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Grupo Televisa, S.A.B.

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FY2011 Annual Report · Grupo Televisa, S.A.B.
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w w w.t e l e v i s a . c o m

w w w. t e l e v i s a i r. c o m

A N N U A L   R E P O R T   2 0 1 1

 A L  F  M  R  M  R  Y  X  T E S Q M   A U I B V S E Z R Y S B I U F P I A C K A P  D G L H N I O W R G T Y V W A L M J E F P J R W E K T I W  I O W  S T Y V W S T F G T E F Q W P O I A M T E R S D Y V W A L M H Q M D U I B V S E Z R Y S B I U F P I J A T E D M R  D  V  A  U  H  A  E D L R L C  O Q G W O S F A I P T Y A I B V I M L I V O E F Q W P O I A M T E R S D Y V W A L M A L P R S O F I T L  J B E I L I T Y S P L B U G L H N I O W R S T Y V W A L M J E I P  R T Y A I B V I M L I E F Q W P O I A M T O M E R S D Y  F A J G D S A Q W E T Y U O M L W E F Q W P O I A M T E R S D Y V W A L M A L C  O  N  S  I  S  T  E  N  T C  O  M  P  E  T  I  T  I  V  E B  O  R  D  E  R  L  E  S  S H  I  G  H  - G  R  O  W  T  H I  N  N  O  V  A  T  I  V  E  
 
2

1
3

CONTENTS

01  Company Profile   
02   Letter to Shareholders    
06   Financial Highlights   
08   Televisa at a Glance   
10   Our Content Business    
12   Television Broadcasting  
14   Pay-Television Networks   
16   Programming Exports   
18   Cable and Telecom   

20   Sky   
22   Publishing   
24   O ther Businesses   
26   Televisa and its Stakeholders   
28   Management´s Discussion and 
Analysis of Financial Condition 
and Results of Operations    

38   Board of Directors  
40  Financial Statements  

COMPANY 

PROFILE

Grupo Televisa, S.A.B., is the largest media company in the Spanish-speaking 
world based on its market capitalization and a major participant in the 
international entertainment business. It has interests in television production 
and broadcasting, production of pay-television networks, international 
distribution of television programming, direct-to-home satellite services, 
cable television and telecommunication services, magazine publishing and 
distribution, radio production and broadcasting, professional sports and live 
entertainment, feature-film production and distribution, the operation of a 
horizontal internet portal, and gaming.

2

1
3

CONTENTS

01  Company Profile   
02   Letter to Shareholders    
06   Financial Highlights   
08   Televisa at a Glance   
10   Our Content Business    
12   Television Broadcasting  
14   Pay-Television Networks   
16   Programming Exports   
18   Cable and Telecom   

20   Sky   
22   Publishing   
24   O ther Businesses   
26   Televisa and its Stakeholders   
28   Management´s Discussion and 
Analysis of Financial Condition 
and Results of Operations    

38   Board of Directors  
40  Financial Statements  

COMPANY 

PROFILE

Grupo Televisa, S.A.B., is the largest media company in the Spanish-speaking 
world based on its market capitalization and a major participant in the 
international entertainment business. It has interests in television production 
and broadcasting, production of pay-television networks, international 
distribution of television programming, direct-to-home satellite services, 
cable television and telecommunication services, magazine publishing and 
distribution, radio production and broadcasting, professional sports and live 
entertainment, feature-film production and distribution, the operation of a 
horizontal internet portal, and gaming.

2

LETTER

TO SHAREHOLDERS

Dear Shareholders: 

The year was one of many accomplishments and of important strategic 
decisions. In all, we concluded the year with solid operating results. 
Consolidated net sales increased by 8.2 percent, and operating segment 
income grew by 9.9 percent. The value of our content continued to grow 
strongly, and our Cable and Telecommunications businesses have now 
become Grupo Televisa´s biggest source of growth.

During 2011 Televisa produced and transmitted 
eight of the top-ten-rated shows on Mexican 
over-the-air television, allowing us to achieve our 
revenue guidance in our Television Broadcasting 
business, and an Operating Segment Income 
margin of 46.1 percent. This was a notable 
achievement given the fact that, among other 
events, 2010 included the transmission of the 
Soccer World Cup.

We put value on the quality of our ratings just 
as we put value on the total number of rating 
points. As a result, and in spite of very strong 
competition in broadcast, during 2011 our share 
of advertising revenue in this platform was close 
to 70 percent.

To advance our strategy to diversify the sources 
of revenue from our content, over the years we 
have assembled a comprehensive portfolio of 16 
linear pay-TV channels for cable and satellite 
platforms. With our Pay-Television Networks 
business, we have built a fast growing source of 
network subscription revenue.

Emilio Azcárraga Jean
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer

Our focus on consistent, high-quality content is 
not exclusive to our television broadcast business. 
The combined ratings for these 16 pay-television 
networks have grown every year for each of the last 
seven years. We are taking the steps necessary to 

  LETTER TO SHAREHOLDERS 

3

The resilience of our business resulted from the 
consistency in the success of our content. Televisa 
produced and transmitted eight of the top-ten-rated 
shows on Mexican over-the-air television in 2011.

keep this trend going.  This business ended the 
year with nearly 30 million customers and an 
average of 5.6 networks per customer. More than 
half of these subscribers are located throughout 
Latin America, a rapidly developing region with 
an expanding middle class looking for quality 
family entertainment.

The success of our content was also evident in our 
second most important market, the United States. 
In 2011, the first year under our new program-
ming license agreement —PLA— with Univision, 
royalties paid to Televisa grew by 44 percent. 
While the majority of the increase resulted from 
the new terms of the agreement, our program-
ming continued to prove its strong appeal among 
the Hispanic audience in that market.

Most importantly, under the new partnership 
structure, our incentives and those of Univision 
are fully aligned. We have put in place the 
mechanisms necessary for close collaboration 
to help Univision expand its revenue base and 
build value. As part of this process, we have 
made Univision an integral part of our content-
planning process to ensure that we make our 
productions even more relevant to the U.S. 
Hispanic market and to advertisers targeting this 
growing demographic.

