Univision to Launch Hispanic Ad Network

Univision is launching Univision Partner Group, a new ad network to help advertisers connect with U.S. Hispanics. The network is a project of the company's interactive media unit headed by Kevin Conroy, who joined Univision from AOL in January 2009 and had previously led efforts to expand AOL Music. (See related story, "Web Pioneer Goes for Gold.")

The company is seeking to represent not only its own media properties, which include the No. 1 Spanish language broadcast network but also third-party publishers in the U.S. Latin America and Spain. The Univision Partner Group will allow companies targeting Hispanic audiences to control their campaigns and to monitor earnings in real time, according to a Nov. 30 press release announcing the launch. Already signed up to the venture are Caracol Televisión; Revista Caras; Perfil.com; El Espectador; TyC Sports and Ambito Financiero.

The Univision Partner Group is also working with three firms to help deliver the digital Hispanic-focused ad network: Adify, which handles publisher management, Web ad serving and targeting, and trafficking operations; Quattro Wireless, a mobile advertising company; and AdReady, a display advertising firm.