Behind Univision’s New Majority Owners

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Until today, Eric Zinterhofer, the founding partner of Searchlight Capital Partners, was likely as unknown as the global private investment firm he leads.


As far as Wade Davis goes, he’s an individual who has some level of name recognition in the TV industry.

Now, Zinterhofer and Davis are both poised to take on a much greater profile in the media world, thanks to their deal to acquire the stake in Univision Communications not owned by Grupo Televisa.

Speaking on the deal announced Tuesday (2/25) that sees Searchlight and Davis’ ForgeLight take majority ownership of Miami-based Univision, Zinterhofer spoke of Univision’s “proven track record of success in reaching and serving the U.S. Hispanic community” while the naming of Davis as CEO, replacing Vince Sadusky after some 20 months in the role, reinforces his firms “confidence in Univision’s bright future.”

Searchlight Capital Partners is a global private investment firm with offices in New York, London and Toronto. “Searchlight seeks to invest in businesses where their long-term capital and strategic support accelerate value creation for all stakeholders,” the company’s mission statement notes.

Its investments include Bezeq, the incumbent Israeli communications services provider focused on providing fixed line internet and voice, mobile, and pay-TV services; and Eolo, an Italian fixed wireless access broadband provider active primarily in the residential market, serving more than 10 million households across Central and Northern Italy.

Also in the Searchlight investment portfolio is Global Eagle, a provider of media, content, and connectivity solutions to airlines, cruise lines, commercial ships, high-end yachts, ferries and land locations worldwide; and Liberty Latin America, a major MVPD active in Puerto Rico.

But what is perhaps most telling is its stake in Hemisphere Media Group — a company that many believed would make a bid for Univision.

In a sense, it did — but via Searchlight and Davis.

The Searchlight investment also makes Univision a distant cousin to one of Canada’s most revered brands, Roots.

Then, there is Davis, a former CFO at Viacom who is a TMT sector veteran. He founded ForgeLight in 2019 as an operating and investment company focused on the media and consumer technology sectors. Davis joined Viacom in 2005, rose to CFO in 2012 and was a de facto COO under Bob Bakish prior to Viacom’s reunification with CBS Corp.

Davis departed on his own accord.