With Univision’s new rights to webcast our 
content, it has concluded a number of initiatives 
to more effectively reach the Hispanic popula-
tion through over-the-top video platforms. Also 
during 2011, Univision was able to feature live 
online streaming of many soccer matches of 
significant importance to the Hispanic demo-
graphic in the United States.

For pay-television platforms, Univision an-
nounced in 2011 its plans to launch Univision 
Deportes, Univision Tlnovelas, and FOROtv, taking 
advantage of its new, expanded access to nearly 
all Televisa-produced content. Just recently,    
Univision signed a multiyear distribution agreement 
with DISH, the first agreement to encompass the 
new networks.

In the digital landscape, during 2011 Televisa 
reorganized its internal efforts with a view to 
expanding the variety of ways in which we reach 
our viewers online. We will continue to closely 
monitor the evolution of the entertainment 
industry and to explore other ways to maximize 
the value of our content via new platforms. A key 
attribute of our content franchise is our ability 
to monetize our content in the manner that we 
deem most appropriate and through any audio-
visual platform that exists or that may emerge.

A few years ago we decided to focus on expand-
ing our telecommunications business, both 
satellite and cable. This focus gave us a foothold 
in the rapidly growing telecom industry, which is 
worth over US$24billion in terms of sales and is 
expected to reach US$35 billion by 2015.

Today, we control Sky, a satellite pay-TV platform, 
and two cable companies in Mexico, Cablevisión 
and Cablemás. We also have a venture with Multi-
medios in TVI, a Monterrey-based cable operator. 
Our extensive telecommunications infrastructure 
is also complemented by our ownership of Bestel, 
an important fiber optic network in the country, 
and by our participation in the consortium that 
was awarded the rights to exploit dark fiber held 
by the Mexican Federal Electricity Commission.

4

This has proven to be an important strategic 
step in accelerating our growth and further 
diversifying our revenue sources. By year-end 
2011our distribution platforms provided video 
services to more than 6 million homes, includ-
ing close to 4 million pay-television subscribers 
at Sky and more than 2 million video customers 
among our three cable companies.

Competition in Mexico’s satellite and cable pay-
television industry is stronger than ever. The past 
two years have shown us that Sky can protect its 
highly loyal premium customer base while ac-
cessing new, high-growth market segments.

While this step has required incremental invest-
ments in infrastructure, the venture is clearly 
paying off. Between Sky and our cable opera-
tions, during 2011 we installed an average of 
eight thousand new services, —whether voice, 
video or broadband— every single day. In the 
aggregate for the two platforms, and including 
video, voice and broadband services, we added 
close to 1.6 million new revenue generating 
units —RGUs— during the year, equivalent to a 
growth rate of 25 percent.

Growth in Sky in 2011 was driven by the ongo-
ing success of its low-cost offerings. The number 
of Sky subscribers grew for a second consecutive 
year by nearly one million, ending the year with 
close to 4 million subscribers. Sky’s margin for 
the year, at more than 46 percent, is a great ac-
complishment in light of the explosive growth in 
the number of lower-revenue subscribers.

Similarly, our three cable platforms performed 
well during 2011, increasing the combined 

number of video, voice and broadband services 
by 19 percent to nearly 4 million. Through our 
cable companies, we are now a relevant telecom 
provider in Mexico, offering voice services to 
650 thousand customers and broadband ser-
vices to1.1 million.

Our recent investments in upgrading our 
infrastructure are yielding important competi-
tive advantages. Even though our cable network 
reaches only 25 percent of Mexican homes, our 
share of broadband customers is close to 10 
percent; and while our share in fixed telephony 
service is just shy of 3 percent, it continues to 
grow every day.

These metrics, unthinkable a few years ago, show 
that good service offerings at attractive prices 
trump scale in the telecom industry and bring 
undeniable benefits to the end user.

This is only the beginning. Penetration of voice-
to-video services among our cable customers 
remains low, at 30 percent. Similarly, at only 49 
percent, penetration of broadband-to-video 
services is far below that of our peers in other 
markets. Low penetration of pay-television in 
Mexico and the ongoing appeal of our voice and 
broadband services should continue to drive 
growth in this business segment.

Our investments in infrastructure in the telecom-
munications industry have allowed us to build an 
extensive network. We believe that this important 
asset, together with our marketing platforms and 
our commercial relationships with more than 6 mil-
lion pay-TV households, uniquely positions Televisa 
to benefit from the growth in the mobile industry.

  LETTER TO SHAREHOLDERS 

5

Our US$1.6 billion investment in Iusacell deben-
tures made during 2011, is a stepping stone in 
our wireless strategy. Iusacell is one of four wire-
less operators in Mexico. It has a well-established 
brand and a reach of close to 70 percent of the 
country. Iusacell´s significant amount of spec-
trum, mainly in the 800MHz and the 1900MHz-
bands, will become a key competitive asset as 
consumption of mobile broadband increases. 
Televisa’s investment in Iusacell debentures 
provides it with much needed capital to grow. 
We continue to seek regulatory approval for the 
conversion of our investment in debentures into 
common stock of Iusacell.

The ongoing convergence of media and telecom 
will continue to present participants in these 
industries with challenges and opportunities. We 
have our eyes firmly fixed on the future and are 
convinced that the strategic steps we are taking 
today position Televisa to benefit from this con-
vergence like no other company.

Our contributions to our audience go far be-
yond providing them with entertaining content 
and attractive video, voice and broadband 
services. Through Fundación Televisa, we reach 
their communities, and ours, in a very direct and 
tangible way.

Fundación Televisa, together with its partners, 
has helped improve the lives of more than 
46,000 underserved children through health and 
nutrition programs and during 2011 assisted 
with the construction of close to 4,000 homes. 

We continue to build our network of partners 
and, in 2011, increased the ratio of partner-to-
Fundación contributions by 75 percent, to nearly 
17 times, from 2010. Our ability to multiply con-
tributions through our network, and to amplify 
Fundación’s message through our media assets, 
makes Fundación a strong force for economic, 
social, and cultural development in Mexico.

