América TV
| Industry | Television broadcasting |
|---|---|
| Founded | June 25, 1966 |
| Headquarters | Buenos Aires (Palermo district) , Argentina |
Area served | Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile |
| Products | Television broadcasting |
| Owner | Grupo América |
América TV (call sign LS 86 TV, commonly referred to as América) is a television broadcaster based in Argentina, transmitting on channel 2 in La Plata, Buenos Aires Province. It stands as one of the country's five national TV networks and serves as the primary television property of Grupo América.
The station's production facilities and corporate offices are situated in the Palermo district of Buenos Aires, while its transmission tower is located in Florencio Varela Partido, Buenos Aires Province. Outside the Greater Buenos Aires area, América's content is accessible across Argentina through cable and satellite platforms. Additionally, its programming is shared by two Grupo América-owned channels—Channel 7 Mendoza and Channel 8 San Juan—alongside affiliate stations such as Canal 10 Junín and .
1966: Establishment
The channel began operations on 25 June 1966 as Tevedos, under the ownership of Rivadavia Televisión S.A., a media group that also controlled radio outlets and the now-defunct El Mundo newspaper.
Although positioned near Buenos Aires to serve the larger metropolitan market, Tevedos' transmitter in Florencio Varela restricted its signal strength in northern parts of the capital region. This limitation contrasted with competitors whose transmitters were located within Buenos Aires city itself.
1970–76
During the early 1970s, technical constraints impeded the channel's expansion. Audience measurements within Buenos Aires reflected this disadvantage, with Tevedos capturing only a 7% share of viewers. This low rating earned it the humorous nickname "James Bond" among comedians. To manage expenses, the station relied heavily on cost-effective programming, including simulcasts from Canal 13.
1976–87: Provincial Control
In 1976, ownership transferred to the Province of Buenos Aires through expropriation; by 1979, administration was handled by the provincial Ministry of Economy as a statutory entity, and the channel was renamed Canal 2. The station introduced color broadcasts in 1980, becoming Argentina’s third to do so and the first outside Buenos Aires city.
After democracy was restored in 1983, Radiodifusora El Carmen S.A. secured the operating license but required four years to establish a technical partnership. In December 1987, it allied with Héctor Ricardo García, proprietor of Crónica and Estrella Producciones S.A., former owners of Channel 11 (now Telefe), rebranding the station as Teledos.
1987–91: Teledos Era and Financial Difficulties
Teledos quickly climbed to second place in ratings, overtaking Canal 13 but remaining behind Alejandro Romay’s leading Canal 9. The channel emphasized news and current affairs programming, with Teledos Noticias serving as its flagship newscast.
Internal conflicts among El Carmen’s shareholders led García to pull programming in November 1988, triggering a programming crisis. Lacking studio access and direct transmission links, newscasts had to be pre-recorded hours before airing and physically transported to the transmitter site. By the end of that year, the station reverted to its original name Tevedos. Financial instability culminated in bankruptcy proceedings in 1989 when Eduardo Eurnékian, owner of Cablevisión and other media ventures, acquired the channel and incorporated it into Corporación Multimedios América.
1991–2002
On April 15, 1991, the channel formerly known as Tevedos adopted the name América Te Ve. By 1994, under the new title América 2, the station relocated its studios and transmitter to Palermo, Buenos Aires, which improved its terrestrial signal and made it the pioneering Argentine broadcaster to install digital television technology. The following year, in 1995, it underwent another rebranding to become América Televisión (commonly referred to as América).
Throughout the 1990s, Eurnékian divested from his multimedia holdings; in 2000, ownership transitioned to Carlos Ávila and his family. Ávila, who founded Torneos y Competencias, shifted the channel’s focus toward sports and news content.
2002–present
During the economic turmoil of 2002, América encountered financial difficulties that nearly led to bankruptcy. The Ávila family incorporated the station into Grupo América, facilitating its restructuring and safeguarding its broadcasting license despite an attempted takeover by Héctor Ricardo García.
In 2005, two flagship shows—Televisión Registrada and Indomables—were transferred to Canal 13 following editorial conflicts related to contentious guest appearances. That same year, Francisco de Narváez acquired a controlling interest in the channel.
Currently, América holds the fourth position in audience ratings, closely trailing Canal 9 for third place. The network debuted its inaugural reality program in 2015 with Gran Hermano Argentina 2015.
Additionally, América operates affiliate channels across Paraguay, Uruguay, and Chile.
Subchannels
| Channel | Resolution | Aspect Ratio | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|
| 36.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | Primary América TV content (HD) |
| 36.3 | 576i | 4:3 | A24 |
| 36.31 | 240p | Standard definition feed of América TV programming |
Rebroadcasters
América TV is retransmitted via several translator stations as follows:
| Translator Stations | |
|---|---|
| Channel | Location |
| 3 | Dolores |
| 5 | Las Flores |
| 8 | 25 de Mayo |
| 45 | Roque Pérez |
Previously, broadcasts were transmitted on channel 71 at Lezama.