TVes

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TVES is Venezuela’s public television channel, broadcasting in Spanish from Caracas. Its name, Televisora Venezolana Social, means “you see yourself.” It replaced Radio Caracas Televisión (RCTV) on Channel 2 on 28 May 2007, starting at 12:20 a.m. Local time, after the government refused to renew RCTV’s license and built TVES from part of RCTV’s infrastructure.

TVES is public-owned and run by the Fundación Televisora Venezolana Social, created by Presidential Decree 5394 on 11 May 2007 and attached to the Ministry of Communications and Information. It is funded by the government and has offices in Caracas, with production across the country and abroad.

The channel aims to reflect Venezuelan identity and provide a forum for independent producers. Its programming includes news, sports, movies, music, drama, and children’s shows. Since 2015, many programs have been produced in the former La Tele studios. In its early days, TVES aired National Geographic content, cultural programs, and its own news service, with plans to follow a European-style model where the state actively promotes education and culture rather than commercial television.

TVES operates 24 hours a day and, by law, plays the national anthem three times daily at 6:00 a.m., noon, and midnight. The channel faced early challenges in attracting viewers, but by 2008 it began to gain viewers and by 2015 was third in the ratings. It also serves as the entertainment arm of the state TV system and has been the official co-national network for Venezuela’s Olympic Games broadcasts since 2012.

During the Winston Vallenilla era, TVES was reformatted to include more entertainment content, much of which critics described as pirated. In 2024, CONATEL launched an anti-piracy campaign on channels such as Televen and Venevisión, though some SIBCI channels continued to violate these rules.

Technical details: TVES broadcasts in 1080i HD, on analog VHF Channel 2 in Caracas and digital UHF Channel 23.1 nationwide, and operates in Spanish.