Group Of Investors To Bid For Univision.

According to Radio & Records, a coalition that includes Mexico’s Grupo Televisa, Venezuela’s Venevision, private equity firm Providence Equity and billionaire Haim Saban is close to making an offer to acquire Hispanic media giant Univision Communications, sources tell Reuters. However, the news agency reports that the process was at an early stage, with no guarantee that a formal bid would emerge.

Two members of the group of potential acquisitors are already heavily involved with Univision on many levels: Televisa is the Univision Network’s main supplier of TV programming and holds an 11% interest in Univision. Venevision, controlled by the Cisneros family, holds roughly 13% of Univision stock and also supplies programming to Univision Network. Univision in February said it was exploring a sale of the company. The company’s stock closed Thursday up 21 cents, to $32.92.

Univision’s radio division was acquired in a $3.5 million merger acquisition of Hispanic Broadcasting Corp., which closed in October 2003.

— Adam Jacobson, R&R Management/Marketing/Sales Editor