We are proud of the solid franchise that we have 
built around our content business, and of the 
scale and profitability that our distribution and 
telecom operations have reached over the past 
few years. But most importantly, we are proud of 
our more than 26 thousand loyal, hard-working 
Televisa employees. I thank them for their ongo-
ing commitment to our business.

We have an incredibly strong and dedicated 
board of directors and some of the savviest 
business minds working for the benefit of Grupo 
Televisa and its stakeholders. I am grateful for 
their advice and their many contributions during 
2011. I also wish to thank our shareholders for 
their trust and confidence in Televisa. We expect 
to continue to earn it long into the future.

Emilio Azcárraga Jean
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer

6

FINANCIAL

HIGHLIGHTS

In millions of Mexican pesos, except per-CPO amounts and shares outstanding.

2010 

2011 

Var.%

Consolidated net sales 

Operating segment income (1) 

Segment margin 

Operating income 

Margin 

Controlling interest net income 

Earnings per CPO 

Shares outstanding at year-end (in millions) 

Ps. 

57,857 

Ps. 

62,582 

 23,063  

39.0% 

15,583  

26.9% 

 7,683 

 2.75  

325,023 

 25,337  

39.7% 

16,822  

26.9% 

 6,890  

 2.45 

330,862

Cash and cash equivalents at year-end 

Ps. 

20,943 

Ps. 

16,276 

Temporary investments at year-end 

Long-term investments at year-end 

Total debt at year-end 

Net debt position at year-end 

 10,447  

 3,858  

 47,965  

 12,717  

 5,423  

 3,356  

 56,827  

 31,772  

8.2

9.9

8.0

(10.3)

(22.3)

(48.1)

(13.0)

18.5

149.8

(1)   Operating segment income (OSI) is defined as operating income before corporate expenses, depreciation and amortization. For a reconciliation of 

total operating segment income with consolidated operating income, see Note 22 to our year-end consolidated financial statements.

New Structure of Segments

Beginning in 2012, we started to report revenue and operating segment income for our Content businesses as a single segment, named 
Content, and categorized our sources of content revenue as follows: a) Advertising, b) Network Subscription Revenue, and c) Licensing 
and Syndication. Given the cost structure of our Content business, we started reporting operating segment income as a single line item. 
Our Content business will encompass all sources of revenue derived from our content, including our TV Broadcasting, Pay-Television 
Networks, Programming Exports and online revenue. Please refer to the Management Discussion and Analysis section of this Annual 
Report for a pro-forma presentation of our Content segment results. Additionally, the following discussion included in this report pres-
ents our results according to past practice.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS 

7

SEGMENT NET SALES (1)

PROGRAMMING 
EXPORTS
6%

PUBLISHING
5% 

OTHER 
BUSINESSES
6%

SKY
20%

PAY-TELEVISION 
NETWORKS
6% 

TV BROADCASTING  
36%

6
8
8
,
3
6

5
7
0
,
9
5

9
1
5
,
3
5

5
9
0
,
9
4

CABLE AND TELECOM 
21%

08 

09 

10 

11

(millions of pesos)

OPERATING SEGMENT INCOME (OSI)(2)

PAY-TELEVISION 
NETWORKS
7% 

PUBLISHING
2%

7
3
3
,
5
2

3
6
0
,
3
2

5
4
7
,
0
2

7
1
9
,
9
1

TV BROADCASTING  
42%

PROGRAMMING 
EXPORTS
8% 

CABLE AND TELECOM
19%

SKY
23%

08 

09 

10 

11

(millions of pesos)

(1)  Includes intersegment revenue.
(2)  Other Businesses reported a negative contribution to OSI of Ps.119 million during the year 2011.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
8

TELEVISION 
BROADCASTING

The world’s leading producer of Spanish-language television content, 
Televisa operates four broadcast channels—2, 4, 5, and 9—in Mexico 
through 258 affiliated stations throughout the country.

PAY-TELEVISION 
NETWORKS

Produces and distributes 16 pay-TV brands—15 owned and 1 represented.

In the U.S., distributes its pay-TV channels through Univision.

PROGRAMMING
EXPORTS

Exports its programs and formats to television networks around the world. 

In the U.S., distributes its content through Univision under a recently 
renewed and extended Programming License Agreement (PLA).

SKY

Mexico’s leading direct-to-home satellite television system; also operates in 
Central America and the Dominican Republic.

CABLE AND 
TELECOM

Cablevisión, Cablemás, and TVI offer video, voice, and broadband services in 
Mexico City, Monterrey, and several cities in Mexico. 

Telecom company Bestel provides broadband and long-distance services in 
Mexico and the United States.

PUBLISHING

The leading Spanish-language magazine publisher; 
produced 172 titles with a circulation of approximately 
132 million magazines in 2011.

OTHER 
BUSINESSES

TIM. Complete digital entertainment through several web portals.
Gaming. Bingo parlors and online lottery business.
Soccer teams. Three of Mexico’s professional soccer teams. 

UNCONSOLIDATED 
BUSINESSES

Ocesa Entretenimiento (40%). Live-entertainment company in Mexico. 
Organized nearly 5,000 events in Mexico in 2011. Most successful show: 
Cirque Du Soleil OVO. 

TELEVISA AT A GLANCE

TELEVISA AT A GLANCE 

9

Final espisode of our telenovela 
Teresa was the highest-rated 
show in Mexican free-to-air 
Television during 2011.

Contribution 
to Sales:  

36%

Contribution 
to OSI(1):

42%

Contribution 
to Sales:  

Contribution 
to OSI(1):

6%

7%

Contribution 
to Sales:  

Contribution 
to OSI(1):

6%

8%

Contribution 
to Sales:  

20%

Contribution 
to Sales:  

21%

Contribution 
to OSI(1):

23%

Contribution 
to OSI(1):

19%

+29

million pay-TV 
subscribers

56
countries
worldwide 
(approximate reach)

Nearly one million 
subscribers added in 2011. 
Subscriber base:   
4 million

SUBSCRIBERS 

CABLEVISIÓN   Video: 

Broadband: 
Voice: 

727,235 
408,408 
251,340

CABLEMÁS 

TVI 

Video: 
Broadband: 
Voice: 

1,085,173  
466,827  
266,160

Video: 
Broadband: 
Voice: 

370,411  
191,406  
132,360 

20
countries 
reached

Contribution 
to Sales:  

Contribution 
to OSI(1):

5%

2%

Azteca stadium. Mexico’s largest stadium.
Radio. Network of 103 owned and affiliated radio stations.

