Televisa-Univision court clash could alter landscape of Spanish-language TV

A real-life soap opera in Spanish-language television -- a saga of family legacy, corporate ambition and allegations of treachery -- is expected to shift today to a federal courtroom in Los Angeles. The civil trial will pit two titans against each other and bring to the witness stand key executives who are accustomed to controlling the media behind the scenes rather than fighting over it in open court. At stake is the future of the widely popular telenovelas, a steamy mix of sex, romance and family intrigue that has made the Spanish-language shows among the most popular and profitable on American airwaves. After years of squabbling, Televisa, the world's largest producer of telenovelas, four years ago sued longtime partner Univision for breach of contract, alleging it had been cheated out of more than $100 million in royalties. More significantly, Televisa is seeking to terminate a 25-year programming contract with Univision. The 1992 compact between the two companies requires that Televisa, which is controlled by Mexico's 40-year-old media scion Emilio Azcarraga Jean, provide its shows exclusively to Univision through 2017. Those prime-time dramas, which hook viewers with ageless themes of love and betrayal, have helped establish Univision as the dominant Spanish-language television company in the U.S., crushing rivals in the ratings.