MTV Tres

MTV Tres
Launched	August 1, 1998 (1998-08-01)
Owned by	Viacom Media Networks (Viacom)
Picture format	480i (SDTV)
Slogan	MTV, Música y Más (MTV, Music and More)
Country	United States
Language	English Spanish
Broadcast area	Nationwide
Headquarters	Miami, Florida
Formerly called	MTV S (1998–1999) MTV en Español (1999–2006)
Replaced	Fox en Más Música (1998–2006) MTV en Español (1999–2006)
Sister channel(s)	MTV, MTV2
Website	www.tr3s.com/
Availability
Terrestrial
Available on television stations in certain markets	See list below
Satellite
DirecTV	445 (SD)
Dish Network	872 (SD)
G-18 N/Central America/Caribbean	4040 V / 29270 / 3/4 VCT 766 / Channel 770 (West) (Transponder 17)
SES-2 N/Caribbean	11750 V / 7320 / 7/8 VCT 553 / Channel 210 (East) (Transponder 2)
Cable
Available on most U.S. cable systems	Consult your local cable provider for channel availability

MTV Tres (stylized as tr3́s, and taken from the Spanish word for the number three, tres) is an American broadcast, digital cable and satellite television network that is owned by Viacom Music and Entertainment Group, a division of the Viacom Media Networks subsidiary of Viacom. Programming on Tr3s includes lifestyle series, customized music video playlists, news documentaries that celebrate Latino culture, music and artists, and English-subtitled programming in Spanish imported from the MTV España and MTV Latin America channels as well as Spanish-subtitled programming from MTV.^[1] The channel is targeted toward bilingual Latinos and non-Latino Americans aged 12 to 34.^[2]

The channel is headed by executive vice president and general manager Jose Tillan. As of August 2013, Tr3s is available to approximately 36 million pay television households (totaling 32% of households with television) in the United States.^[3]

History

MTV en Español

MTV en Español logo.

On August 1, 1998, MTV Networks launched a 24-hour digital cable channel, MTV S (the "S" standing for "Spanish").^[4] On October 1, 2001, the channel was relaunched as MTV en Español,^[5] focusing on music videos by Latin rock and pop artists.^[6] The rebranded network mainly utilized the eight-hour automated music video playlist wheel used by sister networks MTV2, MTV Hits and MTVX (later MTV Jams) without any original programming, except for repurposed content from MTV's Latin America networks.

Acquisition of Más Música

Más Música logo.

Más Música, founded in 1998, was a network distributed in the United States on cable, satellite and broadcast television that aired music videos from various Latin American music styles, including salsa, cumbia, regional Mexican, and contemporary Spanish-language hits. Founded by Eduardo Caballero of Caballero Television,^[7] Más Música carried the minimum requirements of educational and public affairs programming on weekends, and it was carried mainly on low-power television stations throughout the United States.

In December 2005, Viacom acquired Más Música and ten of the network's affiliated stations. The sale was finalized in January 2006.^[8]

Launch of MTV Tres

MTV Tres logo used from 2006 to 2010.

MTV Tr3s unofficially launched on September 4, 2006, when it became available on all cable and satellite providers that previously carried MTV en Español. On September 25, 2006, MTV en Español and Más Música officially merged. The first program to air on the newly formed channel was the premiere of Mi TRL at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

In its beginnings, MTV Tr3s's programming schedule was significantly more repetitive than MTV en Español was in its last days. The channel aired shows such as Hola, My Name is MTV Tr3s, the Top 20 Countdown, Los Hits, Mis #1s, Sucker Free Latino (only running two new shows per week), Latina Factor, Mi TRL, MTV Tr3spass, Los Premios MTV Latinoamérica 2006, Making the Video and Diary; the latter two and many other programs from MTV are merely subtitled into Spanish rather than carrying re-dubbed versions. These programs were repeated for most of the day, which greatly reduced the amount of freeform music videos played on the channel. As months passed, however, the programming became more varied and diverse, with changing music video blocks airing several times in the day.

MTV Tres also ran short clips promoting the channel, which continue to air to this day, which were intended as transitions out of commercial breaks. These included the "MTV Tr3s: We Speak Your Language" original launch ad campaign, showing a short clip of a situation where the behavior and attitude of a younger Latino of the present generation was different from that of an older person of Latino heritage. Also, artists of Latino or Hispanic descent were shown voicing their opinions on certain aspects of culture of their native country or of Latinos living in America; such clips included "Pitbull on Cuban Women", "Jeannie Ortega on Parties", and "Frankie J on being Latino".