Contribution 
to Sales:  

6%

Imagina (14.5%). Spanish media group whose main activities include the 
commercialization of sport rights including the Spanish Soccer League La Liga, 
production of television content and movies, digital production and post-production 
services, transmission of content via satellite, and technical and advisory services.

(1)  Operating segment income (OSI) is defined as operating income before corporate expenses, depreciation and amortization. For a reconciliation 

of total operating segment income with consolidated operating income, see Note 22 to our year-end consolidated financial statements.

Produced approximately 63 thousand hours of content in 2011 for free-to-air television.Produced approximately 16 thousand hours of content in 2011 for pay-TV channels.The PLA, which was extended to at least 2025, drove an increase of 44% in the royalties Televisa receives, reaching US$225 million in 2011.Demographic expansion through new packages: MiSky and VeTV.Through an attractive broadband offer, the aggregate growth of the subscriber base of the cable companies was 32%, reaching more than 1 million broadband susbcribers in the country.Expanded double-digit Operating Segment Income margin. Also, continued to expand the reach of its titles through digital platforms:•	Cosmopolitan	•	Men’s	Health•	National	Geographic	•	Seventeen 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
10

OUR CONTENT BUSINESS

K ey to our steady growth has been the diversification of the sources of revenue 
that we derive from our content. These range from advertising in broadcast 
television, to advertising in pay-TV, to network  subscription revenue, to online 
revenue, to licensing, to the export of our content worldwide. A s a result, we 
have created a distinctive content business model.

CONSISTENTINNOVATIVECOMPETITIVEHIGH-GROWTHBORDERLESS11

•	 Our	scale	and	reach	are	some	of	our	most	important	

differentiators. During 2011, we invested over  
Ps.12 billion in programming, of which a significant 
part was for the development of in-house 
productions. As a result, during 2011 we produced 
approximately 80 thousand hours of content.

•	 Our	long-term	partnerships	provide	us	with	unique	
access to high-quality content and successful 
formats from some of the best producers of Spanish-
language programming in the world, including 
Univision, Telemundo, and Imagina.

•	 Our	strategic	alliances	are	an	important	complement	
to our in-house production and distribution efforts. 
An example is our recently announced partnership 
with Sony Pictures International to co-create 
productions for different European markets based 
on our successful formats. Similarly, our alliance with 
Lionsgate aims to develop Televisa formats for the 
U.S. market produced in English.

The success of our programming is the engine behind our 
Broadcast, Pay-Television Networks, Exports, and online 
businesses. For that same reason, beginning in 2012 
we will report revenue and operating segment income 
from these businesses as a single segment, Content. 
We will classify our sources of content revenue in three 
categories: Advertising, Network Subscription Revenue, 
and Licensing and Syndication. Given the cost structure of 
our Content business, we will report operating segment 
income as a single line item.

From this perspective, during 2011 our Content revenues 
grew by 5%, to Ps.30.7 billion, and operating segment 
income grew by 4.7%. As a result, Content operating 
segment income margin reached 47.1% in 2011.

12

The telenovela genre continues to be as successful as it was ten years ago

Our production values  are reflected in the growing appetite for product placement

“

TV Broadcasting consistently generates 
excitement for viewers and value for clients ”

 E N G A G I N G H I G H - Q U A L I T YOur average audience share has been roughly 70 percent for over ten years

 TELEVISION BROADCASTING 

13

TELEVISION 

BROADCASTING

From telenovelas to reality shows to sports, Televisa’s over-the-air 
programming consistently, year after year, generates excitement 
among audiences and delivers the demographics that our adver-
tising clients seek . Our excellent performance is the result of the 
consistently high quality of the content that we produce.

Televisa operates four broadcast channels —2, 4, 5 
and 9— through an affiliate network of 258 stations 
throughout Mexico. Our over-the-air channels 
consistently enjoy an average audience share of 
about 70 percent, sign-on to sign-off. Channel 2, our 
flagship, continued to deliver high audience shares; 
in 2011, it averaged 30.4 percent.

In 2011, Televisa’s programming, led by a new line-
up of high-quality telenovelas and reality shows, 
drew excellent ratings and audience shares. Televisa 
aired 18 of the top-20-rated shows on over-the-air 
television in Mexico, of which 15 were produced 
by Televisa. Together, these shows allowed us to 
achieve a target audience share of 68 percent for 
our four networks.

Televisa continues to focus on creating innovative 
and entertaining programming. Our superior 
production capabilities including new, high-
definition production technology, and our 
investment in the best creative talent, material,  
and technologies —combined with a keen sense 
of culture, trends and audience preferences— 
all contribute significantly and consistently to  
our success.

During 2011, our telenovelas performed 
particularly well. The final episode of Triunfo del 
Amor was the highest-rated show in Mexico 
during the second quarter, with an audience share 
of nearly 40 percent. La Fuerza del Destino was 

among the top-ten-rated programs in the third 
quarter, generating an audience share of over 40 
percent. And the final episode of Televisa’s Teresa 
was the highest-rated show of the year, drawing an 
audience share of 53 percent.

Televisa also continues to deliver excellent 
performance in other formats, including reality-
based programming such as La Voz…México, 
which launched in September 2011 and became 
the highest-rated show in Mexico during the 
third quarter.

We are always seeking new ways to bring clients 
opportunities to commercialize their offerings 
through our content. Examples include banners 
and product integration, which allow us to better 
monetize the content we produce.

