MEXICO · MEDIA
Key Facts
- The country Mexico is Latin America’s second-largest economy and home to Grupo Televisa, the largest shareholder of the Spanish-language media group TelevisaUnivision.
- Why it matters TelevisaUnivision reaches viewers in the United States, Mexico and more than 50 countries, so its results show how the World Cup year paid off for a US-Mexican media group.
- Why now TelevisaUnivision announced its third-quarter results on Thursday 29 October 2026, and the Mexican press detailed its figures on Friday 30 October.
- What happened TelevisaUnivision booked an operating loss of US$119 million on a US$372 million asset impairment, and net income fell 36.6% to US$57 million.
- The numbers Operating profit before depreciation, known as OIBDA, slipped 1% to US$461 million as operating expenses rose 14% to US$918 million on World Cup rights and content costs.
- What it means for you US viewers and advertisers reach Spanish-speaking audiences through a group whose revenue grew 9% while its profit shrank.
- Still open The World Cup’s own cost is not given as a single figure, so how much of the expense rise it explains is unclear.
- Power Index Mexico ranks 2nd of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 71.4 points (October 2026 edition).
In Plain English
TelevisaUnivision is a Spanish-language media group that produces and distributes content through broadcast channels in Mexico, the United States and more than 50 countries, and Grupo Televisa is its largest shareholder. ViX is its streaming service, sold in Mexico with paid plans.
OIBDA means operating income before depreciation and amortization, a common measure of operating profit. An impairment is an accounting charge that cuts the book value of an asset the company now judges to be worth less.
TelevisaUnivision, the Spanish-language media group that runs Univision in the United States and the ViX streaming service, posted a third-quarter operating loss of US$119 million, mainly because of a US$372 million impairment of television broadcast license assets, according to the Mexican business magazine Expansión. Net income fell 36.6% to US$57 million, while operating profit before depreciation and amortization (OIBDA) slipped 1% to US$461 million as World Cup costs lifted expenses.
Expansión published the figures on Friday 30 October 2026, a day after Grupo Televisa, TelevisaUnivision’s largest shareholder, said its share of the group’s income fell on lower net income at TelevisaUnivision. Peso figures here convert at the Banxico FIX rate of 18.7962 pesos per US dollar for Friday 30 October 2026, and Grupo Televisa’s own results are covered in Televisa Earns US$47M After Year-Ago Loss.
The Quarter in Numbers
Expansión says TelevisaUnivision’s operating expenses rose 14% to US$918 million, mainly on higher transmission-rights and content-production costs tied to the FIFA World Cup, as the company explained in its financial report. OIBDA fell 1% to US$461 million from US$466 million a year earlier.
The operating loss of US$119 million reflects mainly the US$372 million impairment, Expansión says, meaning the company recognized that certain television broadcast license assets on its books are now worth less than recorded. Net income was US$57 million, down 36.6% from US$90.5 million a year earlier, according to Radio Ink’s report on the 2025 results.
What the World Cup Cost
The tournament’s cost is not disclosed as a single figure, and Expansión links the expense rise only to rights and production costs. It adds that the broadcast rights were one of the main disputes between traditional broadcasters and streaming platforms, and that Grupo Televisa secured the exclusivity of the match licenses.
Grupo Televisa’s own results show the other side of the tournament, with residential revenue essentially flat partly because revenue from World Cup subscription packages was phased out. Its total revenue fell 3.8% to 14,077.7 million pesos (US$749.0 million), and its satellite revenue fell 20.5%.
Revenue Climbs 9%, Led by Mexico
Expansión says TelevisaUnivision’s revenue between June and September reached US$1.4 billion, up 9% from the US$1.27 billion Radio Ink reported for the 2025 quarter, driven mainly by Mexico, where subscription revenue rose 51% to US$665 million. The article gives neither a ViX subscriber count nor a separate ViX revenue figure.
ViX offered all 104 World Cup matches in Mexico on a plan priced at 799 pesos (US$42.51), while a 199-peso (US$10.59) plan covered 32 matches. In Mexico, Expansión puts advertising revenue at US$389 million, up 19% from a year earlier.
In the second quarter, Grupo Televisa’s loss came while streaming kept growing and its Sky satellite business lost subscribers, as covered in Televisa Slips Into the Red as Sky Fades and ViX Grows. The third quarter shows the same split, with satellite revenue down and the stake in TelevisaUnivision still contributing income.
What Televisa Earned From Its Stake
Grupo Televisa’s share of income of associates and joint ventures fell by 322.0 million pesos (US$17.1 million) to 521.0 million pesos (US$27.7 million) in the third quarter, from 843.0 million pesos (US$44.9 million) a year earlier. Televisa attributes the drop mainly to a lower share of TelevisaUnivision’s income, which reflected a decrease in TelevisaUnivision’s net income.
Televisa says TelevisaUnivision publishes its own quarterly financial information on its website and elsewhere, and that Televisa is not responsible for that information. It describes itself as the largest shareholder of TelevisaUnivision, which produces and distributes Spanish-language content in Mexico, the United States and more than 50 countries.
What It Means for You
US viewers and advertisers reach Spanish-speaking audiences through a group whose revenue grew 9% by Expansión’s count while its profit shrank. Operating expenses rose 14% against revenue growth of 9%, so the extra income from the tournament did not lift operating profit.
Investors in Grupo Televisa, which files with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, receive a smaller equity contribution from the stake this quarter. Further context sits on the Mexico coverage hub, and the next quarter will show whether the loss on broadcast licenses repeats.
What Is Not Known
TelevisaUnivision’s newsroom release of 29 October carries no figures and points to its investor-relations site, so the figures here rest on Expansión’s account and on Televisa’s description of the stake. Expansión does not say whether the US$665 million subscription and US$389 million advertising figures are for Mexico alone, as its wording suggests.
The World Cup’s own cost is not given as a single figure, so how much of the 14% expense rise it explains is unknown. It is also unclear whether the US$372 million impairment relates to Mexican or US broadcast licenses.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is TelevisaUnivision?
TelevisaUnivision is a Spanish-language media group that produces and distributes content through broadcast channels in Mexico, the United States and more than 50 countries. Grupo Televisa is its largest shareholder.
What is ViX?
ViX is TelevisaUnivision’s Spanish-language streaming service. In Mexico it offered all 104 World Cup matches on a plan priced at 799 pesos (US$42.51).
How much did TelevisaUnivision earn in the third quarter of 2026?
Expansión puts net income at US$57 million, down 36.6%, after an operating loss of US$119 million. The loss came mainly from a US$372 million impairment of broadcast license assets.
Did the World Cup raise TelevisaUnivision’s costs?
Yes, operating expenses rose 14% to US$918 million, mainly on transmission-rights and World Cup content costs, according to Expansión. OIBDA slipped 1% to US$461 million.
Does Grupo Televisa own TelevisaUnivision?
Grupo Televisa is the largest shareholder of TelevisaUnivision but not the sole owner, and it books its share as income from associates. That share fell to 521.0 million pesos (US$27.7 million) in the third quarter.
Sources: Grupo Televisa, third-quarter 2026 earnings press release, 29 October 2026; Grupo Televisa, Form 6-K filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, 30 October 2026; Banco de México, FIX exchange rate, 30 October 2026; TelevisaUnivision, third-quarter 2026 results announcement, 29 October 2026; Expansión, 30 October 2026; Radio Ink, TelevisaUnivision third-quarter 2025 results, 27 October 2025.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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