Dish Dispute Hurt Earnings For Univision in 1st Quarter

A carriage dispute that blacked Univision out on Dish Network hurt the Spanish-language media companies first quarter earnings.

The dispute was resolved in March.

Univision’s first quarter net income was $24.3 million compared to $47.4 million a year ago.

Revenue dropped 8.2% to $611.9 million.

Media Network revenue fell 8.7% to $560.6 million. Ad revenue fell 4.8% to $287 million. Non-advertising revenue dropped 12.4% to $273.6 million.

“Hispanics are expected to continue to drive significant growth in jobs, GDP, household formation and voter turnout in America,” said CEO Vince Sadusky. “We are proud to have the most trusted brand in Hispanic America. Our reprioritization on our core assets drove sequential ratings growth in the first quarter, where the Univision Network extended its season-to-date ratings lead among Adults 18-49 to double digits over our nearest competitor in primetime. This represents the second consecutive quarter of sequential primetime ratings growth without DISH carriage. With our carriage dispute resolved and increased ratings, we are looking forward to showcasing Univision’s exciting new programming slate during this Upfront season.”

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.