(Image Source: The Hollywood Reporter)

BY DAVID EARL

ANCHOR ANA COMPAIN-ROMERO

If the deal gets done, you’ll have yet another option for 24-hour news as you flip through the channels. ABC News is reportedly in talks with Univision to create a new cable news network. Bloomberg has the headline.

“Discussions about the joint venture have been going on for at least six months, at least according to those sources, and operations could start up even before the presidential elections in November later on this year.”

But with so many sources for TV news, will this new network be a hit? A Wall Street Journal reporter thinks this network’s target demo is what makes it special. The outlet will be aimed at English-speaking Hispanics in the US.

“The Hispanic market is growing, it’s one of the few areas in an already saturated media world where in the United States media companies think they can see growth.”

And the deal might be good for more than the news division of ABC … a media blogger for the New York Times says Spanish-speaking Univision needs an English counterpart.

“The Spanish-language broadcasting giant wants to expand its footprint with English-language programming. First-generation Hispanics in the United States tend to watch shows in Spanish, but many second- and third-generation Hispanics gravitate toward shows in English.”

On the heels of ABC parent company Disney’s positive 1st Quarter earnings report, CNBC got an exclusive interview with CEO Bob Iger -- who was mum about the deal.

“Are you in talks with Univision to start a new cable channel?”
“I read the same story, and I have nothing to say about it.”

It seems the only hurdle left for the deal is getting the new network a spot on your cable channel list. And the New York Daily News points out that for the parent company of ESPN -- that doesn’t really seem like a problem.

“Getting a network off the ground will take some work … the partners will have to get clearance on cable operators and satellite distributors. It helps, of course, having the Walt Disney operation involved, because the network can leverage access to multiple channels to get the new one carried.”

This is just the latest flirt with cable to come from the big-three broadcaster. Most recently, ABC was in talks with Bloomberg to start a 24-hour cable channel to rival the likes of Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC.