Multicanal (Argentina)

Multicanal

Company type	Subscription-based television and Internet service provider
Industry	Telecommunications, Cable television
Founded	1991 in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Founder	Grupo Clarín (owner)
Defunct	21 June 2007
Fate	Merged into Cablevisión
Successor	Cablevisión
Headquarters	Buenos Aires , Argentina
Area served	Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay
Owner	Grupo Clarín

Multicanal was a subscription-based television and Internet service provider from Argentina, owned by Grupo Clarín, with operations extending to Paraguay and Uruguay.

History

During the early 1990s, Buenos Aires' cable market was dominated by two primary companies: VCC and Cablevisión, alongside smaller operators such as Buenos Aires Cable and Video Cable Privado. In November 1992, Grupo Clarín purchased Video Cable Privado and rebranded it as Multicanal. This change led to an increase in live broadcasts of Argentine league football matches and broadened the airtime for Muchmusic and its film channel, which were assets inherited from VCP. Due to limited satellite content, the company emphasized internally produced channels like Chiqui Cable (focused on cartoons), Cinema (featuring popular films), and Channel 21, which offered a variety of programming including arts and miniseries.

In 1996, Multicanal unveiled a new logo characterized by five stars arranged to form the letter M.

By the year 2000, the company had enhanced its channel lineup by adding Cine Click, El Gourmet on the basic package, as well as premium channels such as HBO, HBO Plus, and Cinemax.

On November 1, 2005, Multicanal expanded its subscriber base by acquiring TVC Uruguay customers and announced plans to introduce a fully digital service.

In January 2007, Multicanal began merging with Cablevisión and rolled out digital television offerings in Buenos Aires, Greater Buenos Aires, La Plata, and Córdoba. These digital packages included a basic plan with 75 channels and an extended option featuring 107 channels plus additional audio and radio services.

The merger culminated on June 21, 2007, when Cablevisión absorbed Multicanal. Although the National Commission for the Defense of Competition approved this consolidation in December 2007, on September 3, 2009, the Federal Broadcasting Committee (COMFER) rejected the merger due to regulatory issues concerning multiple licenses under Law 22285.