Broadcaster buys control of Onion humour website

Control of satirical news website The Onion has been snapped up by broadcaster Univision Communications Inc for an undisclosed fee.

Univision, which has mainly been focused on the Hispanic American audience, has reportedly bought a controlling 40% stake in the humour publisher.

The broadcaster confirmed its digital arm was now a minority investor in Onion Inc but the terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Univision’s chief news and digital officer Isaac Lee said that comedy was “playing an expanding role in our culture as a vehicle for audiences to explore, debate, and understand the important ideas of our time.”

“It has also proven to be an incredibly engaging format for millennial audiences, and is expected to play a key part in the 2016 presidential election process via our robust content offerings in Spanish and English."

The Onion, which in skewering cultural and media obsessions frequently published pieces that strayed close or over the line, including an editorial cartoon featuring the deities of major religions engaging in graphic sex under the headline "No One Murdered Because Of This Image", or about Barack Obama entitled "Black Guy Asks Nation For Change", while its Clickhole arm mocks the recent trend for listicles, quizzes and clickbait photo galleries published by the likes of Buzzfeed and Viralnova with article such as "Would You Survive A Bear Attack?" or "16 Pictures Of Martin Luther King Jr. Sprinting Through Times Square".

Onion president and CEO Mike McAvoy added: “Onion Inc has remained successful by putting editorial first. We’re excited to partner with Univision, a company that understands and appreciates that foundation, and that can provide additional resources, expertise, and opportunity for our talented staff."