Television in Mexico

Television in Mexico first began in August 19, 1946 in Mexico City when Guillermo González Camarena transmitted the first television signal in Latin America from his home’s bathroom. On September 7, 1946 at 8:30 PM (CST) Mexico’s and Latin America’s first experimental television station was established and was given XE1GC callsign. This experimental station broadcasted an artistic program and interviews on Saturdays for two years. Mexico’s first commercial station XHTV channel 4 was established on August 31, 1950 in Mexico City. It started transmitting on the following day. It is also the first Hispanophone or Spanish speaking country to introduce television. The first program to be broadcast was Mexican President Miguel Alemán Valdés IV Informe de Gobierno. Mexico's first color television transmission was carried out by Guillermo González's XHGC Canal 5 in Mexico City.

Network television

There are six major commercial broadcast television networks in Mexico, of which four are owned by Televisa and two by TV Azteca. Televisa owned networks are Canal de las Estrellas, FOROtv, Canal 5, and Galavisión. The TV Azteca owned networks are Azteca 7 and Azteca 13. All six networks have their flagship stations located in Mexico, Distrito Federal. These flagships are XEW for Canal de las Estrellas, XHTV for FOROtv, XHGC for Canal 5, XEQ for Galavisión, XHIMT for Azteca 7 and XHDF for Azteca 13. There are two minor networks Multimedios Television and cadenatres with few repeaters and affiliates but are available nationwide through pay television companies.

Cable television

The first cable system started to operate in the early 1960s in Monterrey, as a CATV service (an antenna at the top of the Loma Larga, which could get TV signals from South Texas). Most of the other major cities didn't develop cable systems until the late 1980s, due to government censorship. By 1989, the industry had had a major impulse with the founding of Multivisión—a MMDS system who started to develop its own channels in Spanish—and the later development of companies such as Cablemas and Megacable.

Over the past few years, many US networks have started to develop content for the Latin American market, such as CNN en Español, MTV, Cartoon Network, Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, and others. The country also has a DTH service called SKY (Televisa & News Corp. owned). Recently DirecTV merged with Sky. The dominant company nowadays is Megacable and Grupo HEVI.

Digital television

Mexican television company Televisa made experimental HDTV broadcasts in the early-1990s, in collaboration with Japan's NHK.

The digital transition was divided in 6 triannual periods and started on July 5, 2004 just three days after the adoption of ATSC. The analog signal was to be cut off no sooner than January 1, 2022. Today, all networks in Mexico have programmiing in HDTV. Availability of HD feeds depends on the local broadcaster. Stations in cities with populations over 300,000 people along the United States - Mexico border will stop broadcasting in analog and switch to digital only on November 26, 2012 with the exception being Tijuana which will switch on April 2013. Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey, the three largest metro areas in Mexico will flash cut to digital on November 2014.

Cable Channels

• American Network - ABC and CBS' best. Available only in Mexico.
• De Pelicula - Mexican cinema from the Golden Era. Available in Mexico, Latin America, United States, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
• Telehit - Hit Music Network. Mexico and U.S.
• TL Novelas - Televisa's most famous soap operas. Pan American, European and Australian Versions.
• Unicable - Univision and low-cost productions.
• TVC - Magazine Network. Available in all Mexican States but DF. Produced by major cable-system provider PCTV.
• Platino - B-Movies.

External links

• COFETEL (Comisión Federal de Telecomunicación) Plan for DTT