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| Type | Broadcast television network |
|---|---|
| Country | Mexico |
| Availability | Distributed in Asia, the Americas, Europe, and some parts of Africa |
| Founded | 1950 by Emilio Azcárraga Vidaurreta |
| Revenue | US$0 (2007) ▲ 8.50% |
| Net income | US$0(2007) ▲ 1.83% |
| Owner | Televisa S.A. de C.V. |
| Key people | Emilio Azcárraga Jean, Alfonso de Angoitia, Bernardo Gómez Martínez |
| Launch date | 1955 |
| Former names | Telesistema mexicano |
| Website http://www.televisa.com |
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Televisa is a Mexican multimedia conglomerate, the largest media company in the Spanish-speaking world.[1] It is a major international entertainment business, with much of its programming airing in the United States on Univision, with which it has an exclusive contract. Its main competition is TV Azteca, which has been growing in popularity in the recent years.
Grupo Televisa was founded in 1955 as Telesistema Mexicano, linking Mexico's first three television stations: XHTV-TV (founded in 1950), XEW-TV (1951) and XHGC-TV (1952). It was (and in modern-day Televisa still is) owned by the Azcárraga family, who had signed on Mexico's first radio station, XEW-AM, in 1930. Its headquarters, known as Televicentro, were originally located on Avenida Chapultepec in downtown Mexico City. The building opened on February 10, 1952.
In 1968 Televisa's main competitor, Televisión Independiente de México (TIM), started operating with XHTIM-TV, Canal 8. At the time, both Telesistema and TIM competed with XHAW-TV, local Canal 12, which also started transmissions in 1968. Over the next 4 years both networks competed in content and image until September 17, 1972 when they merged, bringing the name Televisa with them. Int the merger deal, the owners of Telesistema had 75 percent of the stocks, while the owners of Televisión Independiente had the rest, which was sold to Telesistema later because of financial problems.
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Highlights
On September 7, 1970, "24 Horas" debuted and became one of Mexico's most watched news programs. The host, legendary journalistJacobo Zabludovsky, anchored the program for almost 3 decades.
On August 17, 1972, Emilio Azcárraga Vidaurreta died and Emilio Azcárraga Milmo succeeded him as the big cheese.
In 1975 brothers Emilio Diez Barroso and Fernando Diez Barroso began working in the presidency offices of Televisa.
Televisa started to transmit several programs produced by Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (National Autonomous University of Mexico) (UNAM) in 1977. On March 3, 1983, Canal 8 changed their schedule to became a cultural channel, offering informative programs, debates and cultural shows, a precursor to today's Galavisión. In May 18, 1985 the frequency was changed to XEQ-TV, Canal 9.
On September 19, 1985, an earthquake measuring 8.1 on the Richter scale caused widespread damage in Mexico City and left the south tower of Televisa's main building destroyed. Nonetheless, Televisa's transmissions were not serious affected.
In 1991, Televisa, with help from Japanese television network NHK, began its first broadcast in HDTV, using the Japanese MUSE system.
In April 1997, Milmo died and Emilio Azcárraga Jean succeeded him as the head honcho of the company.
In December 1997, Televisa joined with other Mexican media companies to create a marathon known as Teletón, whose mission is to provide knowledge about physical disabilities, giving a strong message about respect, equality and support to people in these conditions. This movement from media, enterprises and Mexicans is reflected in the buildings created with the money from this Marathon, named Centros de Rehabilitación Infantil (CRIT). It is said that sponsors use it as a way to deduce taxes as the Teletón takes place at the end of the fiscal year and therefore allows companies to deduce their donations before declaring their incomes.
Logo
The famed Televisa logo comes from the original 1973 design by architect Pedro Ramirez Vazquez, tweaked in 2001 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Televisa: the logo represents a human eye looking at the world through a television screen. It keeps the original logo's yellow and orange colors that contrast with a dark blue background while the center of the logo is a sphere that represents the known contemporary world with its focus on communications, specifically television. The use of an eye as a television logo is not unique, as other broadcasters such as CBS, Fuji TV, ATV and Rede Globo have also used the concept for their own logos.
