Mexico Media Landscape Explained | The Rio Times

MEXICO · MEDIA

Mexico media reach far beyond Mexico, because the same news brands, soap operas and football broadcasts flow into US homes through TelevisaUnivision.

At home, two TV groups dominate the screens. The press-freedom group Article 19 counts 181 journalists killed since 2000 in possible connection with their work.

Who Owns Mexican Television

Television is where the Mexico media system is most concentrated, and two companies run most of it. Reporters Without Borders (RSF), a Paris-based press-freedom group, says Televisa and TV Azteca dominate broadcasting.

RSF also describes Mexico as one of the countries with the highest media concentration in the world. That means a few owners decide much of what most households watch.

Televisa and TelevisaUnivision

Grupo Televisa, based in Mexico City, trades on the Mexican Stock Exchange and, as depositary shares, in New York. Two co-chief executives, Alfonso de Angoitia Noriega and Bernardo Gómez Martínez, run it and signed its 2025 annual report.

Grupo Televisa itself is now mainly a pay-TV and broadband business, running the izzi cable network and the Sky satellite service. At the end of 2025 it reported 15.5 million residential paid services and 3.8 million satellite ones.

Free-to-air channels such as Las Estrellas are run by TelevisaUnivision, in which Grupo Televisa is the largest shareholder. Calling itself the top Spanish-language media company worldwide, TelevisaUnivision also owns Univision, the TUDN sports brand and the ViX streaming service.

TV Azteca and Its Creditors

TV Azteca, the other big national broadcaster, belongs to Grupo Salinas, the business group created by Ricardo Salinas Pliego. Its March 2026 profile lists four national channels, Azteca Uno, Azteca 7, adn Noticias and a más+, on over 300 local stations.

In July 2026 a federal judge declared TV Azteca in concurso mercantil, the court-supervised debt restructuring the company had requested. It listed 1,970 debts worth 23.3 billion pesos (about US$1.27 billion at 18.3 pesos per dollar, October 2026).

TV Azteca stopped paying its US bonds in 2021. Its US creditors, owed about US$630 million, have been suing in New York since 2022.

Background: the July 2026 insolvency ruling and related coverage of TV Azteca’s subsidiaries.

In March 2026 TV Azteca, with approval from the securities regulator CNBV, removed its shares from Mexico’s national securities registry. Its debts are now before courts on both sides of the border.

The Newspapers and Their Owners

Mexico’s leading newspapers are privately owned. Several belong to media groups that also run radio stations, TV channels or large websites.

Outside the capital, many readers rely on regional dailies. RSF says the newspaper sector is dominated by the OEM chain, so many local papers share a single owner.

• El Universal (Mexico City): a national daily led by Juan Francisco Ealy Ortiz, its executive president and chairman of the board.
• Reforma: the Mexico City daily of Grupo Reforma, which also publishes El Norte in Monterrey.
• Milenio: a national daily published by Grupo Milenio, which also runs the Milenio Televisión news channel. The Media Ownership Monitor, a 2018 survey of Mexican media owners, traced it to Grupo Multimedios, founded in Monterrey by the González family.
• La Jornada: a Mexico City daily published by the company DEMOS, Desarrollo de Medios.
• Excélsior: a Mexico City daily whose masthead lists Olegario Vázquez Raña and Olegario Vázquez Aldir as honorary presidents, above executive president Ernesto Rivera Aguilar.
• Organización Editorial Mexicana (OEM): the group that dominates the newspaper sector, with 32 dailies, 24 radio stations and 45 websites, according to RSF.

Digital Outlets and Independent Newsrooms

Online-only outlets form a second tier of the Mexico media scene, alongside the TV groups and the newspapers. Several describe their own journalism as independent.

Animal Político, part of Grupo Animal, presents itself as a reference for verified information and independent journalism in Mexico. Aristegui Noticias, published by Aristegui Noticias Network, works under the slogan “journalism in freedom, from any medium”.

Television groups have also moved online, and N+, the Mexico-based news operation of TelevisaUnivision, runs the nmas.com.mx site. Since January 2026 Univision’s US news division has carried the same name, as N+ Univision.

RSF notes that independent journalists increasingly publish directly on social media, outside the big media groups.

How Mexicans Get Their News

The statistics office INEGI runs an annual household survey on technology use, called ENDUTIH. Its 2025 edition, published in June 2026, shows how quickly habits are shifting.

The share of people watching free-to-air TV fell 4 percentage points between 2024 and 2025 alone. Mobile phone use rose 2.9 points in the same year.

