TelevisaUnivision Sees Double-Digit Volume Growth in Upfront

Another big company has crossed the upfront finish line. TelevisaUnivision has completed its upfront negotiations, a source familiar with the matter told Adweek. The company secured double-digit volume growth for the best upfront outcome in seven years. Pricing was also strong, with CPM (cost per thousand viewers reached) increasing in the high single digits. Demand was solid across the portfolio, with notable interest around sports, especially soccer, and cultural tentpoles. Donna Speciale Won’t Dance Around the Importance of Hispanic Media at Univision Upfront Streaming service Vix was also a favorite among clients, with 70% of clients that made investments in linear also leaning into Vix for incremental reach. According to the source, investment in Vix, which includes an AVOD tier and an SVOD tier and hosts more than 50,000 hours of Spanish-language content in its app, more than doubled. TelevisaUnivision saw growth in tech, pharmaceutical and financial categories, with substantial increases in commitments. There was also enthusiasm around new ad formats, including the company's Hispanic household data graph, which drove 100% growth in audience revenue, and customer content and sponsorships, especially through digital and social channels. It is the fourth upfront week presenter to wrap negotiations, following The CW, Paramount and Fox. TelevisaUnivision's CPM gains are in line those other companies: Paramount and The CW had CPM increases in the high single-digits, and Fox reported gains in the 9-12% range. Though the company secured greater volume in 2022, CPM increases were much stronger in 2021, with Univision securing double-digit gains. At the time, its AVOD streaming service, PrendeTV, saw high demand. However, the brand is now under the Vix umbrella along with Blim TV. First post-merger upfront This was the first combined upfront event for the Spanish-language media and content company following Univision and Televisa’s merger last January. And ad sales chief Donna Speciale explained to Adweek in May that both linear, which grew 7% across core TV networks, and its Vix streaming service, were "huge priorities." "If you’re coming to and you want to get into this Hispanic audience and make a difference, you’re really not one or the other. You should be doing both because it’s added reach. Streaming lends itself to younger audiences. We’re on average 14, 15 years younger than the general market, so we’re already younger, even on our linear business—but we’re going to hone in on the 34-year-old a little bit stronger on streaming," Speciale said. The ad sales chief added that advertising in both linear and streaming addresses consumer behavior. "It’s really trying to follow that consumer behavior—and don’t forget our content on linear is consumed very differently than the general market. Our novellas are stories and they’re on five days a week. So we’ve been binging. It’s not like appointment TV, where you watch must-see TV on Thursday at 9 and then you wait a week. It is storytelling five days a week. Which is why more than 90% of our content on linear is original, live," Speciale said. Speciale noted to Adweek that TelevisaUnivision had the added need in the upfront to champion Hispanic audiences to marketers. The company took more steps towards that recently, announcing a partnership with VideoAmp that utilizes the company's data to power advanced advertising solutions and better reach U.S. Hispanics. TelevisaUnivision’s Hispanic household graph, which covers more than 85% of U.S. Hispanic households, is at the center of the partnership. VideoAmp will make that data richer to power planning, targeting, cross-platform measurement and currency solutions.

TV Upfronts

TelevisaUnivision Sees Double-Digit Volume Growth and Strong CPM Gains in Upfront

The media company is the fourth upfront week presenter to cross the finish line

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