American Television Networks - Spanish-language American Commercial Over-the-air Television Networks

Spanish-language American Commercial Over-the-air Television Networks

• Univisión is the nation's largest commercial Spanish-language network owned by Univision Communications, Univision has over 120 affiliate stations including over 35 full-power stations; many Univision owned-and-operated and airs original programming, as well as imported programming from Mexico and Venezuela seven days a week. Formed in 1986 following the sale of predecessor Spanish International Network (SIN) to Hallmark from Mexico's Televisa due to federal laws against foreign ownership of American television networks. Most Univision stations air local newscasts.
• Telemundo is the nation's second-largest commercial Spanish-language network operated by NBC Universal, Telemundo has over 100 affiliate stations including 18 full-power stations and airs original programming seven days a week. A big amount of its programming is recorded in Miami where the station is headquartered. In addition, Telemundo operates in Mexico and Puerto Rico (where it was founded in 1954). Most Telemundo stations air local newscasts, as well as imported programming from Colombia and to a lesser extent Brazil.
• TeleFutura is the third-largest commercial Spanish-language network, owned by Univision Communications, TeleFutura has nearly 45 affiliate stations including 35 full-power stations and airs original and imported programming seven days a week.
• MundoFox is the nation's fourth-largest commercial Spanish-language network operated as a joint venture between News Corporation subsidiary Fox International Channels and Colombian broadcaster RCN Televisión. MundoFox has over 60 affiliate stations, consisting of mostly low-power stations with some full-power affiliates. Original and imported programming airs seven days a week, with some of the imported programs distributed by RCN and NTN24. Launched in August 2012, some MundoFox stations air local newscasts, with many others planning to produce local news programming within a year of the network's launch.
• Estrella TV is the fifth-largest commercial Spanish-language network, owned by Liberman Broadcasting, Estrella TV has nearly 35 affiliate stations, most of which are owned by Liberman or carry the network as a subchannel-only affiliation. The network airs original and imported programming seven days a week for 18 hours each weekday and 11 hours per day on weekends.
• Azteca América is the nation's sixth-largest commercial Spanish-language network, Azteca America has nearly 90 affiliate stations including 8 full-power stations and airs original and imported programming seven days a week. Azteca America is an off-shoot of Mexico's TV Azteca and is owned by Azteca International Corporation, though much of the American network's programming airs at different times.

Additionally, Televisa, which distributes programming to Univision in the United States, operates in Mexico, but their networks (Canal de las Estrellas, Canal 5, and Galavisión) have certain stations which can be seen in areas of the U.S. along and near the Mexican border, and likewise with the American networks in border cities towards Mexico.

Some Mexican border stations (such as Tijuana's XETV-TV) are affiliates of American networks and target their American border city more than their Mexican metropolitan area, broadcasting in English or Spanish, depending on network.

All Spanish-language broadcast networks operate a national feed carried on cable and satellite systems where an affiliate is not present. Univision has a larger cable-only distribution than the other commercial Spanish-language networks and therefore may be carried in more homes than the amount listed in the above table. Spanish-language independent stations also exist, though they are mainly limited to large markets.

The Spanish-language networks have a smaller amount of affiliates than "The Big Three" English-language networks (NBC, ABC and CBS) and PBS, though they still occupy a large share of the country and with a growing Latino population, the number of Spanish-language network affiliates in the United States has increased.

Unlike the English-language broadcast networks, Univision, Telemundo, Azteca America and Telefutura do not rely on their affiliate stations to program the majority of the broadcast day as the networks themselves are wholly responsible for handling programming for its affiliates. However, affiliates are allowed to break away from the network feed to offer some locally-produced programming (mainly consisting of local newscasts or lifestyle programming).