TV+ is a Chilean free-to-air television channel formerly known as UCV Televisión and originating from the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
TV+ is a Chilean free-to-air television channel with roots in the television experiments conducted by researchers at the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso. The station began regular experimental public broadcasting in 1957 and was formally launched on 22 August 1959 from Valparaíso's VHF channel 8. Its university origin gave it a distinctive cultural and educational identity, while its expanding relay network eventually enabled it to reach audiences well beyond the Valparaíso Region. The channel occupies an important place in Chilean broadcasting history. Its 1957 transmission, associated with the inauguration of a new university campus, is regarded as the country's first true scheduled television broadcast because it was followed by a newscast rather than consisting only of a ceremonial signal. During its early years, UCV TV operated with relatively limited daily hours. It later expanded its schedule, introduced new production technologies and adapted to the transition from black-and-white to colour broadcasting. Expansion outside Valparaíso proceeded in stages. A relay transmitter in La Serena began operating in 1971, followed by a Santiago relay in 1974. The network also developed a presence in Puerto Montt in 1990. By using relay stations and regional frequencies, UCV Television became the only regional network outside Santiago with nationwide coverage. It also became known for adopting portable video cameras in the 1970s, a practical production change that made street reporting and on-location recording easier than the cinema-based equipment then common in Chilean television. The station moved into high-definition broadcasting in 2010, when it was still branded UCV Televisión. Its HD service launched on 25 June 2010 with coverage of the Chile-Spain football match at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, in cooperation with Televisión Nacional de Chile. The service was distributed through Chile's digital terrestrial television system in the Greater Valparaíso and Greater Santiago areas. By the 2010s, declining audience share created pressure to find a commercial and strategic partner. In 2016, the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso began looking for a partner to modernize and revive the network. The ownership restructuring announced in December 2017 placed the station under TV+ SpA. PUCV Multimedios SpA, owned by the university, retained 10 percent, while Media 23 SpA acquired the remaining 90 percent. Media 23 was described as a joint venture involving GCO Entretención, Disney's licensed commercial partner in Chile, and Contempora, associated with businessman Jesús Diez González. On 21 November 2018, the channel adopted the TV+ name and introduced a new graphic identity. The rebrand separated the current service from the UCV Televisión name while preserving the station's long broadcasting lineage. A digital subchannel controlled by the university was subsequently branded UCV Televisión, continuing to broadcast from the original Viña del Mar studios. TV+ itself broadcasts from Santiago and remains a Chilean open television service, with its history spanning university experimentation, regional network expansion, technological modernization and private-sector repositioning.
History
TV+'s history begins with the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso's work in television engineering. On 5 October 1957, researchers from the university's Electronics Faculty transmitted a scheduled television event from a new campus dedicated to laboratories and classrooms. The event was attended by Chilean state authorities and was followed by a newscast, making it more than a one-off demonstration. It is consequently treated as an important early milestone in Chilean television history. The station was formally inaugurated on 22 August 1959 as UCV TV, broadcasting on VHF channel 8 in Valparaíso. Its first program was a cultural production, "El hombre ante el universo," reflecting the educational and public-service orientation associated with its university ownership. From 1957 to 1960, the station generally broadcast from the afternoon into the evening. Its daily schedule was later extended, reaching from mid-afternoon to midnight during the period from 1968 to 1970. In 1969, the service moved to VHF channel 4 in Valparaíso. UCV TV's development was closely connected with the growth of relay broadcasting. In 1971, it built a transmitter in La Serena, becoming available outside the Valparaíso Region for the first time. A further relay in Santiago followed in 1974. In 1975, the station acquired portable camcorders, allowing it to gather material in streets and other locations more efficiently than broadcasters still dependent on cinema-oriented cameras. This helped UCV TV compete technologically and editorially in a changing television market. The transition to colour broadcasting came in 1978. UCV TV adapted to the new format within a short period and participated in the first Teletón broadcast as the Red UCV Televisión. The network was then identifiable through the channel numbers associated with its transmitters in Valparaíso, Santiago and La Serena. The La Serena affiliate also carried selected programming imported from Santiago's Channel 13, illustrating the hybrid nature of early Chilean television distribution. The network continued its geographic development in the following decades. A Puerto Montt affiliate began in 1990, initially using channel 7 and later moving to channel 8 in 1998, when it became a relay broadcaster. In the same period, UCV changed its Valparaíso frequency to channel 5 to make way for La Red. Through these transmitters and relays, the station became the only regional network outside Santiago to achieve nationwide coverage. On 25 June 2010, while still operating under the UCV Televisión name, the channel launched its own HD feed. The first major broadcast associated with the service was the Chile-Spain football match at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, carried in cooperation with Televisión Nacional de Chile. The HD signal was distributed on digital terrestrial television through virtual channel 29.1 in Greater Valparaíso and 5.1 in Greater Santiago, using 1920-by-1080 interlaced video at 60 fields per second. The station later faced falling audience share and sought a partner to support a commercial and operational renewal. The Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso began that search in 2016. On 29 December 2017, the university announced a new ownership structure under TV+ SpA. PUCV Multimedios SpA retained 10 percent, while Media 23 SpA acquired 90 percent. Media 23 was described as a joint venture involving GCO Entretención and Contempora, the latter associated with businessman Jesús Diez González. The final major identity change came on 21 November 2018, when UCV Televisión became TV+. The launch included a new graphic package and marked the channel's move toward a distinct, commercially positioned brand. Later that month, a digital terrestrial subchannel controlled by the university adopted the UCV Televisión name and continued from the original Viña del Mar studios. TV+ therefore represents both a new operating identity and the continuation of a broadcasting institution whose origins reach back to Chile's earliest regular television transmissions.
