Four Companies in South America.

Azul TV was founded as Telearte June 9, 1960, and broadcast on Channel 9 to Buenos Aires. Alejandro Romay served as station director from 1961 until 1974, when the government assumed control of the station. During his tenure, Romay made Channel 9 one of the premier stations in Argentina.

Romay resumed command of the company in 1984, when the new democratic government relinquished control.

In December of 1997, Prime Television and ACI bought Telearte from Romay and renamed the television station Azul TV last January. Pablo Galli Villafane is the CEO and Jorge Gonzales Roulet has assumed programming manager duties.

As a distributor, some of Azul TV's fare includes the telenovelas Rich and Famous, Top Models and Living With My Ex.

In 1997, Imagen Satelital was purchased by Cisneros Television Group. Since this acquisition, Imagen has focused on the development of its individual brands. These channels include I-Sat, which branded Imagen a pioneer in CDV (compressed digital video); Infinito, a 24-hour documentary channel; Uniseries, a round-the-clock news and series channel; Jupiter Comic, dedicated to comedies; and Venus, an adult entertainment channel. Imagen's channel selection also includes Space, MuchMusic and HTV.

By joining the digital world, Imagen has implemented major technological changes. The first stage has been the investment of more than $10 million in "last-generation" hardware.

According to Elisabet Blanco, transforming all the audiovisual material to digital format means Imagen will be one of the few companies in Latin America that will use a data storage system for its video library and will transmit completely automated six 24-hour-per-day channels.

The origins of TyC Sports can be traced to the union between two Argentinean companies: Grupo Clarin and Torneos y Competencias (TyC). Clarin is one of the larger media groups in Argentina (see Ownership Maze, page 24) and its newspaper has the highest circulation in Latin America. TyC deals in television rights for sports transmissions, with a special interest in soccer.

From the union of these holdings, two new companies were created: Television Satelital Codificada (TSC) and Tele Red Imagen (TRISA). TRISA is dedicated to the commercialization of top national and international sporting events. As such, TyC Sports was formed as a round-the-clock sports-dedicated channel and had its first broadcast in late 1994. The sports channel is transmitted by 95 percent of the Argentinean cable operators, although programs produced by TyC Sports can be seen in Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia and Peru. TyC's soccer transmissions reach all of Latin America.

Telefilms has operated in the Argentinean television distribution arena almost from the start, having been founded in 1960 by Leon Darcyl. Darcyl was a correspondent for Paris Match when the magazine merged with Time Life. Darcyl was the first distributor of the Time Life/Paris Match news clips to Latin American television. Leon's sons, Tomas and Sebastian, inherited the company some 10 years ago.

Although at first Telefilms' library consisted mostly of French documentaries (Pathe Cinema was its first supplier), the company quickly picked up the rights for classic American series like Bonanza and Get Smart. Since then, Telefilms has grown exponentially.

Today, Telefilms executives pride themselves on having acquired the Latin American rights to five of the past 12 Oscar-winning Best Picture productions. Telefilms acquires a minimum of 200 features per year. Recent American hits like Affliction (which won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 1999) and Gods and Monsters (1999 Oscar-winner for Best Adapted Screenplay) are part of Telefilms' docket today.

As of 1995, Telefilms represents Whiland International.

                     Argentinean Provinces: Population
                      POPULATION
PROVINCE            IN THOUSANDS
Buenos Aires              14,000
Capital Federal            3,000
Catamarca                    310
Chaco                        940
Chubut                       430
Cordoba                    3,050
Corrientes                   900
Entre Rios                 1,100
Formosa                      500
Jujuy                        600
La Pampa                     300
La Rioja                     270
Mendoza                    1,600
Misiones                     970
Neuquen                      540
Rio Negro                    600
Salta                      1,000
San Juan                     570
San Luis                     350
Santa Cruz                   200
Santa Fe                   3,060
Santiago del Estero          720
Tierra del Fuego             110
Tucuman                    1,200
Source: Proyec. del INDEC