Launched May 10, 1952 Country Mexico Headquarters Mexico City Motto Porque Sí (Because Yes) | Owned by Televisa Owner Televisa Founded 1951 | |
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Picture format 480i (16:9 SDTV)
1080i (HDTV) Slogan Porque Sí (Because Yes) Language Spanish
English/Original version by (SAP) TV shows El Chavo Animado, Plaza Sésamo, El Pantera, Danny Phantom, SOS: Sexo y otros Sec Profiles | ||
Canal 5 is a broadcast television network in Mexico. It is owned by Televisa and traces its origins to the foundation of XHGC in Mexico City in 1952. Canal 5's program lineup is generally targeted at a younger audience and includes cartoons, foreign series and movies, along with a limited number of sporting events such as NFL games, boxing, and historically, the FIFA World Cup and Olympic Games.
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History
On May 10, 1952, XHGC-TV came to air for the first time. It was Mexico City's third television station, owned by Guillermo González Camarena, an inventor who created the first color television system. In 1955, XHGC was one of three stations that formed Telesistema Mexicano. González Camarena remained the general manager of XHGC until his death in 1965.
In 1962, XHGC became the first station in Mexico to broadcast in color. By request of Guillermo González Camarena, XHGC began targeting an audience of children and youth, with the first color telecast being Paraíso infantil (Children's Paradise). Over the years, Canal 5 has retained this programming focus, with a schedule incorporating foreign series and sports programs.
At the end of the 1980s, the then-vice president of Televisa, Alejandro Burillo Azcárraga, spearheaded drastic changes in the branding of the company's television networks. XHGC had branded as Canal 5 for years, using various logos with the number 5. However, as the network's various repeaters were not all on channel 5, the network began branding by the XHGC callsign. The landmark Energía Visual (Visual Energy) campaign, designed by Agustín Corona and Pablo Jato, featured idents with wildly varied logos and designs—a first for Mexican television. The campaign was designed to back the channel's youthful image.
In the 1990s, Canal 5 began branding with its channel number again. During this time period, Alejandro González Iñárritu, who had also been involved with Televisa's radio station XEW-FM (WFM), was involved in the creation of some of the network's promotional campaigns. Additionally, in 1994, Televisa obtained a concession for 62 additional television transmitters nationwide, most of which form a key link in the Canal 5 network today.
1999 saw the beginning of a shift in content providers for Canal 5, which had long been the exclusive Mexican rightsholder to Disney programs such as Chip and Dale to the Rescue, DuckTales and a Mexican version of Disney Club. In 1999, these rights began to migrate to Televisión Azteca and Azteca 7. Instead, the network began relying more on Warner Bros., Fox and Nickelodeon programs.
Today, Canal 5 carries children's programs, films and international series, as well as sporting events including UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and FIFA World Cup matches, a limited number of Liga MX fixtures and international matches involving the Mexican national team, and select NFL and NHL games. Canal 5 also features some of Televisa's own productions, such as El Chavo Animado and Mujeres Asesinas 3 by Pedro Torres.
Current programming
Transmitters
Canal 5 is carried on 66 of its own transmitters plus another 32 transmitters shared with Las Estrellas and one transmitter that carries a Televisa local service, Las Estrellas and Canal 5; these 31 transmitters do not carry Canal 5 in HD. It holds the rights to virtual channel 5 nationwide and broadcasts on it in almost all areas, with a handful of notable exceptions along the US-Mexico border.