Will TelevisaUnivision Bid On World Cup 2030 U.S. Rights? CEO Daniel Alegre Offers An Update

Asked whether TelevisaUnivision will bid on 2030 U.S. rights to the FIFA World Cup, CEO Daniel Alegre said the company’s management team is “very happy” with its existing portfolio of sports rights. Speaking to Wall Street analysts during the company’s third-quarter earnings call Thursday, Alegre didn’t give a direct answer to the question. Instead, he highlighted the company’s sports roster, which includes Formula 1 races, next February’s Super Bowl and soccer competitions like CONCACAF and CONMEMBOL. “We’re leaning very heavily into sports and sports rights, but we’re also very happy with our portfolio,” Alegre said. “Nobody knows and broadcasts soccer better than we do, both in Mexico and the United States.” Hispanic media rival Telemundo scored huge ratings with last summer’s Spanish-language World Cup broadcasts, as did Fox in English. FIFA last week opened the bidding process for U.S. rights to the 2030 tournament, with tech giants YouTube and Netflix expected to be active participants along with legacy broadcasters. Watch on Deadline TelevisaUnivision’s third-quarter results vividly illustrated the impact of having the World Cup. The privately held media giant operates in both U.S. and Mexico, breaking out results from each region. In Mexico, the company aired games and cashed in with advertising and revenue gains, though it struggled in the U.S. due to strong competition from domestic World Cup broadcasts and other programming. In the July-to-September quarter, total revenue increased 9% over the prior-year period to hit $1.4 billion. Revenue in Mexico shot up 51%, while it sagged 14% in the U.S. largely due to a 24% year-over-year drop in ad sales. The key profit metric known as OIBDA, short for operating income before depreciation and amortization, dipped 3% to $1.17 billion. The company noted a non-cash impairment loss of $372 million related to the write-down of TV broadcast licenses. Alegre stressed that the company has sought to be “disciplined” in its approach to sports rights. That tack is consistent with the company’s strategic priorities since Alegre was named CEO in 2024. The former Google exec has led a cost-cutting initiative and looked to improve the company’s financials, faced with the balancing act all media companies are trying to perform with their linear TV and streaming assets. TelevisaUnivision’s debt load is one reason it may not splash cash for World Cup rights. It reported a leverage ratio of 5.5 times trailing earnings, unchanged from the prior quarter and at a very high level compared with most media peers. (Skydance, the company created this month from the $110 billion leveraged buyout of Warner Bros. Discovery by Paramount, has debt of 6.5 times earnings, with the metric raising alarms on Wall Street.) The company’s streaming business, which is centered on flagship service Vix, is showing positive momentum. It contributed to a 30% year-over-year gain in subscription and licensing revenue, with expansion of the Vix premium tier called out in the earnings release. Some of the $640 million in subscription and licensing revenue upturn was driven by sublicensing of World Cup rights in Spanish-speaking Latin American countries.