TelevisaUnivision focuses on ‘moving’ Hispanic audiences with more sports, streaming

In the year of Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl, it’s no longer about convincing advertisers to invest in the Hispanic market. It’s about telling them how to.

That’s the premise of TelevisaUnivision’s upfront presentation, according to John Kozack, president of US ad sales and marketing, who we spoke to ahead of today’s event. After more than two decades with the company, Kozack assumed his current position just a few weeks before upfronts kicked off—and he is leading TelevisaUnivision’s efforts after the company’s advertising revenue in the US declined 11% to $423 million at the end of Q4, per Variety.

Still, he said, he’s coming into this peak ad sales season energized, particularly as TelevisaUnivision highlights offerings and investments in sports, streaming, and new ways to own culture.

“Reaching an audience and moving an audience are two different things,” Kozack said. “We understand this audience better than anyone.”

¡Viva America! Against the backdrop of a World Cup year, soccer is unsurprisingly top of mind. With a sports programming slate designed around TelevisaUnivision’s authority on soccer audiences, Kozack said the company’s strategy centers around striving to be “the home of sports for US Hispanics,” especially as half of the network’s viewers “watch no other network.”

While NBCUniversal’s Telemundo will have the Spanish-language rights to the World Cup, TelevisaUnivision is emphasizing other new and returning partnerships, including a first-time deal with South American soccer league Conmebol Libertadores and Conmebol Sudamericana, a renewal with Concacaf’s Nations League and Gold Cup, the latter of which will also feature an event partnership with MrBeast, and an extension for Mexican National Team matches through 2034.

Outside of soccer, Univision will also be broadcasting the Super Bowl in 2027 in partnership with ESPN, and the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix in partnership with Apple. Plus, sports programming will get the data treatment via a partnership with Genius Sports, which will enhance coverage of Liga MX with augmented ads and highlights, interactive in-game graphics and data integrations.

Now watching: Kozack said its on-demand streaming platform, ViX, remains “the fastest-growing streaming service in the US, regardless of language.” That translates to more than 1 billion streaming hours in the last quarter, according to the company. TelevisaUnivison plans to work with additional ViX360 partners this year, which will have access to TelevisaUnivision Household Graph, an identity product that provides analysis into Spanish-speaking and bilingual households.

TelevisaUnivision is also doubling down on Micros, the ultra-short vertical format it debuted last year that has since delivered more 1 billion views and 48% growth in viewers quarter over quarter. In 2026, the company will produce 100 microdrama titles, up from 40 titles last year.

“You’ll see a lot of other publishers talk about exploring short-form content,” Kozack said. “We’re already doing it, and we’re scaling it.”

What works: TelevisaUnivision continues to deliver the formats its audiences know best with 10 new novelas, plus the return of ¿Apostarías por Mí?, its 24/7 reality show. For brands looking to go deeper with cultural moments, the company is extending its investment with music culture and IRL experiences by turning its youth awards show, Premios Juventud, into a weeklong event called PJ Fest, hosted across multiple cities including Houston, Miami, and Los Angeles before culminating in a live finale in Marbella, Spain.

“That will be a way to connect in market, on a bigger stage for our partners, and really be immersive,” Kozack said. “The excitement around Latin music, as you could probably imagine, is really good, but we’re going to take that even a step further with PJ fest, and we’re going to use a lot of creators, influencers, and create social content that can live on.”

Kozack also emphasized TelevisaUnivision’s linear business, where dramas continue to help bolster ratings, something he said sets it apart from competitors.

“[My priority] is really evangelizing the power of TelevisaUnivision and how we can use that to help grow our customers’ business,” Kozack said. “There’s only two ways to grow your business. It’s either sell more to your existing, or find new people. We can do both.”