Disney, Univision in News Channel Talks

Disney and Univision are in talks to create a new English-language channel to enter the 24-hour TV news war, insiders tell the Wall Street Journal. The venture would be aimed at English-speaking Latinos, and the companies hope to get it up and running before the presidential election in order to get the edge with political coverage, the sources say.

Disney's ownership of ABC and ESPN would help it sell the new channel to cable networks. Univision—America's biggest Spanish-language media company—believes it needs to cater to second- and third-generation Latinos to maintain its audience. "Their lives are in English," one insider says. "They want to see culturally relevant news they can't find anywhere else." Univision's rival Telemundo has been investing heavily to create new content, and Fox recently partnered with a Colombian channel to create the new MundoFox channel. (More cable news stories.)