Big Bucks for Hispanic Eyeballs

Univision Communications, the largest Spanish language media company in the U.S. was sold to a group of private equity players for $12.3B. This comes after intense bidding by Grupo Televisa — a large media company in Mexico. Univision is the fifth most watched network in the U.S. and delivers the highly desirable and often elusive 18- to 24-year-old market segment. You can say the Hispanic advertising market is certainly coming of age.

All well and good, but last year The Kelsey Group conducted a client survey and research and analysis about the Hispanic market could not have scored lower in terms of client interest. At recent TKG conferences, we have offered sessions focused on the Hispanic market opportunity in the U.S. and around the world — and there were few takers.

The buyers of Univision — Texas Pacific Group, Thomas H. Lee Partners, Madison Dearborn Partners and Providence Equity Partners — should ring a familiar tune with the Yellow Pages industry. Many of these private equity players have had hugely successful plays in the Yellow Pages industry in recent years.

If at coming TKG conferences we offer additional sessions on the opportunities for selling directional advertising to the Hispanic market, perhaps we'll now be able to fill a room. After all, the private equity market has now placed its seal of approval on the market. Sound familiar?