Televisa

Grupo Televisa, the world's largest producer of Spanish-language programming, filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Univision Communications Inc. seeking a declaration of its right to distribute its popular TV shows in the U.S. over the Internet. Univision and Televisa have long been at odds over whether a 1992 programming agreement, which gives Univision the U.S. television broadcasting rights to Televisa's programming, covers Internet downloads.

Mexican media giant Televisa on Tuesday said it did not rule out a new takeover offer for U.S. broadcaster Univision after losing a bidding war over the company last month. Televisa suffered a major blow to its U.S. plans when a group of investors, including media mogul Haim Saban, edged it out with a $12.3-billion bid for Spanish-language broadcaster Univision Communications Inc. Televisa later said it was ready to sell its 11.

Mexican broadcaster Grupo Televisa said Monday that its second-quarter profit jumped 75%, helped by strong political and World Cup advertising and lower costs. However, the results were weaker than expected. Televisa earned $204 million, compared with $120.2 million last year. Revenue climbed 21% to $893 million from $738 million. Analysts surveyed by Reuters had forecast profit of $221 million.

Mexican entertainment giant Grupo Televisa signaled Wednesday that it wasn't ready to play nice with the group of private investors that last week won the auction for Spanish-language media company Univision Communications Inc. Televisa, the losing bidder and Univision's most important supplier of programming, said it wanted to sell its 11.4% stake in the Century City-based broadcaster "as soon as possible" and threatened to become a competitor instead of a partner in the U.S.

Capping a chaotic week, Los Angeles billionaire A. Jerrold Perenchio on Friday had a new bid in hand for Univision Communications Inc., even as another, earlier offer expired. As expected, a group of investors led by Mexico's broadcasting behemoth Grupo Televisa submitted a bid of about $36 a share, or at least $11.2 billion, shortly before midnight Thursday.

A group of investors, led by Mexican entertainment giant Grupo Televisa, inched closer late Thursday to bidding $11.2 billion for Univision Communications Inc., the largest Spanish-language media company in the U.S. The expected offer of about $36 a share, which would require approval by Univision stockholders, capped a week of high drama in a bidding war orchestrated by Los Angeles billionaire A. Jerrold Perenchio, who controls Univision and serves as its chairman.

Carlos Slim Domit, a member of Grupo Televisa's board, has withdrawn from the company's planning to bid for Univision Communications Inc. because of a conflict of interest. Slim Domit removed himself after Mexico City-based Televisa disclosed he had purchased 3.8% of Univision between March 9 and April 3.