TeleVisa
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television broadcasting |
| Founded | 1953 |
| Founder | Gonzalo Veloz Mancera |
| Defunct | 1960 |
| Fate | Acquired by Corporación Venezolana de Televisión; rebranded as Venevisión |
| Headquarters | Venezuela |
Key people | Gonzalo Veloz Mancera, Diego Cisneros |
TeleVisa, legally known as Televisión Independiente, S.A., holds the distinction of being Venezuela's inaugural privately owned television broadcaster, following the government-operated Televisora Nacional. In 1960, Diego Cisneros purchased Televisa and transformed it into Venevisión, which subsequently became a significant component of the Cisneros family's media enterprises.
Although it shares the name, this entity has no connection to the Mexican broadcaster Televisa, whose title stands for Televisión Vía Satélite.
History
Televisa, identified by call sign YVLV-TV on channel four, initiated its trial transmissions on March 4, 1953, under the guidance of Venezuelan media figure Gonzalo Veloz Mancera. The station officially commenced operations on March 30, 1953, after receiving a commercial license from the national authorities that permitted private television broadcasting in Venezuela. At launch, Televisa's broadcast schedule spanned from 4 p.m. to midnight.
Regular daily programming started on July 1, 1953, and continued until mid-1960 when its assets were acquired by Corporación Venezolana de Televisión, an affiliate of Grupo Cisneros.
On August 9, 1953, Televisa aired Venezuela’s inaugural televised horse race with commentary provided by Luis Plácido Pisarello. By 1956, before Radio Caracas Televisión installed its antenna at Pariata, Televisa expanded coverage to Vargas State through channel nine broadcasting from Cabo Blanco.
Veloz Mancera also pioneered Venezuela’s first regional TV station: Televisa del Zulia in Maracaibo. Officially opened on May 5, 1956, it began consistent broadcasts from afternoon until late night two days afterward. Initially operating independently, it later became affiliated with Caracas-based Televisa. Claudio Gerardini and Luiggi Ilicetto were among the investors alongside Veloz Mancera.
In 1960, then-President Rómulo Betancourt encouraged Diego Cisneros to take over the financially troubled Televisa. Accepting the proposal, Cisneros rebranded the station as Venevisión on February 27, 1961, marking a pivotal step in expanding the Cisneros family’s media portfolio.