Televisa today
Grupo Televisa is the largest media conglomerate in Latin America, with interests in television production and broadcasting, programming for pay television, international distribution of television programming, direct-to-home satellite services, publishing and publishing distribution, cable television, radio production and broadcasting, professional sports and show business promotions, paging services, feature film production and distribution, dubbing, and the operation of a horizontal Internet portal. Televisa's soap operas generally run only one season and are broadcast internationally.The conglomerate is owner of all of the following companies:
- Comercio Más (Internet EsMas.com)
- SKY Latin America
- DirecTV Mexico (Defunct DTH TV company)
- Cablevisión (Mexico City only)
- Televisa Networks
- Estadio Azteca (Football Stadium)
- Club América (Football Team)
- Club Necaxa (Football Team)
- San Luis FC (Football Team)
- Editorial Televisa (Books, Magazines and Newspapers)
- Intermex (Editorial house)
- Televisa Radio (Formerly Radiopolis)
- Videocine (Movie production and distribution)
- Televisa Home Entertainment (DVD Distribution)
- EMI Televisa Músic (Record Label)
- EMI Latin (Record Label)
- Televisa Licencias (Merchandising)
- Televisa Digital (Internet)
- TuTV (HDTV Network in USA)
- La Sexta (TV Channel in Spain)
- Más Fondos (Investment Group)
- Volaris (Airline)
- CEA (Arts School)
Grupo Televisa is listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange, Bolsa Mexicana de Valores (BMV: TLEVISA) and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: TV).
Services
Terrestrial networks
Through four Mexico City-licensed TV stations, Televisa provides programming on a national scale throughout Mexico via local affiliates. Some Mexican local television stations air programming from all four terrestrial networks (usually prerecorded programming) on the same channel. The four Televisa networks are:
- Canal de las Estrellas - Flagship Televisa Station; Mix of General and First-Run programming alongside news
- Canal 5 - Foreign TV Shows, Movies and Youth-Oriented Programming
- Galavisión - Foreign Soap Operas, Sports and Comedy Shows Programming
- 4tv - Mexico City-oriented programming
Through Telesistema Mexicano, Televisa beams Canal de las Estrellas, Canal 5, and Galavisión all over Mexico (much like the superstations in the United States than the US-like television network model of network-affiliate). In addition, Telesistema Mexicano also owns Televisa-branded regional television stations, airing a mixture of Televisa programming and regional programming. Televisa also owns a stream known as 4tv or "Canal de la Ciudad" ("City Channel" in English), which is a television station aimed at Mexico City. 4tv is not affiliated with any Telesistema Mexicano regional TV station, however some of 4tv's programming can be found on the regional television stations.
Cable
Televisa also operates a subsidiary called Televisa Networks. This subsidiary is responsible for the distribution of Televisa programmes by satellite. It is Televisa Networks that distributes the Canal de las Estrellas signal via satellite to Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Other channels under the Televisa Networks umbrella include:
- Bandamax - a Banda, Norteño and Regional Mexican music station.
- Canal de las Estrellas Niños (Channel Of The Stars Kids) - is a brother channel of El canal de las Estrellas intended for children.
- Cinema Golden Choice 1 and 2 - movie service, showcasing Hollywood blockbusters and other films.
- Clásico TV - Classic sitcoms with a laughter.
- De Película - Mexican film channel.
- De Película Clásico - Mexican classic film channel.
- Ritmoson Latino - a Spanish language music videos station (It excludes to other Latin languages).
- TL Novelas - a network devoted to telenovelas (soap operas).
- TeleHit - an MTV-esque station for youth.
- American Network - features US programming.
- Unicable - features programming by Univision.
- Canal de las Estrellas (Channel Of The Stars) coming soon in the united states.
Televisa also operates Televisa Radio, under the brand name of "W Radio México"; it is primarily a news and talk station.
Televisa used to operate Noticias ECO, a 24-hour news channel, between 1988 and 2001.
