Teledoce

Teledoce, also identified as Canal 12 and, during part of its history, La Tele, is a Uruguayan free-to-air television channel headquartered in Montevideo. Its broadcasts began in 1962, making it the third and last private free-to-air channel to open in the capital. The station has retained its original studio location on Enriqueta Compte y Riqué Street, a distinguishing feature among Montevideo’s private television broadcasters. Its transmission antenna was initially installed on the roof of the El País newspaper building and was later moved to the Congress Tower in the Tres Cruces district. The channel began with a broad, family-oriented identity. Its first slogan was “The Family Channel,” and early programming included El Show del Mediodía, hosted by comedians Cacho de la Cruz and Alejandro Trotta, and Telecataplúm, a comedy program that also achieved success in Argentina. News became a central part of the service through Telemundo, the channel’s news division, which developed multiple weekday editions and a weekend edition. Over time, Teledoce combined news and public-affairs programming with entertainment, cultural features, sports coverage, travel, cooking, talk shows, imported formats, and locally produced adaptations of international game and reality programs. Uruguay’s transition to color television in 1980 led the station to adopt the name Teledoce Televisora Color. That formal designation was later abandoned in favor of the shorter Teledoce name, while La Tele was also used as a brand identity. The changes reflected the channel’s continuing effort to present itself as a general-interest broadcaster rather than a service limited to a single genre. Its schedule has included long-running local programs such as Vértigo, a motorsports program; Americando, focused on Uruguayan culture and history; Esta boca es mía, a current-affairs and discussion program; and a range of newer morning, travel, lifestyle, entertainment, and competition formats. The station also participates in national events and shared broadcasting initiatives. Since 2003, it has carried Telethon Uruguay, a fundraising event for children with disabilities, together with Canal 10. Other broadcasters, including Canal 4, TNU, and VTV, subsequently joined the event. This collaboration positioned Teledoce within Uruguay’s wider television ecosystem and gave it a role extending beyond its ordinary daily schedule. Teledoce’s programming strategy has increasingly included adaptations of established international formats. Examples include Trato Hecho, based on Deal or No Deal; La Ruleta de la Suerte, based on Wheel of Fortune; Poné Play, based on Le Grand Blind Test; 100 Uruguayos Dicen, based on Family Feud; ¿Quién es la máscara?, based on Masked Singer; and Veo cómo cantas, based on I Can See Your Voice. The channel has also used local productions to address Uruguay-specific interests, including travel, food, horse racing, motorsports, national history, and social issues. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Quedate en casa combined personal stories with interviews involving doctors and other specialists. Teledoce remains an active Uruguayan television brand with a generalist, locally rooted positioning.

Teledoce began broadcasting in Montevideo in 1962 as the third and last private free-to-air television channel established in the Uruguayan capital. The station’s studios were placed at 1276 Enriqueta Compte y Riqué Street, where they have remained, making Teledoce distinctive among Montevideo’s private channels for maintaining its original studio site. Its early transmission antenna stood on the roof of the newspaper El País before being relocated to the Congress Tower in the Tres Cruces district. The broadcaster initially presented itself as a family service. Its first slogan was “The Family Channel,” and its early schedule featured El Show del Mediodía, with Cacho de la Cruz and Alejandro Trotta, as well as Telecataplúm. The latter became sufficiently successful to reach audiences in Argentina, giving the young station an early connection with regional entertainment circulation. News developed into another major pillar through Telemundo, which became the channel’s principal news division and continued as a recurring part of its schedule. In 1980, Uruguay’s move into color television prompted the name Teledoce Televisora Color. The longer designation was subsequently dropped, and the station used Teledoce and later La Tele as its principal public-facing identities. The rebranding accompanied the channel’s development as a broad generalist broadcaster. Rather than concentrating on one programming category, it maintained a schedule covering news, public affairs, culture, comedy, sports, travel, cooking, daytime television, and entertainment. The channel’s locally produced portfolio has included Vértigo, a motorsports program; Americando, which explores Uruguayan history and culture; Esta boca es mía, a discussion program dealing with political, journalistic, and social issues; and programs devoted to travel, horse racing, cooking, and morning entertainment. Telemundo has been presented in several daily editions on weekdays and a weekend edition, reinforcing the role of news in the station’s identity. Teledoce has also made extensive use of licensed international formats. Its schedule has included Uruguayan versions of Deal or No Deal, Wheel of Fortune, Le Grand Blind Test, Family Feud, Masked Singer, and I Can See Your Voice. These adaptations have been combined with locally produced settings, presenters, guests, and subject matter. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Quedate en casa used interviews with specialists and stories from Uruguayans to address everyday experiences during the health crisis. Since 2003, Teledoce has participated in Telethon Uruguay, a fundraising broadcast for children with disabilities, initially carried jointly with Canal 10. Canal 4, TNU, and VTV later joined the initiative. The event is one of the station’s clearest examples of collaborative national broadcasting. Teledoce is owned by Grupo Disco and continues to operate as an active Montevideo-based free-to-air television brand serving the Uruguayan market.

