Televisa

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Televisa
Type Broadcast television network
Country Mexico
Availability Distributed in Asia, North America, South America, Europe, and some parts of Africa
Owner Televisa S.A. de C.V.
Key people Emilio Azcárraga Jean, Alfonso de Angoitia, Bernardo Gomez Martinez
Launch date 1950
Former names Telesistema mexicano
Website
http://www.televisa.com

Televisa is a Mexican multimedia company, and is the largest media company in the Spanish-speaking world[1], and a major player in the international entertainment business. Much of its programming airs in the United States on Univision, with which it has an exclusive contract.

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 main headquarters originally was on Avenida Chapultepec, located in downtown Mexico City, known as Televicentro. This building started operations on February 10, 1952.

In 1968, Televisión Independiente de México (TIM), their main competitor came on the scene with XHTIM-TV, Canal 8. At the same time both Telesistema and TIM were competing with XHAW-TV, local Canal 12, which also started transmissions that year. During the next 4 years both networks were competing in content and image, until September 17 of 1972, both networks finally merged together, bringing the name Televisa with them, in which Telesistema had 75% of the stocks, while Televisión Independiente had the rest, which was sold to Telesistema later because of financial problems.

Televisa's logo used from January 8, 1973 until December 31, 2000.
Televisa's logo used from January 8, 1973 until December 31, 2000.

On September 7, 1970, one of the most famous news programs of Mexico was created: 24 Horas. The newsman that was part of that program for 28 years was Jacobo Zabludovsky.

On August 17, 1972, Emilio Azcárraga Vidaurreta died and Emilio Azcárraga Milmo became the CEO.

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 current schedule, to became a cultural profile, with informative programs, debates and cultural shows, a precursor to today's Galavisión. In May 18 of 1985 they changed their frequency to XEQ-TV, Canal 9.

The main studio of Televisa in Chapultepec
The main studio of Televisa in Chapultepec

On September 19, 1985, an earthquake measuring 8.1 on the Richter scale caused wide-spread damage in Mexico City and left the south tower of Televisa's main building destroyed. However, there were no serious compromises to Televisa's transmissions.

In 1991, Televisa, with help from Japanese television network NHK, began its first broadcast in HDTV, using the Japanese MUSE system.

In April 1997, Emilio Azcárraga Milmo died and Emilio Azcárraga Jean became the CEO 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).

Contents

[edit] The logo

The famed Televisa logo comes from the original 1973 design of architect Pedro Ramirez Vazquez, tweaked a bit in 2001 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Televisa: the logo represents the eye of a man looking at the world through a television screen. It kept the original logo's yellow and orange colors that are in contrast with a dark blue hue while the center of the logo is a sphere that represents the known contemporary world today 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, ATV and Rede Globo used the concept for their own logos.

[edit] Televisa today

Grupo Televisa is the largest media conglomerate in Latin America, and has 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 each and are broadcast internationally.

Grupo Televisa is owner of all of the following companies:

- Comercio Más (Internet EsMas.com)
- SKY Latin America (Only Mexico)
- 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)
- Televisa Música (Record Label)
- Televisa Licencias (Merchandising)
- Televisa Digital (Internet)
- OCESA (Admistrator of Concert Halls and stadiums)
- TuTV (HDTV Network in USA)
- La Sexta (TV Channel in Spain)
- EMI (Record Label)
- 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).

[edit] Company Officers

Officer Since: 1991

Officer Since: 2000

  • Salvi Folch Viadero, Chief Financial Officer.

Officer Since: 04/2002

  • Jean Paul Broc Haro, Chief Executive Officer of Cablevision.

Officer Since: 02/2003

  • Eduardo Michelsen Delgado, Chief Executive Officer of Editorial Televisa.

Officer Since: 01/2002

  • Alexandre Moreira Penna da Silva, Chief Executive Officer of Innova.

Officer Since: 01/2004

  • Javier Mérida, Chief Executive Officer, Sistema Radiopolis.

Officer Since: 2007

  • Alfonso De Angoitia Noriega, Executive Vice President, Director.

Officer Since: 05/01/2000

Officer Since: 07/1997

  • Maximiliano Arteaga Carlebach, Vice President-Operations, Technical Service and Television Production Group.

Officer Since: 03/2002

[edit] Channels

Through three Mexico City-licensed TV stations, Televisa provides programming on a national scale throughout Mexico. These stations are:

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.

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
  • Ritmoson Latino - a salsa, merengue, cumbia music station
  • TeleHit - an MTV-esque station for youth
  • De Pelicula - Mexican film channel
  • De Pelicula Clasico - Mexican classic film channel
  • Cinema Golden Choice 1 and 2 - movie service, showcasing Hollywood blockbusters and other films
  • TL Novelas - a network devoted to telenovelas (soaps)
  • American Network - showcases US programming
  • Unicable - showcases programming by Univision.
  • Canal de las Estrellas Niños (The great chanel of the Kids stars) - is a brother channel of El canal de las Estrellas intended for children.

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.

[edit] 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 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 beligered 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.

[edit] Televisa and Telemundo make 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 its cablevision cable system starting in April, as well as a planned Telemundo pay tv channel to be launched later this year. [1]

[edit] 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 Azcarraga family, have long-standing ties to the former dominant party, the Institutional Revolutionary Party. During the PRI's rule, Televisa newscasts almost never criticized the government.[3]

Televisa has also come under criticism for their supposed involvement in the New Mexican Media law passed by the Mexican Congress. The law supposedly gives Televisa such advantages and shielding 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 they were national news, or by giving more space to local content in national broadcasting.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Snell&Wilcox | Putting Pictures to Work
  2. ^ GE accuses Mexico's TV firms of Telemundo plot
  3. ^ Azcarraga, Emilio, and Emilio Azcarraga Milmo
  4. ^ MEXICO: New Law to Benefit Media Giants

[edit] External links

  • (Spanish) Esmas, Televisa's Internet portal
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Broadcast television networks in Mexico
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