Univision says it will be the top US network within five years

Fresh from agreeing a new Program License Agreement with Televisa and a banner 2010, Univision Networks president Cesar Conde tells TBIvision it will be the top US network within five years.

The new PLA gives Univision access to Televisa content through to 2025 and sees the Spanish-language giant become a significant shareholder.

Buoyed by the success of novela Soy Tu Duena, the broadcaster beat out its English-language counterparts for a full week for the first time ever in 2010 and will build on that in 2011.

“Our goal is to be the number one network in the country, regardless of language, in five years,” Univision Networks’ president Conde said. “By way of context, we are one of the top five US networks, regardless of language. If you look at the younger demos, under-35s, we are doing better than that and those numbers foreshadow what we will do in the future. This year we were number one for an entire week – that is significant.”

A key component of the new PLA is digital rights, which will see Univision and Televisa attempt to dominate the Spanish-language digital space in the US.

“One of the primary changes, or additions, in the new Univision-Televisa agreement is the inclusion of all rights, new and library, across all platforms,” Conde says. “It’s one of the key areas where Univision did not have rights and now we can create new products and services for the Hispanic viewer. Clearly, we see that as a huge area of growth as a company.”