This was the first TV network in the U.S. to broadcast in a language other than English.
From 1963 to 1987, Rene Anselmo managed SIN from New York. He helped SIN grow to other cities like New York City, Fresno, California, and Miami. By 1971, these stations were part of the Spanish International Communications Corporation (SICC).
Over the next 15 years, SIN and SICC created more popular Spanish-language TV stations. These included stations in Phoenix and San Francisco. In 1976, the network started sending its shows by satellite. This made it easier for cable television providers to carry the network. SIN then added stations in cities like Dallas and Houston.
Becoming Univision
In 1986, things changed for SIN. In 1987, a company called Hallmark Cards and Televisa bought a large part of the network. They formed Univision Holdings Inc. to run the network and its stations. The new group also changed the network's name to Univision.
Joaquin Blaya became the new CEO of Univision. He brought in popular shows like El Show de Cristina with Cristina Saralegui and Sábado Gigante with Don Francisco. These shows became very famous and ran for many years. Univision also started its first morning show, Mundo Latino.
To appeal to all Hispanic and Latino people, Univision decided to use neutral Spanish. This meant avoiding slang or humor that only certain nationalities would understand. They also made sure to use only Spanish in their shows and ads. In 1988, Univision started making more of its own shows in the U.S. This meant half of its programs were made in the U.S. and half were imported from Latin America.
One of the first U.S.-produced shows was TV Mujer ("Woman TV"). It was a talk show for Hispanic women. However, after Hallmark bought the network, Televisa stopped providing its popular telenovelas. Univision tried to use soap operas from South America, but fewer people watched. The network also faced financial problems.
Changes and Growth in the 1990s and 2000s
In 1992, Hallmark sold Univision to a new group. This group included Jerry Perenchio, Emilio Azcárraga Milmo, and brothers Ricardo and Gustavo Cisneros. This deal gave Univision access to many shows from Televisa and Venevision.
After the sale, Univision increased its investment in its stations. They expanded staff, improved news sets, and bought new equipment. In Los Angeles, KMEX-Channel 34 became very successful. It even started beating English-language stations in ratings. This was a big achievement for a Spanish-language station.
In 1996, Univision became a public company. They also focused on creating shows that would appeal to both immigrants and people born in the U.S. They increased their own show production, especially news, talk, and variety shows. Univision also started scheduling its prime-time telenovelas for different age groups.
By 1998, Univision's ratings had almost doubled. It became the fifth most-watched American broadcast network. This showed that it was attracting bilingual viewers away from English-language networks. Popular new shows like El Gordo y La Flaca ("The Scoop and the Skinny") helped with this growth.
In 2001, Univision expanded by taking over stations in Puerto Rico. They also acquired stations in cities like Raleigh, North Carolina, Baltimore, Cleveland, Philadelphia, and Atlanta. This helped Univision reach even more homes.
In 2002, Univision bought Hispanic Broadcasting Corp., a large Spanish-language radio company. This led to the creation of Univision Radio.
In the mid-2000s, Univision faced some challenges. There was a disagreement with Televisa about editing shows and payment for sports rights. Also, some popular TV personalities left Univision to join its rival, Telemundo. Despite this, Univision continued to grow. By the middle of the decade, it often had higher viewership than some English-language networks among young adults.
On April 7, 2005, Univision aired Selena ¡VIVE! ("Selena Lives!"), a tribute concert for singer Selena. This concert became the most-watched Spanish-language program in American television history.
In 2006, Univision Communications was sold to a group of investment firms. This sale was completed in 2007. In 2009, Univision launched its own production company, Univision Studios. This studio would create original shows for Univision and its sister network, TeleFutura (now UniMás).
Univision in the 2010s and 2020s
In September 2011, Univision reached a big milestone. It became the #1 network in ratings among all American broadcast TV networks for the 18–49 age group. This was helped by a soccer match and a reality show finale.
In October 2011, Televisa bought a small part of Univision again. They also extended their agreement to provide shows to Univision until at least 2020. This deal included rights for Univision to stream Televisa content online and on mobile devices.
On October 17, 2012, Univision updated its logo. The new logo looks like a heart and represents its slogan: "The Hispanic Heartbeat of the United States." This new look showed Univision's growth as a multi-platform media company.
