Televisa
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This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (July 2008) |
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| Type | Broadcast television network |
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| 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 |
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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.
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.
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).
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[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, Fuji TV, 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
- 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)
- OCESA (Admistrator of Concert Halls and stadiums)
- 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).
[edit] Terrestrial Televisa 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.
[edit] Cable Televisa networks
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
- De Película - Mexican film channel
- De Película Clásico - Mexican classic film channel
- Ritmoson Latino - a latin music videos station
- 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.
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 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.
[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 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 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.
While Televisa has HDTV channels in places other than Mexico city, like Ciudad Juárez, Tijuana, Monterrey and others, there are certain shows they only show in HD in Mexico City. In places other than Mexico City, they show some sort of weird schedule-vision. For example, in the HD version of XHJCI-TV in Juárez they only turn on the HD signal from Mexico City from 6 PM - 9 PM Monday to Friday. In Juárez they don't show Alma de Hierro or the news on HD. They also don't show any of the football games in HDTV.
Televisa's HD Channels have been criticized for their practice of airing a significant amount of 4:3 standard definition content stretched to 16:9 that some viewers have nicknamed Stretch-o-Vision.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- (Spanish) Esmas, Televisa's Internet portal
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Some of the best Spanish-language television dramas delve into the ambitions and rancorous relationships within powerful Latino families.
Instead of playing each night on TV screens, though, this tale of a tumultuous 16-year marriage, fraught with allegations of treachery and bad faith, will begin to unfold this week in a federal courtroom in Los Angeles.
Grupo Televisa – the Mexico City-based entertainment conglomerate that is the world’s preeminent producer of sensational Spanish-language soap operas, or telenovelas – claims in a suit filed three years ago that it has been cheated out of more than $100 million in royalties by its partner, Univision Communications Inc.
The trial is set to begin Tuesday, pitting Televisa’s 40-year-old media scion Emilio Azcarraga Jean against Univision’s new owners, led by Los Angeles billionaire Haim Saban, the company’s chairman. Televisa is demanding that it be allowed to sever all ties with Univision, which has become the dominant Spanish-language broadcaster in the U.S. largely because it can run Televisa’s popular programming.
“It comes down to who needs who more,” said Julio Rumbaut, a Miami-based media consultant. “Televisa has a unique product that they just keep cranking out, and it works well on the West Coast, the East Coast and in Puerto Rico.”
Last year, advertising generated by Televisa programming represented $538 million of Univision’s overall $2.1 billion in net revenue. Univision paid Televisa license fees of approximately $145 million.
In court filings, Televisa alleges that Univision managers tried to conceal financial figures to frustrate Televisa executives and auditors as they tried to trace the money trail. Their behavior was so egregious, Televisa contends, that Televisa should be allowed to end its long-term programming agreement, which obligates the company to provide Univision with its wildly popular soap operas through December 2017.
If the agreement were terminated, Televisa could demand much higher fees for its shows. It could perhaps use its leverage to regain an ownership stake in Univision. Azcarraga’s late grandfather helped launch Univision 47 years ago, with the purchase of a TV station in San Antonio.
Televisa also could end its involvement with Univision entirely and sell its programs to its smaller rival, NBC Universal’s Telemundo or hook up with another partner to form a broadcast network. Televisa’s goal has long been to gain a bigger piece of the lucrative U.S. media market.
Any of those outcomes would leave Univision’s new owners in the lurch.
A year ago, a group of private investors, including Saban, acquired Univision in a highly leveraged $13.7-billion deal that took the company private and saddled it with $10 billion of debt.
“If Televisa were to stop providing us programming for any reason, it could be difficult to develop or acquire replacement programming of comparable quality whether on similar terms or at all,” Univision wrote last month in a regulatory filing. That, the company warned, “would have a material adverse effect on our results.”
The trial, which could span four weeks, is expected to include as witnesses Azcarraga, the chief executive of Televisa, key executives from both sides and videotaped testimony of Univision’s 77-year-old former CEO, billionaire A. Jerrold Perenchio, the architect of the long-term programming agreement.
“We are confident that the facts are on our side and that Univision will prevail at trial once we present our case,” Univision said in a statement. The company has paid, under protest, about $20 million to Televisa to settle some of the disputed claims.
Univision, in its court filings, rejects the claims outlined in Televisa’s original 2005 lawsuit and an amended 2006 complaint, which leveled the more serious allegations of deception and material breach.
“What started out as a vanilla claim for damages has evolved into a claim of coverup, bad faith and conduct unbecoming a partner,” said Marshall Grossman, Televisa’s lead attorney.
The trial is expected to explore the origins of the 1992 programming agreement. That deal came about when Perenchio teamed up with Azcarraga’s late father, Emilio Azcarraga Milmo, and a Venezuelan media magnate to buy Univision from Hallmark Cards Inc.
The three partners paid $550 million for Univision, each chipping in $33 million of their own money. With Perenchio at the helm and an abundant supply of the steamy Televisa telenovelas, Univision became a juggernaut. The shows appeal to Mexican immigrants and Mexican Americans who make up an estimated two-thirds of the U.S. Latino population.
Azcarraga took over Televisa a month before his father died in 1997. He was just 29. Within a few years, Azcarraga’s relations with Perenchio had soured. The young mogul has long felt that Perenchio took advantage of his father with the 25-year programming agreement, and that Univision has not adequately compensated Televisa for its popular shows.
Tensions heightened in 2005 when Perenchio installed his longtime lieutenant, Ray Rodriguez, as president of Univision without conducting a formal search. Azcarraga resigned from Univision’s board. The lawsuit was filed a few months later.
In 2006, Perenchio decided to sell Univision. Televisa figured that the time had finally come for it to gain control of the company that it helped build.
But Televisa was outbid by Saban Capital Group and four private equity firms: Texas Pacific Group, Providence Equity Partners, Madison Dearborn Partners and Thomas H. Lee Partners.
Perenchio, Televisa and Venezuela’s Venevision each cashed out with $1.3 billion when the deal closed last year.
Televisa declined an invitation by Univision’s new owners to roll over its investment in Univision and remain an equity partner. Televisa gambled on the lawsuit instead.
“It’s very difficult to predict a divorce between Televisa and Univision because they need each other,” said Manny Gonzalez, managing director of advertising firm Hill Holliday Hispanic. “Clearly Univision’s strong ratings come from Televisa’s programming, and Televisa needs Univision for the revenue… . They are caught in a pickle.”
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