In addition, we partner with other media 
companies to expand our own offerings. Examples 
include our 2008 agreement with Telemundo, 
which enables us to broadcast Telemundo’s 
content in Mexico, and our new agreement with 
Univision, which went into effect January 2011 
and allows Televisa to broadcast Univision’s 
content over our on-air channels. These and other 
agreements complement our solid portfolio of 
programming with strong content from other 
producers. We will continue to produce and access 
high-quality programming that both audiences 
and advertisers demand.

 C O N S I S T E N T   
 
14

For the past five years, revenues have grown at a compounded annual rate 
of approximately 22%

A pay-television network to suit each key demographic

PAY-TELEVISION 

NETWORKS

Televisa produces and distributes a number of pay-television channels 
in Mexico and around the world. Our continued strong performance 
in this business k eeps us focused on providing content that appeals 
to a broader variety of audience demographics and on expanding our 
distribution geographically. 

Televisa continues to be a top producer of original 
Spanish-language programming for pay-TV 
networks. We produced nearly 16,000 hours of 
content for 16 different pay-TV channels that, in 
2011, reached more than 29 million subscribers 
with a total of 164 million revenue-generating 
units worldwide. In 2011, the average number of 
channels per subscriber increased 7.8 percent, from 
5.2 in 2010 to 5.6.

Our efforts in 2011 added 2.9 million new 
subscribers, generating significant growth in 
subscription revenue and increasing advertising 
revenue as a percentage of segment revenue from 
22.7 to 24.1 percent.

In Mexico, where demand for pay-TV content is 
growing rapidly, we are increasing production to 
expand our demographic appeal while providing 
advertisers greater access to increasingly well-
defined audiences. For example, in September 2011 
we launched Tiin, a network designed to reach and 
engage teenagers with content developed both in-
house and by third parties. With the addition of Tiin, 
as well as new HD (High Definition) channels such 

as TDN-HD, Telehit-HD, and de Película, our current 
portfolio of thematic pay-TV channels addresses 
the diverse interests of an attractive segment of the 
population from our advertiser’s perspective.

Through agreements with other broadcasters 
and content providers, we have greatly increased 
the potential for our content to reach far larger 
audiences and generate additional value. Our 
strengthened agreement with Univision offers the 
opportunity to reach more people in the United 
States through Univision’s expanded pay-TV 
network platforms, which include the forthcoming 
networks: Univision Deportes, Tlnovelas and FOROtv. 
Univision’s agreement with satellite content 
provider DISH extends even further the distribution 
and monetization potential for Televisa’s content in 
the United States.

As we grow our pay-TV portfolio, we are also 
successfully expanding our demographic appeal 
to well-defined, high-value audiences. Our success 
stems from our ability to identify changing trends 
in the media industry worldwide, and to quickly 
scale production to benefit from them, positioning 
us for continued growth.

“

Expanding our distribution in a fast-growing industry”

 H I G H - G R O W T H  S P E C I A L I Z E D PAY-TELEVISION NETWORKS   

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Close to 16 thousand hours of content production for our 16 different pay-TV channels in 2011

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Our partnerships strengthen our position in new markets and our presence in new platforms

We not only export our content; we also produce it locally, 
in high-growth, high-potential markets

Bringing high-quality content to new markets ”

“

 S T R A T E G I CIn 2011, more than 73 thousand hours of our programming were exported to 56 countries

PROGRAMMING EXPORTS 

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PROGRAMMING

EXPORTS

Televisa brought more than 73 thousand hours of its original 
programming to people in approximately 56 different countries 
in 2011. Through expert dubbing we brought our high-quality 
programs to audiences in more than 30 different languages. 

Through collaboration agreements we have had 
the opportunity to work with local producers 
abroad, and have successfully adapted our 
formats to engage audiences across a variety 
of geographies and cultures. By sharing talent 
and technology, we are expanding the reach of 
our content across both traditional and new-
media platforms, strengthening our position, and 
sharing in new, high-growth, and high-potential 
advertising markets.

Our strong performance in 2011 is the result 
of strategic steps to generate new advertising 
revenue streams by exporting into new markets 
content already made available in Mexico. 
For example, to take advantage of different 
distribution channels, in 2011 we signed a 
multiyear agreement with Netflix, which provides 
for the digital transmission of approximately 
3,000 hours of Televisa content throughout Latin 
America, Brazil, and the Caribbean. We will make 
our broadcast TV programs available through 
Netflix one year after they air.

Televisa’s landmark deal with Univision, which 
went into effect in January 2011, significantly 
strengthened our exports business. This agreement 
expanded both the scope and duration of our 
long-term Program License Agreement (PLA) with 
Univision. The PLA provided for an immediate 

increase in the royalty base, from 9.4 percent of 
television-only revenues to nearly 12 percent of all 
audiovisual revenue, and for an additional increase, 
beginning in 2018, to more than 16 percent of all 
audiovisual revenue.

In 2011, royalty payments from Univision to 
Televisa rose by 44 percent to US$224.9 million 
from US$156.1 million in 2010.

In addition, the Univision agreement allows for 
the distribution of Televisa-produced content in 
the United States through channels such as the 
Internet. For example, in October 2011, Univision 
and Hulu signed a multiyear agreement that allows 
for the streaming of Televisa content —some of the 
most popular Spanish-language shows, including 
telenovelas, variety and reality shows— across the 
Hulu and Hulu Plus platforms. As a result of this 
agreement, Televisa’s content became available in 
the United States via the internet for the first time, 
reaching more than 50 million Spanish speakers.

These strategic actions have expanded the reach 
of our content in traditional and to emerging-
media platforms, providing us the opportunity 
to participate in a vastly larger pool of promising 
advertising markets. We will continue to explore 
new ways to bring our content to audiences all 
over the world.

B O R D E R L E S S 
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Attractive triple-play offerings continue to drive growth

CABLE AND

TELECOM

W ith a network  of nearly 50 thousand miles of fiber and coaxial 
cable throughout the country, including 35 thousand from its cable 
companies, Televisa’s Cable and Telecom business provides video, 
broadband, and voice services to millions of people throughout Mexico.