On February 5, 2007, the channel held its first "Spankin' New" week, which featured daily music video premieres, the premiere of Wrestling Society X (although the program had been already airing on MTV back on January 30), and the debut of a new episode of Making the Video, which covered the first single, "Qué Hiciste" from Jennifer Lopez's first full-length Spanish-language album, Como Ama una Mujer.

Relaunch as Tres

On July 12, 2010, MTV Tres dropped the MTV name from its logo and name, officially rebranding as simply Tr3s.^[9] With the rebrand, the network expanded its programming to include additional acquired MTV programs and series from Viacom's Latin American networks. Eventually, Viacom re-sold some of the stations acquired in the Más Música deal in California and Texas back to Caballero Television, and has drawn down the amount of broadcast stations carrying the network.

Programming

Tr3s broadcasts on an Eastern Time schedule (with programs shown at earlier or later times depending on the location) and does not timeshift its programming for other U.S. time zones due to the lack of an additional feed for the Pacific Time Zone. As such, promos for Tr3s programs reference airtimes for both the Eastern and Pacific time zones (for example, the now-defunct Mi TRL, is promoted as airing on Mondays at 4:30 p.m. Eastern, and simultaneously airs at 1:30 p.m. in the Pacific Time Zone).

Music video programs

Some of Tr3s's music video blocks were branded as Cafeina^[10] (formerly titled Cortadito until September 2008, and airing from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time), Videorama^[11] (running from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. Eastern Time, but rarely scheduled) and Videosomnia^[12] (running from 2:00 to 6:00 a.m. Eastern Time). Other music video programming not hosted by VJ's have included:

• Classic Co.^[13] – The program, which aired weekdays at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time, featured a mix of videos from Latino artists of the 1980s and 1990s such as Selena, Ricky Martin, and Marc Anthony. The title is most likely an English-language play on the Spanish term for "classic", clásico, as the title might stand for "Classic Company". The program was discontinued in early 2008.
• Los Hits^[14] – Based on MTV's Big Ten and Más Música's Los Top 10, this program featured the most popular videos in rotation on MTV Tr3s. It was hosted by Carlos Santos or Denise Ramirez featuring interviews with popular artists, however the program would drop its VJ format in March 2007. The program was discontinued in mid-2007.
• Tr3s or False – This program was a music video/text message-based game show that awarded viewers points, which could be redeemed for prizes, for answering questions correctly. The program was discontinued in early 2009.
• Music My Guey – This program focuses on viewer requested music videos.
• Top 20^[14] – Similar to Las 40 Principales from Más Música, this program is a countdown of the top 20 videos in rotation on the channel during the week. In late June 2008, the network changed the show's format; most music videos are no longer played in their entirety; the show has been hosted since that point by Carlos Santos.
• TXTO (pronounced "texto", Spanish for "text")^[15] – This program is a block of music videos requested by callers who send text messages to the channel, in English or Spanish, dedicating videos to friends or family. Although it is loosely based on Tu Email from Más Música, TXTO does not feature a VJ who reads the e-mails. However, there may be occasional VJ spots in the program. TXTO URB is a spinoff series that is dedicated to urban music videos.^[16]
• ¡Rock! – This program aired mostly during the late night hours, and featured a mix of rock music videos from American and Latin-American bands. Among the American bands featured in the lineup were the Deftones, which contain Latino vocalist Chino Moreno and turntablist Frank Delgado, and Incubus, which contain Latino drummer Jose Pasillas. The program was discontinued in October 2007.
• MixMex^[17] – A music video program featuring artists from Mexico; it was replaced with ReMexa in March 2009.
• Street Mix (later known as El Sonidero) – A block of urban music videos, focusing on hip-hop, reggaeton and R&B artists, and includes Spanish-speaking artists with occasional American videos from non-Latino, English-speaking artists.^[18](was called EL Sonidero until September 2008)
• Videoteca (formally known as V.P.M., short for Video Party Music^[19]) – This program focused on rhythmic videos; Videoteca was cancelled on July 12, 2010, concurrent with the network's relaunch.

The following music video programs are hosted by VJ's who primarily host in English:

• Sucker Free Latino – Hosted by L. Boogs; this program is similar to Más Música's Zona Urbana and is based on MTV's Sucker Free, featuring popular hip-hop, R&B and reggaeton music videos, mostly from Latino artists; however, some of the featured videos may be performed by American artists like The Fugees or Ludacris, with interviews included (replaced with SFL5)
• Mi TRL – Based on MTV's Total Request Live and Más Música's Pidelo, and hosted by Carlos Santos, new episodes air each Thursday at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time (with rebroadcasts throughout the week on Tr3s as well as rebroadcasts on MTV Hits); the program featured the ten most requested videos based on voting on the MTV Tr3s website, featuring live performances and interviews (discontinued along with TRL in November 2008, then revived in February 2009 as Entertainment as a Second Language)
• Indie 101 – Hosted by Martin Chan, this program – which is similar in format to Más Música's Rokmania – focuses on indie rock bands from Latin America.
• ReMexa – Hosted by Paulina Garces, this 30-minute daily program features music videos of different genres including Banda, Ranchera, Duranguense and Norteña.