Televisa and Univision
Televisa has an ongoing relation with the US Univision network, stemming back to the 1960s, when Univision's predecessor, the Spanish International Network (SIN), was owned by Telesistema Mexicano, Televisa's predecessor. In 1986, Televisa became embroiled in a scandal with the SIN network news. The management wanted to produce and broadcast a newscast with Jacobo Zabludosky out of Miami. Half of the staff walked out of their jobs alleging Jacobo Zabludosky was a puppet of the Mexican Government who had soft views with Castro's Cuba. The Televisa management was dumbfounded, they decided to move the now renamed Univision Network's HQ to Laguna Niguel, outside of Los Angeles to produce their shows from there including their beleaguered news division. They returned to Miami two years later.
Televisa has been a longtime provider of programming to Univision and its sister networks. However, in recent years, Televisa's relationship with Univision has become strained. It was involved in a dispute with Univisión over the censoring and editing of its programming as well as non-payment for transmission of its programming to Univisión's Galavisión and Telefutura networks. In one editing incident, an episode of Con Todo was not shown on Galavisión due to a host appearing in blackface, and the show did not return to the cable station for two years. A breach of contract lawsuit against Univisión by Televisa has also been filed.
When Univisión came up for sale, a group including Televisa inquired about taking an up to 25% ownership stake (the maximum allowed by US law for a foreign buyer). However, a group of U.S. private equity firms eventually won Univision.
Televisa is also the former owner of Fonovisa music, which it sold in 2001 to Univision.
Televisa and Telemundo deal
On March 18, 2008 Grupo Televisa and NBC-Universal announced an 10-year multiplatform agreement that would allow 1000 hours of Telemundo programming from news, entertainment programs/specials,and sports to be broadcast over not only its Galavision channel (XEQ TV), but also its SKY Channel and cablevision cable system starting in April, as well as a planned Telemundo pay tv channel to be launched later in 2008.Marketingymedios On May 19, 2009 Telemundo and Televisa sent out announcement that the joint owned network will come together in August 2009.
Criticism
Televisa has received criticism for assuming monopolistic positions. Recently, GE Mexico accused Televisa of bullying Isaac Saba, their potential partner in a possible joint venture to create a new television network in Mexico that would compete with Televisa.[2]
Televisa's owners, the Azcárraga family, have long-standing ties to the former dominant party, the PRI. During the PRI's rule, Televisa newscasts almost never criticized the government.[3]
Televisa has also come under criticism for its supposed involvement in a new Mexican media law passed by the Mexican Congress. The law gives Televisa advantages and shields the network against competition, and has been called by critics the "Televisa Law". [4]
Additionally, some have accused Televisa's media content of being too Mexico City-centric, downplaying the importance of the rest of the nation, particularly when covering local politics of Mexico City as if it were national news, or by giving more space to local content in national broadcasting.
While Televisa has HDTV channels in places other than Mexico City, including Ciudad Juárez, Tijuana, and Monterrey, there are certain shows that are only shown in high definition in Mexico City. In places other than Mexico City, there is an odd schedule of programming. For example, in the HD version of XHJCI-TV in Juárez the HD signal from Mexico City is only delivered from 6 PM to 9 PM Monday to Friday. In Juárez, Alma de Hierro and the news do not appear in HD. Soccer games also do not appear in HDTV.
Televisa's HD practice has been criticized for airing a significant amount of 4:3 standard definition content stretched to 16:9 (which some viewers[who?] have nicknamed Stretch-o-Vision).
Televisa has also been critized for its involvement in their soccer teams and manipulating their performances. Some critics[who?] have said how bad Mexican soccer is since it is run by a television company.
One of the flaws of Televisa is the excessive use of commercials. Some commercials are repeated more than thrice in the same cut, and some times they are even shown consecutively. Also, because of this, some episodes are stripped of parts, and some of these are central to the main plot.
Novelas Coming Soon
- Corazon salvaje new version
- Camaleones
Telenovelas on the air
- 4pm' --Atrevete a Soñar (Dare to Dream)
- 6pm' --Mi Pecado (My Sin)
- 7pm' --Verano de Amor (Summer of Love)
- 8pm -- [[Hasta Que El Dinero Nos Separe (Till Money Do Us Part]]
- 9pm' -- Sortilegio
- 10pm -- Alma de hierro (Soul of Iron)
See also
References
External links
- (Spanish)/(English) Televisa Corporate website
- (Spanish) Esmas, Televisa's Internet portal
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