- 2018
TV+ brand introduced
[1]UCV Televisión is rebranded as TV+ on 21 November with a new visual identity.
- 2017
Ownership reorganized under TV+ SpA
[1]The university announces the sale and new ownership structure of the channel.
- 2010
HD feed launches
[1]UCV Televisión launches its HD service through digital terrestrial television.
- 1990
Puerto Montt affiliate starts
[1]An affiliate begins operating in Puerto Montt, later becoming a relay broadcaster.
- 1978
Colour broadcasting begins
[1]The channel adopts colour transmission and participates in the first Teletón broadcast as Red UCV Televisión.
- 1975
Portable camcorders introduced
[1]UCV TV purchases portable video cameras to facilitate location recording and street reporting.
- 1974
Santiago relay begins
[1]The network builds a relay transmitter serving Santiago.
- 1971
First relay outside the Valparaíso Region
[1]A relay transmitter is established in La Serena.
- 1959
Official launch as UCV TV
[1]The station officially begins broadcasting on 22 August from Valparaíso's VHF channel 8.
- 1957
First scheduled experimental broadcast
[1]Researchers at the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso conduct an early scheduled television transmission from the university's new campus, followed by a newscast.
Products and positioning
A Chilean free-to-air broadcaster whose identity combines the heritage of the country's oldest television station with a commercially oriented national television service.
Free-to-air television channel · 2018
TV+
The principal Chilean open television service operating under the TV+ name since November 2018. It broadcasts from Santiago and represents the continuation of the former UCV Televisión network, whose relay infrastructure gave it nationwide reach outside the capital.
High-definition television feed · 2010
UCV TV HD
The channel's high-definition service, launched while the broadcaster was still known as UCV Televisión. It debuted in June 2010 and was distributed through digital terrestrial television in Greater Valparaíso and Greater Santiago.
Brand decisions
2018
Rebranding from UCV Televisión to TV+StrategyBackground
Following the ownership restructuring and the search for a new commercial direction, the broadcaster adopted a new public identity.
Action taken
On 21 November 2018, the channel changed its name to TV+ and launched a new graphic package.
Aftermath
The TV+ name became the principal identity of the commercial channel, while a university-controlled digital subchannel later used the UCV Televisión name.
2017
Sale and ownership restructuringM&ABackground
The channel's audience share had declined, and the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso had been seeking a business partner since 2016 to renew the network.
Action taken
The university announced that the channel had been sold to TV+ SpA. PUCV Multimedios SpA retained 10 percent, while Media 23 SpA took 90 percent.
Aftermath
The restructuring prepared the channel for a more commercially oriented identity and preceded its 2018 rebrand as TV+.
2010
Launch of the UCV TV HD serviceProduct launchBackground
The broadcaster was responding to the development of Chilean digital terrestrial television and the increasing importance of high-definition distribution.
Action taken
UCV Televisión introduced an HD feed on 25 June 2010, initially associated with coverage of the Chile-Spain World Cup match and distributed in Greater Valparaíso and Greater Santiago.
Aftermath
The launch gave the long-running regional broadcaster a digital high-definition service while it still operated under its former name.
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