MTV Tr3s used opening sequences for music video shows similar to those seen on MTV2. To indicate the beginning of a music video program, a still photograph of a point of interest from a city or neighborhood would be displayed, with MTV Tr3s' "accented three" (3́) logo animating and leading to a monochrome title card with the music video program title displayed. These opening sequences were revised in late August 2008.

Tr3s has also broadcast other MTV music-related specials such as MTV Goes Gold: New Year's Eve 2007 and Common and will.i.am Present: The Music of Freedom Writers. Occasionally, Making the Video may air on Tr3s, if the video is performed by or features an artist of Latino or Hispanic origin. In addition, during the last two weeks of September 2007, the channel rebroadcast the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, in conjunction with its broadcast of the MTV Latin America Video Music Awards.

During the week of September 17 to 20, 2007, the channel showed highlights from the Rock am Ring music festival daily at midnight Eastern Time (9:00 p.m. Pacific Time), focusing on one band's set each day.

Non-music programming

Some reality and scripted series also air on the channel, which are acquired from the flagship U.S. MTV channel (and subtitled in Spanish) as well as from MTV Latin America and Nickelodeon Latin America (which are natively broadcast in Spanish and subtitled in English for broadcast on American television). These types of programs air for no more than three hours at a time, thus allowing more music videos to be played during the day. Some of the programs may have little or nothing to do with Latino culture and possibly only air on Tr3s to allow Viacom to maintain syndication rights to the programs without threatening ratings on higher-profile networks.

Tr3s introduced "Tr3s Jr.," a Spanish-language version of the Nick Jr. block, in July 2010, featuring Spanish-language dubs of Nick Jr.'s Blue's Clues (branded as Pistas de Blue and only including the episodes hosted by Steve Burns) and Wonder Pets. The block was discontinued in October 2010.

Class A affiliates (and previously, former full-power affiliate KBEH-TV) aired archived Nick Jr. series Allegra's Window and Gullah Gullah Island in order to fulfill E/I programming requirements set by the Federal Communications Commission.

Acquired programming

• Bellator Fighting Championships
• Blue's Clues (Pistas de Blue, dubbed in Spanish)
• Boiling Points
• Casados con Hijos (Colombian version of Married...with Children, subtitled)
• Dancelife
• Dismissed
• George Lopez
• I Bet You Will
• Impact Wrestling (wrestling show, translated in Spanish)
• Isa TKM
• Jersey Shore
• Juegos Prohibidos
• Lucha Libre USA: Masked Warriors
• Mind of Mencia
• Ninas Mal
• Pimp My Ride
• Pocoyo
• Room Raiders
• Run's House
• Short Circuitz
• SpongeBob SquarePants (Bob Esponja, dubbed in Spanish)
• Wonder Pets (Las Mascotas Maravilla, dubbed in Spanish)

Original programming

• Entertainment as a Second Language
• Karlifornia
• Lugar Heights
• Mis ViDeos Locos!
• Music My Güey
• Pimpeando
• Quiero Mi Boda
• Quiero Mis Quinces – a version of My Super Sweet 16, with the exception of the celebration being held at age 15; episodes focus on elaborate quinceañera ceremonies, the norm in most Latin-American countries
• Rock Dinner
• Speak Tr3s
• Yo Soy Jenny Rivera

Broadcast affiliates

KVMM-CD, (Channel 41) in Santa Barbara, California is the only MTV Tres affiliate that still broadcasts over-the-air as of August 2015, as well as the only over-the-air broadcast asset Viacom has remaining.

Most of the broadcast stations that aired Tr3s served communities with large Hispanic populations. Upon the merger of Más Música and MTV Tr3s, however, former Más Música affiliate WZXZ-CA in Orlando, Florida switched to MTV2, before affiliating with America TéVé, and WUBX-CA and WBXU-LP in the Raleigh/Durham/Fayetteville, North Carolina market ceased operations completely. Eventually Viacom let their affiliation agreements lapse with their broadcast affiliates, and those other stations have become affiliates of other networks, or ceased all operations. Viacom's carriage agreements with cable providers also often saw the Tr3s cable channel preferred for carriage over a local affiliate, and most stations were unable to find cable coverage with Tr3s programming, notwithstanding existing complications involving low-power stations and cable carriage.

Former affiliates

See also

• MTV2

References

External links

• Official website