Univision

Univision is a large television network in the United States that shows programs in Spanish. It is the biggest source of Spanish-language content in the country and is owned by TelevisaUnivision. The network has many kinds of shows, including telenovelas, which are popular drama series. It also shows sports, sitcoms, reality shows, news, and movies from Spanish-speaking countries.

The main office of Univision is in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. They have big studios and offices in Doral, Florida, near Miami. People can watch Univision on pay television providers in most of the United States, especially in places with many Latino families. Univision has local stations in over 60 areas, and in big cities like Los Angeles, Miami, and New York City, their local news programs are very popular.

Over the years, Univision has had different leaders. Randy Falco was CEO from June 2011 until he retired in March 2018. Vincent L. Sadusky became CEO after that, but in December 2020, Wade Davis took over as the new CEO. Today, Univision remains an important part of entertainment and news for Spanish-speaking families in America.

History

Beginning as Spanish International Network

Univision began in 1955 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. The station wasn’t very successful at first, but in 1961, it was sold to Emilio Azcárraga Vidaurreta, a Mexican entertainment businessman. His team improved the station by adding more shows, mostly from Mexico.

In 1962, a second Spanish-language station, KMEX-TV, was launched in Los Angeles. KCOR-TV and KMEX-TV became the core of the Spanish International Network (SIN), the first U.S. TV network to broadcast in a language other than English. SIN grew quickly, adding stations in New York City, Fresno, California, and Miami. By 1976, SIN started sending its programs through a satellite, making it easier for cable companies to show the network.

Relaunch as Univision

In 1987, the network was sold to a group that included Hallmark Cards and Televisa. They changed the name to Univision. New shows were created, like the talk show El Show de Cristina and the variety show Sábado Gigante. Univision also began making its own morning program, Mundo Latino.

Univision made a rule to use neutral Spanish in its shows, avoiding words or jokes that only one group of Spanish speakers would understand. They also stopped using English in most of their programming.

Revamp and competition with Telemundo in the 1990s and 2000s

In the 1990s, Univision was bought by a group that included A. Jerrold Perenchio and Gustavo Cisneros. They wanted to focus more on shows made in the U.S. and less on shows from other countries. However, some worry that Univision might start showing more imported shows instead of making its own.

Univision made big changes to its station in Los Angeles, KMEX, improving its news programs and adding new equipment. They also bought the first Spanish-language TV station in Houston, KXLN.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Univision started to attract more viewers who usually watched English-language networks. By 1998, it became the fifth most-watched network in the U.S. They added new shows like the newsmagazine El Gordo y La Flaca.

In 2006, Univision was sold to a group of investors for $12.3 billion. The network continued to grow, adding more stations and shows. In 2011, Univision reached its first #1 ranking in TV ratings, beating even English-language networks for a short time.

2020s

In 2020, a new group of investors bought most of Univision. Televisa kept a smaller share and merged its operations with Univision, creating TelevisaUnivision.

In 2023, Univision co-hosted a debate for Republican candidates, which led to some controversy. In 2024, Univision added new stations in Indiana. In 2025, TelevisaUnivision had a dispute with Google, resulting in their channels being removed from YouTube TV during Hispanic Heritage Month.

Programming

Univision is a Spanish-language TV network in the United States. It offers many kinds of shows such as telenovelas, series, sports, sitcoms, reality shows, news, and movies from Spain and Latin America.

The network has 164 hours of programming each week. It provides entertainment for all ages and has a children's block called "Planeta U" on Saturdays. Univision makes its own shows like reality competitions, news programs, and sports discussions. It also shows popular variety shows and many programs from Mexico.

Stations

Main article: List of Univision affiliates

Univision has 27 stations it owns and works with, plus 37 more that show its shows. These stations are in 25 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. Together, they can be seen in about 58% of all homes in the United States that have a TV. This makes Univision the largest Spanish-language TV network in the country.