• Internet: 86.1% of people aged six and over used it in 2025, or 104.9 million people (88.9% in cities, 75.2% in rural areas).
• Homes online: 78.3% of households had internet in 2025, twice the 39.1% of 2015.
• Phones: 84.6% of people aged six and over used a mobile phone in 2025.
• Social media: 80.4% of smartphone users accessed social networks, and 90.6% used messaging apps.
• Free-to-air TV: 49.1% of the population watched it in 2025, down 12 percentage points from 2020, for 2.1 hours a day.
• Radio: 29.8% listened in 2025, for an average of 2.2 hours a day.
• Streaming: 36.4% of households had a streaming service in 2025.

The President’s Morning Press Conference

President Claudia Sheinbaum, elected in 2024, regularly holds a televised morning press conference for reporters. Known as the Mañanera del Pueblo, it is held in the Salón Tesorería of the National Palace in Mexico City.

Cabinet members often present policy there, and reporters put questions to the president live. It also includes a segment called “El Detector de Mentiras” (the lie detector), which rebuts reports the government calls false.

The segment airs on Wednesdays, and the ministry concerned issues a denial of the report in question. In May 2026 Sheinbaum announced that it would grow into a weekly afternoon programme, according to Infobae México.

RSF says Sheinbaum has adopted a less confrontational tone toward the media, while still criticising coverage at times. In May 2026 TV Azteca accused her of urging Mexicans not to watch it, calling this an attempt to censor critical media.

For the wider picture of who holds power, see who dominates Mexico.

Press Freedom and Violence Against Journalists

Mexico’s constitution guarantees press freedom, and RSF finds no openly restrictive press laws. The danger comes instead from violence, threats and lawsuits.

Article 19, a free-expression group with a Mexico office, has documented 181 killings of journalists since 2000 possibly linked to their work. Its tally: 48 under former president Felipe Calderón, 47 under Enrique Peña Nieto, 47 under Andrés Manuel López Obrador, 14 under Sheinbaum.

RSF’s barometer counted eight journalists killed in Mexico in 2026 as of early October. The eighth was photographer Ricardo Zúñiga, shot dead in the state of Puebla at the end of August.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said in August 2026 that six journalists had been murdered that year. Five of those killings came in just over two months, one of the deadliest spikes CPJ had documented in over a decade.

On 9 October 2026 gunmen killed Hamurabi Huesca Manzano, director of the news site Pinotepa Comunica, in Santiago Pinotepa Nacional, Oaxaca. He also drove a taxi, and prosecutors say the attack in Oaxaca presumably targeted a local crime figure.

RSF says collusion between local officials and organised crime poses a grave threat to reporters’ safety. It also counts 28 journalists missing since 2000.

Money is a quieter pressure. RSF notes that no law guarantees a fair and transparent share-out of government advertising, which leaves small outlets exposed.

The New Regulator and the Rules

Mexico has rebuilt how it regulates broadcasting and telecoms. The former regulator, the Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT), now keeps its website only as a historical archive.

Its work passed to the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (CRT), created under a new telecoms and broadcasting law published on 16 July 2025. The Senate ratified its five commissioners on 14 October 2025, and the board first met on 21 October 2025.

The CRT is an administrative body under the Digital Transformation and Telecommunications Agency (ATDT), the federal government department for telecoms policy. The law gives it technical and operational independence, and its chair, Norma Solano Rodríguez, was named by President Sheinbaum.

In August 2026 the CRT approved rules on audience rights, including separating news from opinion and answering viewer complaints. Solano rejected claims of censorship and said repeat offenders face fines of 0.1% to 1% of annual revenue.

The CRT also runs a mandatory registry that links each mobile line to its registered user. On 5 October 2026 it reported temporarily suspending 2,248,143 lines ending in the digit 3 that had not completed the process.

What It Means for US Readers

For Spanish-speaking households in the United States, the Mexico media business is not foreign news. Univision runs 59 owned or operated US television stations, and N+ Univision says it reached 14.6 million viewers in September 2026.

For investors, Grupo Televisa trades in New York, and TelevisaUnivision earns its money on both sides of the border. In the second quarter of 2026 its US advertising fell 29%, while World Cup demand lifted Mexican advertising 23% to US$353 million.

TV Azteca’s case matters directly to US bond investors. In September 2026 the company asked a US court to recognise its Mexican restructuring under Chapter 15 of the US bankruptcy code.

Travellers and remote workers should know that reporting on crime and local politics carries real risk in parts of Mexico. Anyone using a Mexican mobile line should also check the CRT registry rules; for business context, see who runs Mexico’s economy.

