Antena 3 Internacional reaches today 20 million homes after crossing Spain borders 25 years ago

25 years ago Antena 3 Internacional became the first Spanish private network to launch its signal abroad, and currently, it reaches more than 20 million subscriber households.

Antena 3 Internacional was born in Mexico, with the help of MVS, a company with which they created a partnership and opened the doors to become a pay-TV, both in Mexico and other countries, explained Mar Martínez-Raposo, general director of Atresmedia Internacional.

“During the first year, the channel broadcasted from Mexico City, until 1997 when, on the occasion of the Infanta Cristina’s wedding, our satellite broadcasts began from Madrid. Subsequent advances almost followed a ‘geographical’ logic, so to speak, Central America, Colombia, Venezuela, and the Andean region and finally Argentina,” said Martínez. This expansion took a few years.

A milestone that Martínez highlights was the first agreement with a company in the United States and the opening of the Hispanic market: Time Warner in New York in 2003.

When the signal was launched, pay-TV was dominated by contents of the big American studios dubbed into Spanish, and there were very few international channels in Spanish. “From the beginning, we tried to offer original and exclusive content, aiming to reach an audience that was not limited to the Spanish who lived there,” explained Martínez. Information, current affairs, and entertainment have been the channel’s main pillars from the beginning, and this is how it remains 25 years later, “only that now Antena 3 has been joined by three other signals that complement each other very well in content and that allow us to reach all possible audiences.”

Despite Antena 3 Internacional has a presence in all countries and with the major operators in the region, changes in the industry have made distribution uneven. “25 years later we can say that we have not reached our ceiling and we continue to add new subscribers. At this point, if being part of the content offering involves a lot of work, staying on top of the game makes it even more challenging,” she said.

To commemorate the anniversary, the channel has prepared several pieces that are part of television history, such as Aqui no Hay Quien Viva; Sorpresa, Sorpresa; El Hormiguero 3.0. and La Ruleta de la Suerte. And series like Gran Hotel, Velvet, El Internado, El Barco, Física o Química, El Secreto de Puente Viejo and Amar es Para Siempre.