Telefe

Telefe
Launched	July 21, 1961
Owned by	Telefónica
Slogan	Siempre Juntos (Always Together)
Broadcast area	Argentina
Headquarters	Buenos Aires, Argentina
Website	www.telefe.com
Availability
Terrestrial
Local VHF Argentina	Channel 11 (Buenos Aires)
Local UHF Argentina	Channel 34 (Buenos Aires)
Satellite
DirecTV	Channel 123
Cable
Multicanal, Cablevisión and Telecentro	Channel 10

Televisión Federal S.A., best known as Telefe and later as TLF, is an Argentine television network. Formerly known as Canal Once (Channel 11), a state-run network, it was privatised and established as Telefe in 1989, when Grupo Atlántida (80%) and News Corporation (20%) took over the channel. Since 1997, it is owned by Telefónica.

Under the command of Gustavo Yankelevich, the network became the most watched channel in Argentina and has been number 1 in ratings ever since 1990 (during some years, in a very close battle with El Trece). Yankelevich stayed on the channel until 2000 and was replaced by Claudio Villarruel.

The channel was the home of Argentina's most iconic TV personalities: Susana Giménez and Marcelo Tinelli. Since 1990 both are the hosts of Argentina's most watched shows. In 2005, after disagreements with Villarruel, Tinelli moved his show (renamed Showmatch due to the original title being copyrighted by Telefe) to Canal 9 and in 2006 to Canal 13. Showmatch has been Argentina's most watched program ever since. Susana Giménez is still in the channel and her talk-show is also one of the highest-rated programs on TV.

The channel runs mostly local productions but there are a few exceptions: The Simpsons is aired since 1991 with huge ratings; during the 1990s, El Chavo and American sitcom The Nanny were also enormously popular; Brazilian, Mexican and Colombian telenovelas are also aired in afternoon slots. Until 2001, most of the shows were produced in-house but since the Argentine crisis of that year independent production has become much more usual.

Iconic shows during Yankelevich's period include Videomatch, Grande, Pa, Hola Susana/Susana Giménez, Brigada Cola, Amigos son los Amigos, Verano del 98, Chiquititas, Muñeca Brava, Perla Negra, Jugate Conmigo, Naranja y Media and Ritmo de la Noche, among others.

During Villarruel's period, iconic shows include Resistiré, Montecristo, Los Roldán, Vidas Robadas, Los exitosos Pells, Los Simuladores, Hermanos y Detectives, Amor en Custodia, Botineras and highly successful local remakes of US sitcoms including Casados con Hijos and La Niñera. The station is also responsible for the five editions of the Argentine version of Big Brother (Gran Hermano) and three of Star Academy (Operación Triunfo).

Also, due to the success of the adaptation of the sitcom The Nanny, other famous American sitcoms such as Who's the Boss? and Married... with Children have been localized. The last production Aquí no hay quien viva is a local adaptation from the Spanish sitcom of the same name.

In the middle of 2007 the channel started being beaten by El Trece and it almost lost the ratings battle in 2008, which Telefe won by decimals. The channel currently holds a comfortable lead to the competition thanks to the afternoon slot, in it which has a huge lead over its competitor, in spite of Canal Trece still winning in prime time.

Production companies that work exclusively for Telefe include Cuatro Cabezas (since 2005), Cris Morena Group (since 2006), Underground Contenidos (since 2008) and RGB Entertainment (since 2006). The channel also does lots of co-productions with Endemol. Until 2004, Tinelli-owned Ideas del Sur also produced exclusively for Telefe but now moved to El Trece.

Affiliated stations

• Canal 5 - Rosario (O&O)
• Canal 7 - Neuquén (O&O)
• Canal 7 - Jujuy
• Canal 7 - Santiago del Estero
• Canal 8 (Teleocho) - Córdoba (O&O)
• Canal 8 - Tucumán (O&O)
• Canal 8 - Mar del Plata (O&O)
• Canal 9 - Bahía Blanca (O&O)
• Canal 9 - La Rioja
• Canal 9 - Mendoza
• Canal 11 - Formosa
• Canal 11 - Ushuaia
• Canal 11 - Salta (O&O)
• Canal 13 - Río Cuarto
• Canal 13 - Santa Fe (O&O)
• Canal 13 - Corrientes

External links

• Official website (Spanish)
• Telefe International
• Telefe Móvil (Telefe Mobile) (Spanish)