In 2012, Univision and ABC News announced they would create a new English-language news channel called Fusion. It launched in 2013 and was aimed at English-speaking Hispanic and Latino audiences.
In February 2020, Searchlight Capital Partners and ForgeLight LLC bought a majority share in Univision. Televisa kept a smaller share. Wade Davis became the new CEO. In April 2021, Televisa increased its ownership and merged its media assets with Univision. This created the new parent company, TelevisaUnivision.
In 2021, Univision bought back local stations in Tampa, Florida, Orlando, Florida, and Washington, D.C..
Univision's Shows
Univision broadcasts shows for about 164 hours each week. Most of its programming comes from Televisa, especially telenovelas from Mexico. These shows usually air on Univision a few weeks after they first appear in Mexico.
Univision also makes its own original shows. These include reality competition series like Nuestra Belleza Latina ("Our Latin Beauty") and La Banda ("The Band"). They also produce national news programs and entertainment news shows like El Gordo y La Flaca.
The network's most famous show, Sabado Gigante, hosted by Don Francisco, aired every Saturday night from 1986 to 2015. After it ended, Univision continued the Saturday evening tradition with other variety shows.
Univision also airs drama and variety series in the afternoon. Weekend lineups often include scripted series and variety shows. Sitcoms used to be a big part of the schedule but are less common now.
English Subtitles
Since January 30, 2012, Univision has offered English closed captions for some of its shows. These captions are mainly for its evening telenovela block, Monday through Friday. They are meant to help Hispanic viewers and others who are not fluent in Spanish. Some weekend shows also have English captions.
News Programs
Univision has a news division called Noticias Univision ("Univision News"). It produces the main newscast, Noticiero Univision, which airs twice a day. They also produce the morning news and lifestyle show ¡Despierta América! ("Wake Up America!"). Other news shows include Primer Impacto and the Sunday morning talk show Al Punto ("To the Point").
In 1987, Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas became co-anchors of Noticiero Univision. In 1994, the newsmagazine Primer Impacto ("First Impact") began. In 1997, ¡Despierta América! launched as a Spanish-language morning show.
Today, Univision's news programs are very popular. They often have more viewers than other Spanish-language news shows. Local Univision stations also produce their own news programs, usually in the early and late evenings.
Sports on Univision
Univision has a sports division called Univision Deportes. It produces sports content for Univision and its sister channels. Univision broadcasts soccer matches from Liga MX (Mexico's top league) and games involving the Mexico and United States men's national teams. They also show matches from tournaments like the CONCACAF Gold Cup and Copa América.
The network used to have the Spanish language rights to the FIFA World Cup until 2014. Now, those rights belong to Telemundo. Univision Deportes also produces sports talk shows like República Deportiva and Contacto Deportivo ("Contact Sports").
Kids' Shows
Children's programming has always been a part of Univision. In the past, many kids' shows were from Televisa or other partners.
In 1989, Univision launched a block called Univision y Los Niños. It featured Spanish-dubbed versions of Japanese anime and American cartoon shows. Later, in 1991, they introduced "Chispavision," which included the popular El Show de Xuxa ("The Xuxa Show").
In 1995, Univision started airing Plaza Sésamo ("Sesame Plaza"), the Spanish version of Sesame Street. This show was very successful. In 1997, Univision moved its kids' shows only to Saturday mornings to make room for its new morning news show.
In 2007, Univision faced a fine for claiming some telenovelas were educational for kids when they weren't. To fix this, in 2008, Univision launched a new Saturday morning children's programming block called Planeta U ("Planet U"). This block features Spanish-dubbed versions of American children's programs like Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go!.
In 2014, a sub-block called "Disney Junior en Univision" was added to "Planeta U." It shows dubbed versions of Disney Junior series like Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.
Special Events
Univision broadcasts several annual special events. These include major Latin American award shows. Since 1983, they have shown Premios TVyNovelas, which honors Mexican TV programs.
Since 1989, Univision has hosted Premio Lo Nuestro ("Our Thing Awards"). This show celebrates the best artists in Latin music. In 2004, they launched Premios Juventud ("Youthfulness Awards"), which lets viewers choose their favorite Hispanic and Latino stars in film, music, sports, and pop culture.
