Local TV: Why Mérida Was So Very, Very Late to the Party

Local television arrived late to Yucatán. Very late.

On January 31, 1963, when XHY-TV Canal 3 flickered to life in Mérida. The station—now known as SIPSE Televisión—became the first broadcaster in the entire Yucatán Peninsula and southeastern Mexico.

Even if you had a television at home, it wasn’t a constant source of entertainment as it is today. At first, Yucatán’s lone channel broadcast only six hours a day, starting at 4 p.m. Programming came late, with film reels flown in the day after a broadcast in Mexico City. The lucky few to own a TV likely had lots of friends and family coming out of the woodwork to watch novelas or musical acts.

Remember, this is the 1960s, well into the “golden age of television” for other population centers. Mexico City and Cuba had launched their first stations 13 years earlier, and Monterrey was 10 years before XHY-TV. Even smaller Central American capitals beat Mérida to the screen.

Distance and infrastructure explained the delay. Yucatán sits more than 800 miles (1,287 kilometers) from Mexico City, separated by vast stretches of jungle and sparse population. Establishing television stations required significant capital investment, and advertisers initially focused on major urban markets.

The Peninsula’s isolation meant that extending national networks took longer than in central Mexico.

Finally, TV in Yucatán

Businessman Andrés García Lavín founded the station in partnership with Emilio Azcárraga Vidaurreta of Telesistema Mexicano, the network that would later become Televisa. Their studios, called Televicentro de Mérida, opened in a modern building at Calle 60 in the Santa Ana neighborhood. Architect Fernando García Ponce designed the facility. To this day, the building remains a SIPSE campus.

Diario de Yucatán published an advertisement that day announcing the launch. “TELEVISORA DE YUCATÁN S.A. informs the public that on this date its TELEVISION STATION XHY-TV CANAL-3 begins operations in its modern TELEVICENTRO DE MÉRIDA building,” the ad read.

Before 1963, families in Mérida who wanted to watch television needed special antennas to pick up signals from distant cities. The new local station changed everything. Viewers could now watch news, sports, and entertainment without technical hassles.

TV’s Growth Spurts

By the time of the 1969 moon landing, live television was available, and Yucatecans could watch along with millions of other viewers. Light entertainment like Bewitched and The Addams Family was dubbed into Spanish and scheduled.

The state government launched its own channel, XHST-TV Canal 13, on February 27, 1970, with a focus on cultural and educational programming. Today it operates as Tele Yucatán, one of Mexico’s few state-run public broadcasters.

Channel 13 built its reputation on coverage of Mayan heritage and local traditions. Unlike commercial stations, it prioritized regional culture over national network content.

Grupo SIPSE expanded throughout the Peninsula. The company established radio stations in 1968 and later opened television affiliates in Campeche and Quintana Roo. Canal 13 in Cancún launched in 1992 as the resort city’s tourism industry boomed.

From Analog to Digital and Streaming

The original Canal 3 changed frequencies over the decades, moving from analog Channel 3 to Channel 2. The station rebranded several times—first as Canal 2, then as SIPSE TV before settling on its current name.

Mexico’s transition to digital television in the 2010s required broadcasters across the country to upgrade equipment and retrain staff. Yucatecan stations adapted while maintaining their regional character.

Netflix launched in Mexico in 2011, initially attracting tech-savvy early adopters. By the mid-2010s, streaming had become mainstream in Yucatán’s urban centers. Improved internet infrastructure made it possible for middle-class households to cut cable subscriptions entirely.

Amazon Prime Video entered Mexico in 2016. Disney+ arrived in 2020, quickly gaining subscribers with its combination of classic films and Marvel content. HBO Max launched in 2021. Apple TV+ and Paramount+ followed.

Local internet service providers upgraded their networks to handle streaming demand. Fiber optic installation accelerated in Mérida and other cities. Rural areas lagged behind, though 4G and later 5G mobile networks helped bridge some gaps.

The Cord-Cutting Generation

As it is elsewhere, younger Yucatecans have increasingly abandoned traditional television. Streaming services offer on-demand viewing without commercials or fixed schedules. The rise of YouTube, TikTok, and other social platforms further fragmented audiences.

Traditional broadcasters felt the impact. Advertising revenue declined as viewers migrated to streaming platforms. SIPSE and Tele Yucatán maintained loyal audiences for local news and cultural programming, but prime-time entertainment struggled to compete with Netflix originals and international series.

Pluto TV and Vix emerged as free alternatives supported by advertising. These services attracted price-conscious viewers who wanted streaming convenience without monthly subscriptions. Pluto TV offered dozens of channels mimicking traditional cable, while Vix focused on Spanish-language content from Televisa Univision.

Both platforms included live news channels and on-demand libraries. They performed particularly well among older viewers reluctant to pay for multiple streaming subscriptions.

Soccer broadcasting underwent major changes during this period. Traditional free-to-air matches became rarer as leagues sold rights to cable and streaming platforms. Fans needed subscriptions to multiple services to follow their favorite teams.

This frustrated Yucatecan viewers accustomed to watching Liga MX matches on broadcast television. Pirate streaming sites proliferated, though legal crackdowns periodically shut them down.

Local Content Adapts

SIPSE and Tele Yucatán have expanded their digital presence. Both stations launched websites with streaming capabilities and social media channels. Tele Yucatán particularly embraces YouTube, posting segments of cultural programming and documentary series about Mayan communities.

Local production companies began creating content specifically for digital platforms. Web series, podcasts with video components, and YouTube channels covered Yucatecan food, travel, and lifestyle topics. These productions operated on much smaller budgets than traditional television but found engaged niche audiences.

Current Viewing Habits

By 2025, Yucatecan households typically combined multiple services. Many maintained cable or satellite subscriptions for live sports and news while subscribing to two or three streaming platforms. Others cut cable entirely, relying on streaming services and over-the-air digital broadcasts.

Smart TVs became standard in middle-class homes, integrating streaming apps directly into television sets. Older viewers struggle with streaming technology even as interfaces improve, unless younger family members provide guidance.

Here and everywhere, the era of families gathering around a single television to watch the same shows has largely ended. Traditional broadcasters face uncertain futures. Local stations must balance declining advertising revenue against the costs of producing relevant content. Streaming platforms continue consolidating, with smaller services merging or shutting down as competition intensifies.

Yucatán TV Milestones

• First broadcast: January 31, 1963 (XHY-TV Canal 3)
• Founder: Andrés García Lavín with Emilio Azcárraga Vidaurreta
• Original location: Calle 60, No. 385, Mérida; and it’s still there
• Public broadcaster launch: February 27, 1970 (Canal 13, now Tele Yucatán)
• Regional expansion: Radio 1968, Cancún TV 1992