With eye on growing clout of Latinos, Univision files for IPO

Univision, the largest Spanish-language broadcaster in the US, is going public. The New York media titan filed for an initial public offering with the Securities and Exchange Commission without disclosing the number of shares it would offer or the price range. But analysts believe Univision could be valued at up to $20 billion in its market debut.The move comes at a time when the Spanish-speaking audience remains one of the nation's fastest-growing demographics, and has proved to be an increasingly vital group for advertisers.

A recent report by Spain-based nonprofit Instituto Cervantes said that the US now has more Spanish speakers than any country other than Mexico. The Hispanic US population is expected to reach 77 million by 2030 and account for more than a fifth of the nation's population, up 35 percent from 2014, according to a Univision regulatory filing released July 2. The demographic represents $1.3 trillion in buying power, a number expected to grow 30 percent by 2019. The Hispanic market also skews younger, with 60 percent of it in the 34-and-under group favored by advertisers. Univision, whose networks reach 49 million people each month, has long been expected to tap the public markets to help pay down a heavy debt load the company projects to be about $10 billion.


With eye on growing clout of Latinos, Univision files for IPO