Through three subsidiaries —Cablevisión, 
Cablemás, and TVI— Televisa’s cable network 
passes 7.1 million homes. At year-end 2011, 
these businesses together reached more 
than 2.1 million video subscribers, one 
million broadband subscribers, and nearly 
650 thousand voice subscribers.

We have grown this business by offering 
our customers a range of choices, from low-
cost basic-single-play options to premium 
packages with a rich array of pay-TV, voice, 
and broadband alternatives. We continue 
to drive growth by anticipating customers’ 
needs and providing options to meet 
growing demand. Televisa’s investments to 
provide higher broadband speeds ensure 
that its customers will be able to enjoy all 
the internet has to offer.

Cablevisión, a fully digital provider of 
high-quality video, voice and broadband 
services, is the largest, most technologically 
advanced digital cable service provider 
in Mexico City. In 2011, the number of 
broadband subscribers increased by more 
than 109 thousand, or 36.5 percent, driven 
primarily by a very successful, 3-Mbps, 
single-play broadband offering. At Ps.149 
a month, this service pushed broadband 
subscribers as a percentage of video 
subscribers to 56.2 percent in 2011 from 
44.7 percent in 2010.

Our strategic investment to upgrade 
Cablevisión’s infrastructure, begun in 2009, 
has brought 20-Mbps broadband to nearly 
every market that Cablevisión serves 
and allows for significant upgrades and 
expansions in subscriber services. 

Cablemás, our fully-owned cable 
subsidiary, was the first cable company 
in Mexico to provide bundled triple-play 
services. Cablemás is now the second-
largest cable operator in Mexico as 
measured by subscriber base.

As with Cablevisión, broadband services 
drove growth in 2011, bringing broadband 
subscribers as a percentage of video 
subscribers to 43 percent. In 2012, Cablemás 
will continue its efforts to convert to a 
digital network in the areas where it makes 
economic sense.

In addition, TVI —Cablevisión de 
Monterrey— is the leading provider of 
triple-play and pay-TV services in northern 
Mexico, and has focused its growth on 
digital and broadband subscribers in a 
highly competitive market. The northern 
region of Mexico has higher purchasing 
power and exposure to the United States 
than other cities in the country, which 
partially explains and drives the demand 
for broadband services and increases the 
potential for growth in sales of value-added 
services. The penetration of broadband 
subscribers as a percentage of video 
subscribers is currently 51.7 percent.

Bestel provides long-distance, local 
telephony, broadband and networking, 
internet access, managed and security 
services in Mexico primarily to business 
customers. Bestel’s major customers 
are cable, global and mobile operators, 
government entities, and medium and large 
enterprises.

In 2011, utilization of Bestel’s long-distance 
and local telephony services surpassed 
3.6 billion minutes, and internet traffic 
surpassed 216 petabytes. Also in 2011, 
Bestel’s performance improved significantly 
due to lower interconnection rates, a larger 
customer base and a higher component of 
value-added services in the revenue mix.

In 2011, the performance of Televisa’s 
Cable and Telecom business continued 
to reflect the success of its efforts to 
reach more people with a wide range of 
entertaining programming and affordable 
bundled services.

Cable and Telecom Subscriber Base

Broadband  Voice  Network 
(miles) 
(‘000) 

(‘000) 

Homes  
Passed*
(millions)

  Cablevisión 

  Cablemás 

  TVI 

  Total 

409 

467 

191 

251 

266 

133 

650 

12,317 

11,291 

11,871 

35,479 

2.5

3.0

1.6

7.1

2,183 

1,067 

*Includes homes and businesses.

Video 
(‘000) 

727 

1,085 

371 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Voice and broadband services have become the largest sources of revenue growth

Cablevisión is the only fully digital cable operator in Mexico

CABLE AND TELECOM 

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“

National cable brand, YOO, filmed an ad campaign starring 
Ashton Kutcher as El Chico YOO (The Cable Guy)”

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Sky is recognized for its comprehensive and exclusive sports offerings

A business model that allowed for significant expansion of 
its customer base

“

Our sports programming helps 
make Sky the “must-have” 
television service for sports fans”

 S C A L A B L ESKY 

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In two years, Sky was able to double in size while maintaining its profitability level

SKY

This year Sk y, our direct-to-home (DTH) satellite television business, 
celebrated its 15th anniversary of serving and entertaining the 
Mexican mark et. W ith more than 290 channels (248 SD and 45 HD) 
featuring sports, news, entertainment, movies, music, and children’s 
programming, Sk y has grown to become Televisa’s second-largest 
operating segment income contributor. 

Launched in 1996 in Mexico, Sky initially grew its 
subscriber base through a combination of premium 
offerings aimed at high-end and middle-market 
segments. In late 2007, Sky expanded beyond 
Mexico into Central America and the Dominican 
Republic. At the end of 2011, its subscriber base in 
this region totaled more than 159 thousand.

In 2009, Sky began adding value-added services 
and lower-priced packages, including MiSky and 
VeTV, designed to attract new market segments. 
Since the launch of these offerings in 2009, Sky has 
doubled its total subscriber base, reaching more 
than four million subscribers while maintaining 
strong profitability.

During 2011, Sky’s total subscriber base grew by 
nearly one million, an increase of approximately 32 
percent from 2010. Sky’s broad-market strategy has 
generated growth at a compounded annual rate of 
19 percent over the past 10 years.

Chief among the contributors to Sky’s success is the 
exclusive sports content that is offered to premium 
subscribers. Our sports programming helps make 
Sky the “must-have” television service for sports 
fans. This year, Sky’s attractive and exclusive content 
offerings included some of the region’s most 
important soccer tournaments, including Copa de 
Oro, Copa América, the FIFA U-17 World Cup, the 
FIFA U-20 World Cup, and the FIFA Women’s World 
Cup. As in years past, Sky’s sports programming 
remains a top draw.