In 2005, Univision gained the rights to broadcast the Latin Grammy Awards. They also partnered with Fundación Teletón in 2012 to create Teletón USA. This is a 28-hour telethon that raises money for children with disabilities, cancer, and autism.
Univision also broadcasts an annual New Year's Eve special, ¡Feliz!, and Spanish-language coverage of the Rose Parade.
Univision Stations
As of June 2018, Univision owns and operates 27 stations. It also has agreements with 37 other TV stations. This means Univision reaches about 58% of all homes in the United States. This makes it the largest American Spanish broadcast TV network by how many people it can reach.
In some areas, where there isn't a local Univision station, the network provides a national cable network feed. This feed is sent directly to cable, satellite, and IPTV providers.
Other Univision Services
Sister Channels
- UniMás: This is another Spanish-language TV network owned by Univision. It launched in 2002 as TeleFutura and changed its name in 2013. It shows telenovelas, soccer, and movies, often aimed at young men.
- Galavisión: This is a cable and satellite network that started in 1979. It shows a mix of telenovelas, comedy series, news, sports, and specials from Televisa.
- TUDN: This is a sports channel that Univision operates with Televisa. It launched in 2012 as Univision Deportes Network. It shows soccer matches and other sports.
- Fusion TV: This is an American pay TV news and satire channel. It is owned by Univision and uses resources from Univision's news division.
- Univision tlnovelas: This digital cable and satellite network launched in 2012. It shows many telenovelas from Televisa, including some that have never aired in the U.S. before.
Online Video Services
Univision offers ways to watch its shows online and on demand. This includes its TV Everywhere service UVideos and Univision on Demand. You can also find some Univision content on services like Hulu and iTunes.
UVideos
In 2012, Univision launched UVideos, a streaming service. It has a website and a mobile app for phones and tablets. You can watch full episodes of Univision shows, as well as shows from UniMás and Galavisión. Most new episodes are available the day after they air for people who subscribe to participating TV providers. The service also has original digital content and English subtitles for most shows.
Univision NOW
In 2015, Univision launched Univision NOW. This is a subscription streaming service that doesn't require a TV provider. It has shows from both Univision and UniMás. You can watch telenovelas, news, reality shows, and sports. New episodes are available the day after they air and can be watched for seven days. You can also watch live streams of both networks and local news from some Univision stations.
Univision HD
Univision broadcasts its main signal in 1080i high definition. This means the picture is very clear and detailed. Univision started broadcasting in HD on January 1, 2010. The first HD program was the Tournament of Roses Parade. Many of Univision's shows, including telenovelas, sports, and news, are now in high definition.
Univision in Other Countries
Mexico
People in Mexico can watch Univision shows if they live close to the Mexico–United States border. Signals from U.S. Univision stations can be received in these areas.
Canada
Univision has a limited presence in Canada. However, in 2014, a Canadian cable channel called TLN en Español relaunched as Univision Canada. This was through a special agreement with Univision Communications.
Caribbean
In the Caribbean, Univision is broadcast on affiliated stations in Puerto Rico. These stations are owned by Liberman Media Group and are known as TeleOnce. They show a mix of programs from the main Univision network. Univision programming is also available on many cable and satellite providers in other parts of the Caribbean.
Disputes with TV Providers
Sometimes, Univision has disagreements with TV providers about how much they should pay to carry Univision's channels.
- In 2016, Univision channels were temporarily removed from AT&T U-verse due to a dispute. They were returned later that month.
- In 2017, Charter Spectrum also had a dispute with Univision. Univision channels were temporarily unavailable to Charter customers. A court ordered Univision to restore the channels while negotiations continued.
- In 2018, Univision had a dispute with Dish Network and Sling TV. Many subscribers lost access to Univision channels. A new agreement was reached in 2019, bringing the channels back to Dish.
See also
In Spanish: Univision para niños
- List of Spanish-language television networks in the United States
- List of United States television networks
- Telemundo
Images for kids
-
A Univision float in the 2010 North Hudson Cuban Day Parade in Union City, New Jersey
