Televicentro (Canal 2)

Canal 2 is a Nicaraguan free-to-air television network owned by Televicentro de Nicaragua, S.A., owned by the Mexican media mogul Remigio Ángel González. In theory, the channel's sister channels are those of Grupo Ratensa, but in practice, the channel is an independent operation with support from the Nicaraguan government.

History

Televicentro de Nicaragua, S.A. was founded in December 1965 by Octavio Sacasa Sarria and started broadcasting in March 1966. It was the third television channel in Nicaragua after Channel 6, owned by the Somoza family. Televicentro started broadcasting in colour in 1973.

With the triumph of the Sandinista revolution in July 1979, Channel 2 together with Channel 6 were expropriated by the Sandinista government and turned into the Sistema Sandinista de Televisión (SSTV), ''the Sandinista Television System''. Channel 2 returned to its original owners at the end of 1989.

In 1996, Channel 2 became the first Central American TV channel to have an official web site. Canal 2 also broadcasts from relay-transmitter channel 7 in some parts of the country.

In 2005, Televicentro signed an agreement with Channel 33 from Costa Rica to broadcast the evening transmissions of Noticiero 22-22 in that country.

In 2006, the channel started streaming broadcasts.

In late 2011, Octavio Sacasa said that "the channel is not for sale", amid rising concerns that Televicentro's sale to Albavisión was finalized, as other versions of the same story have been circulating in business circles, about alleged advanced negotiations between Sacasa and Ángel González. González and Sacasa were business partners in the USA in the 80s, until becoming arch-rivals in the early 90s, when Sacasa reassumed control of Televicentro.

In 2014, the channel's news operation (TVNoticias) was taken over by Maurice Ortega, aligning it with the government's viewpoint.

In 2015, the channel was definitely sold to Albavisión, as an independent operation from Grupo Ratensa, even though Carlos Pastora from Canal 10 was still managing the channel. González owned the channel by means of one of his figurehead subsidiaries, TV Móvil, in what was considered to be another "blow" to democracy in Nicaragua, and was even condemned by the Nicaraguan Catholic Church. This maneuver allowed the Ortega-Murillo family to have absolute control of the television station and expand the number of media outlets, in exchange for a repeater television frequency for González (channel 7).

Programming

As of April 2022:

Newscasts

* ''TVN Noticias'' – with a half-hour edition at 6:30 a.m., three hour-long editions at 1:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. and with short bulletins on weekends.
* ''Newscasts from CNN en Español''
* '' Noticiero Univision''
* ''El Gordo y la Flaca''
* ''Primer Impacto''

Foreign soap operas

* ''Soy Luna''
* ''Estrella de Amor''
* ''Loquito Por Ti''
* ''Diseñando tu amor''
* ''La Gloria de Lucho''
* ''Nuevo Sol''
* '' Dulce ambición''
* '' Querer sin límites''

Foreign TV Series

* ''Drop Dead Diva''
* ''Revenge''
* ''Numbers''
* '' Flashpoint''
* '' Mentes criminales''
* ''Lo que la gente cuenta''
* ''Battle Creek''
* ''The Mob Doctor''
* ''Las muñecas de la mafia''

Realitys

* '' El conciertazo''
* '' Saber y ganar''
* ''A otro nivel''
* '' Guinness récords oficialmente asombrosos''
* '' ¡A pura risa!''

Kids

* '' La casa de Mickey Mouse''
* '' 3, 2, 1 ¡Vamos!''
* ''Pucca''
* '' La abeja Maya''
* '' Manny a la obra''
* ''Lilo & Stitch''
* ''Stitch!''
* '' Doctora Juguetes''
* '' Princesita Sofía''
* '' Elena de Ávalor''
* '' Jason y los Héroes del Monte Olimpo''
* '' Jake y los piratas del país de Nunca Jamás''
* '' Star vs. las Fuerzas del Mal''
* '' Lloyd en el Espacio''
* '' Miles del mañana''
* '' Henry Monstruito''
* '' Gravity Falls: un verano de misterios''
* ''El Chavo Animado''
* ''El Chapulín Colorado Animado''
* '' Guardianes de la Galaxia''
* '' ¡Buena suerte, Charlie!''
* '' Los hechiceros de Waverly Place''
* '' Mech-X4''
* '' Zeke y Luther''
* ''Aaron Stone''
* '' Lab Rats''
* '' Lab Rats: Fuerza Élite''
* '' Los Guerreros Wasabi''
* ''Austin & Ally''
* ''Hannah Montana''
* '' Agente K.C.''
* '' Programa de talentos''
* '' Los Hechiceros de Waverly Place''
* '' Atrapada en el medio''
* '' Jessie''

Music

* ''Sintoniza 2''

TV Movies

* ''Cine de la tarde''

Original productions

* ''Revista Primera Hora''
* ''Luces, cámara y sazón desde tu cocina''

Special Events

* '' Miss Mundo Nicaragua''

Former programming

Local

* ''Nicaragua en directo'' – with editions on afternoon during Sundays
* ''La Mañana de la 2''
* ''Espetaculos Televicentro''
* ''NTD''
* ''Domingo Fantastico''
* ''NNN Nicaragua News Network''
* ''Cancha Abierta''

Imported

* ''Patitomanía'' – Kids programming block (2008)
* ''La mujer de Judas''
* ''Pasión prohibida''
* '' Las bandidas''
* '' Dueña y señora''
* '' Violetta''
* ''La tormenta''
* '' Cuento encantado''
* '' Flor de Caribe''
* ''El Señor de los Cielos''
* ''Documentales BBC''
* '' Diarios de vampiros''
* ''GLEE''
* '' Cuello blanco''
* '' Familia moderna''
* '' La doble vida de Chuck''
* '' Contra corriente''

References

External links

Televicentro Canal 2 official website

{{Nicaragua TV

Television stations in Nicaragua
Spanish-language television stations
Television channels and stations established in 1966