Univision wins online battle with Televisa

US Spanish language broadcaster Univision has won its long term legal battle with Mexican media giant Televisa over the online rights to its raft of telenovelas.

US district judge Philip Gutierrez ruled that the Haim Saban-owned broadcaster had the rights to air Televisa content online as a result of its 25-year programming agreement that the two companies signed in 1992.

The companies had previously settled their legal battle over the agreement itself but decided to let the courts choose which had the online rights to Televisa series such as Cuidado Con El Angel (Don’t Mess With The Angel) and Las Tontas No Van Al Cielo (Dumb Girls Don’t Go To Heaven).

Univision will now look at launching an online video service.

“We are very pleased with today’s ruling. Univision will continue to provide its audience with the world’s best Spanish language programming,” Univision chief executive Joe Uva said in a statement.

Televisa, which is the world’s leading producer of Spanish language programming, had hoped to nab the online rights to its series in the States so that it could extend its planned online video service. It is rolling out a service across Latin America in association with social networking site hi5.