TelevisaUnivision: World Cup Sales Drive Q3 Revenue

TelevisaUnivision reported $1.4 billion in total revenue for the third quarter, a 9% increase driven primarily by FIFA World Cup telecasts in Mexico. The Spanish-language broadcaster noted that the tournament provided a major lift to its financial results during the period.

Subscription and licensing revenue climbed 30% to reach $640 million. Approximately $90 million of that total came from sublicensing World Cup rights to Spanish-speaking Latin American countries. The company also credited the expansion of its ViX streaming service’s premium tier for contributing to the growth.

Advertising revenue declined 5% to $717 million, though $389 million of that figure was tied directly to World Cup broadcasts in Mexico. In the United States, advertising revenue dropped 24% to $328 million. The company attributed the U.S. decline partly to a difficult comparison with the previous year, which included Gold Cup activity.

Despite the revenue increase, TelevisaUnivision posted an operating loss of $119 million for the quarter. This contrasts with an operating income of $265 million recorded in the same period last year. The loss was influenced by a non-cash impairment charge of $372 million associated with the write-down of television broadcast licenses.

Mexican operations have shown greater stability in recent quarters compared to U.S. assets. In the United States, subscription and licensing revenue rose only 5%, while ad revenue fell 22%. Fox and NBCUniversal’s Telemundo held the U.S. broadcasting rights for the World Cup.

Daniel Alegre, who took over as CEO in 2024 from Wade Davis, has focused on streamlining operations previously separated by region. The company owns media assets in both the United States and Mexico.

“Our performance in the third quarter reflected disciplined execution against our multiplatform strategy as we delivered exceptional results from the World Cup in Mexico while gaining momentum in the U.S. with increased engagement across our fall content slate and robust sports portfolio,” Alegre said in a prepared statement.