In some places, Univision uses smaller stations that can also be seen on bigger stations' extra channels. One of its biggest partners is Entravision Communications, which helps show Univision in many areas, including Boston. For places without their own local station, Univision also offers its shows through cable, satellite, and IPTV services.

Related services

Current sister channels

UniMás

Main article: UniMás

UniMás is a Spanish-language TV network owned by Univision Communications. It began in 2002 and shows programs for young adults, including telenovelas, soccer, classic shows, and movies, mostly in Spanish.

Galavisión

Main article: Galavisión

Galavisión is a cable and satellite channel that began in 1979. It shows Spanish movies, telenovelas, comedy, news, sports, and special programs from Televisa.

TUDN

Main article: TUDN (TV network)

TUDN is a sports channel that works with Univision and Televisa. It began in 2012 and shows soccer and other sports events.

Fusion TV

Main article: Fusion TV

Fusion TV is a news and comedy channel owned by Univision. It also streams online and on mobile devices.

Univision tlnovelas

Univision tlnovelas is a digital channel that began in 2012. It shows telenovelas from Televisa.

Video-on-demand services

Univision offers video on demand through UVideos, Univision on Demand, Hulu, iTunes, and Verizon’s go90. UVideos, launched in 2012, streams full episodes of Univision shows the day after they air. Univision NOW, launched in 2015, is a subscription service that lets viewers watch live TV and on-demand content without needing a cable subscription.

UVideos

Univision NOW

Univision HD

Univision’s main channel broadcasts in high definition. It began high-definition broadcasting in 2010. Most shows, including telenovelas, sports, and news, are in HD.

Other channels distributed by Univision

Univision distributes several Mexican TV channels in the U.S., including Bandamax, De Película, De Película Clásico, FOROtv, RMS, and TeleHit.

Univision America

See also: Univision Radio

Univision America is a Spanish-language talk radio network that began in 2012. It talks about issues important to Hispanic and Latino Americans and gives news updates. It can be heard in several cities and online through iHeartRadio.

International broadcasts

Mexico

Univision shows can be watched in Mexico through stations near the Mexico–United States border. These include KBNT-CD in San Diego, KUVE-DT in Tucson, Arizona, KINT-TV in El Paso, KLDO-TV in Laredo, and KNVO in McAllen. Their signals reach northern Mexico. Some of these stations are also available on TV services in Mexico, including in Mexico City. You can watch them through stations like WLTV from Miami, WXTV from the New York City, and KMEX from Los Angeles.

Canada

Univision has a small presence in Canada, mainly through the Seattle station KVOS serving parts of the Vancouver area and WQHS-DT in London, Ontario. On January 28, 2014, Toronto-based Corus Entertainment announced it would change its Spanish-language channel TLN en Español into a Canadian version of Univision. This happened on May 5, 2014, through an agreement with Univision’s parent company.

Caribbean

In the Caribbean, Univision is shown on station WLII-DT in Caguas-San Juan and its satellite stations WSUR-DT in Ponce and WOLE-DT in Aguadilla. These stations are owned by Liberman Media Group and are known as TeleOnce. They don’t show all the same programs as Univision in the United States, but you can watch Univision through cable and satellite services using Miami station WLTV or WLII.

Carriage disputes

Univision had trouble getting its channels on some TV services.

On March 4, 2016, AT&T U-verse stopped showing Univision, UniMás, Galavisión, Univision Deportes Network, and Univision tlnovelas because they could not agree on prices. The channels returned on March 24, 2016.

Later, on January 31, 2017, Charter Spectrum also stopped showing these channels after a disagreement. But on February 2, a court said Univision had to bring them back while they kept talking.

In October 2017, Verizon FiOS stopped showing Univision’s channels too, even though they had an agreement to keep them.

In July 2018, Dish Network and Sling TV also stopped showing Univision’s channels. They came back for Dish customers in April 2019, but Sling customers still did not get them back.