Sky’s subscribers can watch soccer matches held in 
Mexico and around the world, including the main 
tournaments as well as exclusive content such as 
La Liga and Copa del Rey in Spain and The Carling 
Cup in England. Sky also delivers a wide range of 
exclusive U.S. sports programming including NFL 
Sunday Ticket, MLB Extra Innings, NBA Pass, NHL, 
and exclusive coverage of several WTA and ATP 
tennis tournaments. 

Sky also has one of the most complete HD 
offerings in the DTH market, with 45 channels 
and exclusive content that includes popular 
sports events and special programs such as the 
Panamerican Games, Spanish Bullfighting, MLB 
Extra Innings and the WTA Championship.

Using advanced digital and satellite technologies, 
Sky is making its exciting, high-quality content 
available across a range of devices and platforms. 
For example, Guía Sky is a free application that 
allows Android, iPod Touch, iPad, and iPhone 
users to download detailed schedules for Sky’s 
programming. 

To continue to grow its subscriber base and 
compete effectively, Sky is focusing its efforts 
on offering relevant, entertaining, and exclusive 
content at attractive prices and providing the best 
customer service possible.

 P R O F I T A B L E 
22

The largest publisher in most of the Latin American markets

PUBLISHING

From health, beauty, fashion and celebrity to technology, travel, 
sports and science, our magazines cover a wide array of popular 
topics and address a variety of consumer interests. Televisa 
publishes 172 magazine titles under 107 different brands, 
reaching 20 countries throughout the world. 

In 2011, Televisa’s Publishing segment expanded 
operating segment income margin by 100 basis 
points in an industry that continues to contend 
with ongoing challenges such as changes in 
reading habits and growing competition from 
emerging media platforms. This is because Tele-
visa is strongly positioned to leverage content 
from its other platforms to develop magazine 
content that interests readers across the Spanish-
language market. 

Our programming generates interest in our publi-
cations, which, in turn, promote our on-air persona-
lities and programming from a variety of platforms. 
For example, two of our popular titles, TVyNovelas 
and Furia Musical, draw on content that we have 
developed for free-to-air and pay-television. By 
creating, packaging, distributing, and cross-promo-
ting our content in this way, we build on the value 
inherent in our content and maximize its appeal to 
our audiences.

Televisa’s Publishing business also enjoys licensing 
agreements with some of the most prestigious and 
popular magazine brands in the world. These inclu-
de National Geographic, Hearst, Marie Claire, Disney, 

Rodale, G+J, Motorpress, Alpha Media, and Northern 
& Shell. In addition, our custom publishing business 
produces magazines for clients in healthcare, food 
manufacturing, and pharmaceuticals as well as 
other end markets. 

Televisa’s Publishing business remains an important 
channel through which we reach our audiences 
while extending the reach of advertisers to theirs. 
We are working to expand the appeal of our titles 
through digital platforms, specialty marketing 
events, audiovisual content, and retail outlets to 
increase brand awareness and create opportunities 
to commercialize our content and our clients’ offe-
rings. For example, the launching of 10 websites for 
the following brands: Caras, Vanidades, TVyNovelas, 
Cosmopolitan, Tú, Esquire, Men’s Health, Muy Intere-
sante, National Geographic, and Seventeen; a fitness 
event under the Women’s Health brand named Are 
you Game?; and a multidisciplinary city foot race 
under the Men´s Health brand named Urbanatlon.

With a wide range of titles and content, our Publis-
hing business continues to offer a high-value and 
highly targeted channel to market for advertisers. 
We will continue to seek innovative methods to 
realize the full value our publishing brands offer.

Leveraging content across multiple channels”

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Constantly adjusting its business model to new tastes and readership habits

PUBLISHING 

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Able to deliver solid margins despite significant challenges 
inherent to the evolution of the industry

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Gaming, a significant opportunity yet to be tapped

OTHER

BUSINESSES

Our Other Businesses segment includes internet, soccer, radio, 
feature-film distribution, gaming and publishing distribution. 
Some of these operations are an important complement to our core 
businesses while others present Televisa with relevant opportunities 
for further diversification in our revenue base.

Digital

Recognizing the vast potential in digital content 
and delivery, Televisa consolidated its wide-ranging 
digital media offerings into a single business 
segment in 2011. The results are compelling; 
Televisa’s demographically and geographically 
diverse digital audience grew by an impressive 20 
percent in 2011.

The popularity of Televisa’s digital offerings 
is responsible for a 20% increase in monthly 
average unique users for a total of 13 million 
average unique users each month in 2011. This 
audience generated nearly 401 million page views 
each month during the year, 14% more than in 
2010. Televisa’s digital strategy includes content 
distribution available through mobile apps; in 2011, 
Televisa saw more than three million mobile app 
downloads.

Our sports-related content was by far the biggest 
draw. Excluding views related to the 2010 World 
Cup, the number of page views increased nearly 
40% over the number of 2010 page views. In 
addition, more than two million people watched 
the Pan American Games through our digital 
portal, Televisadeportes.com, generating more than 
40 million page views.

Web-based video traffic increased by 8 percent in 
2011, with more than 160 million videos viewed 
during the year. Taking advantage of our ability to 
reach a wide variety of audience segments with 

content designed specifically for each, Televisa 
produced alternative versions of its telenovelas 
for webcast with excellent results. The alternative 
ending for our novela Teresa, for example, reached 
more than 1.5 million viewers. This demonstrates 
the power of digital platforms to engage a 
substantially larger audience and provide a 
broader platform for our advertisers to reach their 
customers.

We also reach a broader geographic audience with 
our content through other digital channels. For the 
first time, in 2011 we were able to distribute our 
content to Hispanic audiences in the United States 
as a result of our agreement with Univision, which 
began offering content through Hulu pursuant 
to an agreement reached in October 2011. In 
addition, we make content from our Publishing 
business available through web portals serving all 
of Latin America. 

Radio 

A leader in Spanish-language radio, Televisa 
broadcasts news, music, and talk programming 
through a network of 103 radio stations, of which 
17 are owned and 86 are affiliates.

Our content includes popular shows based on 
the top 40 English- and Spanish-language pop 
music hits —40 Principales—; popular Mexican 
music —Ke Buena—; and political and economic 
news and commentary —W Radio—, as well 
as other programming that addresses a broad 
variety of topics.

