The bidding for Univision Communications Inc. is starting to heat up, with a group of private-equity players reportedly teaming up with Mexico’s Grupo Televisa S.A. for the Spanish-language broadcaster.
TheNew York Times reported Friday that Televisa -- which already owns 11% of Univision and supplies most of its programming -- has teamed up with Providence Equity Partners Inc., Madison Dearborn Partners, Cisneros Group (which owns 13% of Univision) and media investor Haim Saban for a bid.
Other potential bidders include New York private-equity giant The Blackstone Group, which the Times said has been talking with CBS Corp. about a possible bid.
Univision is expected to sell for $12 billion-$13 billion, or about $40 per share.
One possible wild card, according to executives familiar with the auction, could be Microsoft Corp., which has expressed some interest in the programmer, and which could team up with a private-equity player. Univision and Microsoft declined to comment.
Leveraged-buyout king Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. and private-equity group Quadrangle Group LLC have also been said to be interested in Univision. KKR declined to comment. Blackstone, Providence Equity, Madison Dearborn and Quadrangle all did not return calls for comment.
