El Nueve

Canal 9
Company type	Private
Industry	Television broadcasting
Founded	1960
Headquarters	Buenos Aires, Argentina
Area served	Argentina
Owner	Grupo Octubre (90%), Carlos Lorefice Lynch (10%)
Website	www.elnueve.com.ar

Channel 9, marketed as El Nueve (stylized as elnueve), is a free-to-air television network from Argentina, headquartered in Buenos Aires, offering a broad range of general entertainment content.

Founding and Initial Romay Era

The original facilities of Channel 9 were situated in Palermo, Buenos Aires, where the station commenced transmissions featuring comedy and children's shows. Initially, ownership rested with the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), marking it as Argentina's second private nationwide TV channel following Córdoba's LV 81 TV Channel 12, which launched in April 1960 and is presently under Artear-Clarín ownership.

After the overthrow of Juan Perón's administration, the military government led by Pedro Eugenio Aramburu opened bids for three television licenses in Buenos Aires: channels 9, 11, and 13. The license for channel 9 (callsign LS 83 TV) was awarded to Compañía Argentina de Televisión, S.A. (CADETE), which began broadcasting in 1960. The ownership consortium included international stakeholders such as NBC.

In 1963, Alejandro Saúl Romay—who owned Radio Libertad and earned the moniker "the czar of TV"—assumed management of Canal 9. Shortly thereafter, he acquired all foreign shares, transforming Canal 9 into the first television network fully financed by Argentine capital. Under Romay’s guidance, Canal 9 emerged as a formidable rival in audience ratings against Canal 13 and Canal 11.

In 1972, the show Almorzando con Mirtha Legrand was trialed in color broadcasts.

State Ownership

During Juan Perón’s third term in office in 1974, Canal 9 was nationalized alongside channels 11 and 13, becoming state property managed by the Argentine Army throughout the subsequent military regime. The station transitioned to color transmissions in 1980.

Romay’s Reacquisition

Following the end of military rule, Canal 9 returned to private hands in 1983, with Alejandro Romay regaining control on May 25, 1984. Before Romay’s reacquisition, Alfredo Garrido managed the channel and laid groundwork for its rise in ratings during the late 1980s. Romay’s tenure extended until 1997, establishing him as a key figure within Argentine media circles. The channel was rebranded as "Canal 9 Libertad," accompanied by a refreshed logo design. In that year, new studios were inaugurated in Buenos Aires’ Colegiales district.

During Romay’s leadership, Canal 9 incorporated a dove emblem alongside its logo, earning it the nickname El canal de la palomita ("The channel of the little dove"). This symbol was replaced by a heart logo in 1995.

1997-2002: Azul Televisión Era

In 1997, Australian media company Prime Television purchased Canal 9 for US$135 million and later sold a half stake for US$74 million. Facing declining viewership and aiming to moderate Canal 9’s sensationalist image under Romay, Prime invested US$20 million to rebrand the channel as Azul Televisión in January 1999.

Prime’s investment coincided with the onset of the 1998–2002 Argentine great depression, which significantly undermined financial returns. By late 1999, Azul’s losses caused Prime’s net profits to plummet by 99%, prompting their CEO to resign. Total losses surpassed A$50 million (equivalent to US$25.9 million). Confronted with persistent economic difficulties and stagnant audience ratings, Prime announced intentions to divest its stake in March 1999 and exited Argentina by selling its interests to JP Morgan for US$67.5 million in 2001.

Meanwhile, Spain's Telefónica pursued acquisition of Azul by increasing its shareholding through purchases and negotiations beginning in 1999. However, regulatory constraints imposed by Argentina's Federal Radio and Broadcasting Committee (COMFER) prohibited Telefónica from owning both Azul and market leader Telefe (channel 11), compelling Telefónica to relinquish its holdings in Azul.

2002 to Present: Revival of Canal 9

On August 20, 2002, Azul Televisión reinstated its original Canal 9 branding following Prime's divestment of its shares to JP Morgan, while Telefónica transferred its ownership to a consortium led by journalist and media entrepreneur Daniel Hadad. In January 2007, Hadad sold an 80% stake in the channel to the Albavisión group, owned by Mexican businessman Remigio Ángel González, although he maintained editorial authority over the news division before eventually departing completely.

Later, on November 20, 2020, Grupo Octubre acquired a 90% interest in Canal 9, with the remaining 10% retained by Carlos Lorefice Lynch, who remains the president of Telearte.

Broadcast Feeds

elnueve Satelital
elnueve Interior

Taglines

1960–1963 – Del nueve Nadie me mueve
1963–1964 – Donde ponga el ojo ponga el nueve
1964–1974 – Lo nuevo está en el 9
1984–1989 – Canal 9 Libertad siempre líder
1988–1989 – Primero en audiencia primero en calidad
1988 – Vive tu día en libertad
1989 – Un líder que moviliza a toda la televisión Argentina
1991 – La fuerza de la gente
1992–1994 – Defendamos la vida
1995–1997 – El corazón de la gente
1997–1999 – Siempre más
2002 – Igual que vos
2003 – Para vos
2003–2004 – Bienvenido a casa
2004–2005 – Podés entrar
2005–2006 – Donde vos estás
2006 (World Cup) – El canal de Argentina
2007 (Christmas) – El canal de la familia
2009–2013 – Somos vos
2010 (July) – Canal 9 (50 Años)
2013–2014 – Compartimos todo con vos
2014–2015 – Crea con vos
2015 – Viví Canal 9
2016–2017 – Mi canal
2017 – Viviendo con vos
2018 (January–June) – Conectado a vos
2018–2019 – Un aire nuevo
2019 – El canal de las latas
2019 – El canal que vos elegís en vivo
2019–2021 – Siempre en movimiento
2021 – Sumate

External Links