OTHER BUSINESSES 
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Firmly focused on the evolution of new media to capture 
new opportunities

Soccer, radio, online are all important complements to our core operations

“

These operations present relevant 
opportunities for further diversification 
in our revenue base ”

In all, Televisa’s entertainment and information 
is broadcast to more than 75 percent of Mexico’s 
population. Our radio broadcasts, under certain 
conditions, might also reach markets in the 
southwestern United States, and four of our most 
popular stations —40 Principales, Ke Buena, W Radio, 
and Bésame— also transmit over the internet.

Gaming

The entertainment value of lottery-, bingo- and 
machine-based gaming continues to grow in 
Mexico. Our operations now include 20 bingo 
parlors, each with an average of 285 bingo machines, 
and approximately 4,600 lottery machines located 
across the country.

In 2011, Televisa’s gaming business developed and 
introduced the new Superlotto Ganamás, which 
engaged players and generated five times more 
winners than the previous Superlotto, adding 
excitement to and increasing the popularity of 
the game. Another standout example is Ganagol, 
an online sports betting game that has generated 
growth of 51% in the number of players since its 
introduction in January 2010.

We have improved our bingo-based gaming by 
consolidating controls and connectivity between 
games and suppliers onto a single platform. This 
new gaming platform provides not only a more 
entertaining gaming experience for our growing 
player base but also real and lasting improvements 
in operating controls throughout our network.

E X C I T I N G 
2626

Fundación has directly benefited more than one million people since its creation in 2001

TELEVISA AND ITS 
STAKEHOLDERS

A s a leading media company, Televisa k nows it must meet, for its part, 
the challenges of a changing, growing, and increasingly global society. 
The company consistently work s to address stak eholder expectations, 
implement good corporate governance practices, and consider social 
and environmental concerns in its short-, medium-, and long-term 
business objectives. Televisa has implemented responsible practices 
that reflect its commitment to current as well as future generations 
while helping to ensure a successful future for the company.

Fundación Televisa:  
Our Impact Continues to Grow

Fundación Televisa —Fundación— was created to 
act as a positive catalyst dedicated to providing a 
broad range of opportunities for as many people 
as possible.  

Working diligently over the past 11 years, 
Fundación has helped to change and improve the 
lives of Mexico’s people. Working together with 
our partners, Fundación helped to improve the 
nutrition and health of more than 46,000 children 
living in the poorest regions of the country. In 2011, 
Fundación also helped to build more than 3,800 
homes for underserved families. 

Fundación’s positive effect is not only measured 
by the numbers of people it serves. The impact of 
Fundación’s work is seen in the better quality of life, 
and stronger economic development, that results 
when people have greater access to opportunities 
in education, housing, nutrition, and health.

An example is Fundación’s nationwide campaign 
to promote the understanding and practice of 
universal values. Launched in 2002 and sponsored 
by Televisa media channels, the program produced 
a book series, Vivir los Valores, now in its seventh 
edition. This program also distributes a calendar 
for primary school-age children that reinforces the 
values introduced by the book series. The calendar 

is also used as a textbook in more than a half 
million classrooms across the country, reaching 
approximately 14 million school-age children and 
300,000 families.

Advancing Education and Accomplishment

The success of Fundación’s model lies in its ability 
to draw attention to worthy programs and to 
help assemble significant partners to fund and 
deploy them. A prime example of this is Bécalos, an 
educational fellowship and scholarship program 
started in 2006 with the Association of Banks of 
Mexico. The program is funded in part through 
donations made via ATM machines and by grants 
from dozens of enterprises.

Bécalos confers fellowships and scholarships on 
students, teachers, and professionals that help to 
advance knowledge and skills through additional 
education and training. In 2011, Bécalos created 
23,602 new fellows, bringing the total number of 
Bécalos fellows to 137,554.

In recognition of the service of army and police 
officers, in 2011 Bécalos conferred more than 
3,500 scholarships to children of military, marine 
and federal police. Research shows that Bécalos 
scholarships to elementary school students 
increase by more than three times the likelihood 
that recipients will continue to advance their 
studies to high school. 

R E S U L T S   D R I V E N  
 
 TELEVISA AND ITS STAKEHOLDERS 

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As a company, Televisa has supported the development of people 
in Mexico for more than 35 years, since 1975, when the first 
Televisa foundation was created

Fundación has been increasingly successful in encouraging part-
ners to contribute to and participate in its projects

Multiplying our Impact

Grupo Televisa’s varied media platforms multiply 
the impact of Fundación by broadcasting its 
messages to millions throughout Mexico. In 
addition, Televisa contributes advertising time and 
space to generate awareness of health-related 
topics such as breast cancer and environmental 
issues such as water scarcity and the need for 
energy conservation.

Increasingly, media support provided by Televisa 
assists Fundación in working with major partners to 
accomplish its goals.These partners, which include 
companies, nongovernmental organizations, and the 
federal government, allow Fundación to combine 
resources and multiply the effect of its work.

In 2011, Fundación’s efforts to encourage partners 
to contribute to and participate in its projects 
were particularly effective, on average boosting 
every dollar of Fundación’s contribution 16.7 times. 
What that means is that every dollar contributed 
by Fundación generated US$16.7 in contributions 
through the partnerships. This figure represents a 
75 percent increase over the average multiple of 
9.57 times seen over the last 11 years.

Partners’ contribution multiple

2011

2000–2010 
average

16.7x

9.57x

Inspiring Culture

Fundación’s focus on social matters is rooted in its 
longstanding support of Mexico’s diverse cultural 
institutions and artists. For example, in 2011 
Fundación edited The Latin American Photobook 
and helped to produce the Museo Palacio de Bellas 
Artes’ exhibit of the work of Paul Strand, considered 
one of the most important photographers of the 
late Twentieth Century.

Fundación will continue to build on its long history 
of expanding opportunities for the health, well-
being, and cultural development of all Mexicans.

“

Addressing expectations for social  
and environmental responsibility ”