More Mexico explainers, including the country’s key cultural figures, are on the Rio Times Mexico page.

What Is Not Known

The outcome of TV Azteca’s restructuring is open, including whether creditors gain control of the network or its concessions. Its September 2026 request for US recognition of the Mexican process adds a second court whose ruling will shape the result.

It is unclear how strictly the CRT will enforce the audience-rights rules, and whether the regulator will act independently of the government. Early cases will show whether fears of censorship were justified.

Article 19 counts killings with a possible link to journalism, so official findings on motive may still change the tallies. RSF, Article 19 and CPJ each apply their own criteria, which is why their totals are not identical.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who owns the main TV networks in Mexico?

Grupo Televisa, run by co-chief executives Alfonso de Angoitia Noriega and Bernardo Gómez Martínez, is the largest shareholder of TelevisaUnivision, which runs Las Estrellas and other channels. TV Azteca belongs to Grupo Salinas, the business group created by Ricardo Salinas Pliego. RSF says the two dominate broadcasting in Mexico.

What are the biggest newspapers in Mexico?

Leading national dailies include El Universal, Reforma, Milenio, La Jornada and Excélsior. Organización Editorial Mexicana dominates the newspaper sector with 32 dailies, according to RSF.

Is Mexico dangerous for journalists?

Yes. Article 19 has documented 181 journalists killed since 2000 in possible connection with their work, and RSF counted eight killed in 2026 by early October. Mexico ranks 122nd of 180 countries in RSF’s 2026 index.

How do most Mexicans get their news?

Increasingly online. INEGI found that 86.1% of people aged six and over used the internet in 2025, while only 49.1% watched free-to-air TV. Among smartphone users, 80.4% used social networks.

Who regulates Mexico media and telecoms?

The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (CRT), chaired by Norma Solano Rodríguez, took over from the former regulator, the IFT, in October 2025. It sits under a federal government agency, the ATDT.

What is the mañanera?

It is President Claudia Sheinbaum’s televised morning press conference at the National Palace. Cabinet members present policy there, and a weekly segment rebuts reports the government calls false.

Sources: RSF, Mexico country page and 2026 World Press Freedom Index, 2026; Article 19 Mexico, journalists killed in Mexico, July 2026; CPJ, Mexico, August-September 2026; INEGI, ENDUTIH 2025 press release 32/26, 16 June 2026; INEGI, ENDUTIH 2025 results report 19/26, 16 June 2026; Grupo Televisa investor relations, October 2026; TelevisaUnivision corporate site, October 2026; TelevisaUnivision, N+ Univision September ratings, 6 October 2026; The Hollywood Reporter, TelevisaUnivision Q2 2026, 23 July 2026; El Imparcial, TV Azteca concurso mercantil, 7 July 2026; TV Azteca investor relations, October 2026; Serpientes y Escaleras, mañanera of 30 September 2026, 30 September 2026; Sin Embargo, TV Azteca Chapter 15 filing, 17 September 2026; El Universal, directorio, October 2026; Excélsior, directorio, October 2026; La Jornada, October 2026; TelevisaUnivision, Univision News rebrands as N+ Univision, 6 January 2026; Grupo Animal, nosotros, October 2026; Aristegui Noticias, October 2026; N+ (nmas.com.mx), October 2026; Grupo Animal, killing of Hamurabi Huesca in Oaxaca, 9 October 2026; El Heraldo de México, Mañanera del Pueblo 7 October 2026, 7 October 2026; Infobae México, Detector de Mentiras, 15 May 2026; IFT, historical archive notice, October 2026; DPL News, CRT installs its board, 21 October 2025; Diario Oficial de la Federación, CRT agreement P/CRT/ORD/12122025/074, 12 December 2025; El Informador, CRT audience-rights guidelines, 26 August 2026; El Financiero, CRT suspends mobile lines, 5 October 2026; Grupo Televisa, management team, October 2026; Grupo Televisa, 2025 annual report letter to shareholders, 2026; Grupo Televisa, press release, 18 September 2026; TV Azteca, cancellation of registration in the RNV, 17 March 2026; TV Azteca, statement on the president’s remarks, 26 May 2026; TV Azteca, reorganisation update, 18 September 2026; Milenio, privacy notice (Milenio Diario, Milenio Televisión), October 2026; Media Ownership Monitor Mexico 2018 (Global Media Registry/CENCOS), Milenio Diario, 2018 data.

This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief

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