Venevisión | |
---|---|
Launched | March 1, 1961 |
Owned by | Grupo Cisneros |
Picture format |
480i (SD) 1080i (HD) |
Slogan | Mucho más que ver (Much more to see) |
Country | Venezuela |
Language | Spanish |
Headquarters | Caracas |
Formerly called | Televisa (1953–1961) |
Website | www.venevision.com |
Availability
|
|
Satellite | |
DirecTV (Venezuela) |
1042 |
Cable | |
Net Uno | Channels May Vary |
Intercable | 13 |
SuperCable | Channels May Vary |
Planet Cable | Channels May Vary |
Venevisión (Spanish pronunciation: [beneβiˈsjon]) is one of Venezuela's largest television networks and a Venezuelan cable and terrestrial television network, which is owned and presided over by Gustavo Cisneros. In the United States, many of Venevisión's popular programs can be seen on Univision.
The company's roots date back to May 4, 1953, with the establishment of Televisión Venezolana Independiente S.A, (Televisa), which operated the channel 4 in Caracas and channel 5 in Maracaibo. When TELEVISA went bankrupt in 1960, Diego Cisneros purchased the remaining assets of the company. On February 27, 1961, Venevisión was officially inaugurated with a special inaugural show in which thousands of people attended, and took place in the stations parking lot. Venevisión began with a capital of 5,500,000 bolívares and 150 employees including artists, administrators, and technical personnel. Venevisión's original administrators were Diego Cisneros (president), Alfredo Torres (transmission manager), Héctor Beltrán (production manager), and Orlando Cuevas (general manager).
Initially, Venevisión broadcast live because they hadn't yet installed the videotape system. Except for the news, the elaboration of their programs utilized the technical formats used in movies at that time. In a short period of time, Venevisión greatly expanded nationally, and was seen in most of Venezuela on many VHF and UHF channels.
In March 1961, the newly created Venevisión and the American television network, ABC, signed two agreements: one for technical support and the other for the rights to broadcast each other's programs. Thanks to these agreement, Venevisión later began using the videotape system. In their first year of existence, Venevisión made approximately 800,000 bolívares a month in advertisements. By 1971, it began to bring its then black and white programs to viewers internationally via videotape, with the drama program Esmeralda as the first to do so. In the next year, the network officially took over the broadcasts of the Miss Venezuela beauty pageant, and it has been its home ever since.