1. 2003Telethon Uruguay participation begins

   Teledoce begins carrying Telethon Uruguay with Canal 10 as a national fundraising broadcast.

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2. 1980Color television transition

   The station adopts the Teledoce Televisora Color name as Uruguay begins color television broadcasting.

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3. 1962Television transmissions commence

   Teledoce begins broadcasting in Montevideo as the third and final private free-to-air channel to open in the capital.

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4. 1962Early flagship programs establish the channel

   El Show del Mediodía and Telecataplúm become notable early programs, with Telecataplúm also gaining success in Argentina.

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A general-interest, family-oriented Uruguayan free-to-air broadcaster combining national news, locally produced cultural and entertainment programming, sports and lifestyle content, and adaptations of internationally recognized television formats.

• TelemundoTelevision news1962

  Telemundo is Teledoce’s news division and one of the channel’s most enduring services. It provides several weekday editions and a weekend edition, covering national and international current affairs for the Uruguayan audience. Its long-running presence anchors the channel’s general-interest schedule and complements the station’s entertainment, cultural, and lifestyle programming.

• VértigoMotorsports programming1982

  Vértigo is a motorsports program focused on racing, sporting developments, and the careers and activities of participants in the sport. Its long-running place in the schedule reflects Teledoce’s practice of combining general entertainment with specialist programming tied to established Uruguayan interests.

• AmericandoCulture and history programming1991

  Americando presents aspects of Uruguayan culture and history. The program gives Teledoce a locally focused cultural offering alongside its news, entertainment, and imported-format schedule, using television storytelling to explore national traditions, places, and historical subjects.

• Esta boca es míaTalk and current-affairs programming2008

  Esta boca es mía is a discussion and talk program addressing current national issues, including journalistic and political topics. It represents Teledoce’s public-affairs positioning and provides a forum distinct from the channel’s formal news bulletins.

• Desayunos informalesMorning television2015

  Desayunos informales is a weekday morning television program. It broadens the channel’s daily schedule with a combination of information and general-interest content designed for daytime viewers.

• Súbete a mi motoTravel and entertainment2013

  Súbete a mi moto visits different places in Uruguay and combines travel, interviews, and humor. Its locally oriented format uses national geography and personal encounters as the basis for accessible entertainment programming.

• International format adaptationsGame and reality shows2019

  Teledoce has produced Uruguayan adaptations of internationally known formats, including Trato Hecho, La Ruleta de la Suerte, Poné Play, 100 Uruguayos Dicen, ¿Quién es la máscara?, and Veo cómo cantas. These programs combine recognizable global concepts with local presenters, contestants, guests, and production contexts.

• 2003Telethon Uruguay

  Uruguay

  Teledoce began carrying Telethon Uruguay, a fundraising television event supporting children with disabilities, in a joint broadcast with Canal 10. The initiative later expanded to include Canal 4, TNU, and VTV.

  Outcome. The event developed into a collaborative national television broadcast involving multiple Uruguayan channels.

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• 2019Expansion of international-format entertainmentProduct launch

  Teledoce’s schedule increasingly combined local productions with adaptations of established international television concepts.

  What changed. The channel introduced Trato Hecho, the Uruguayan adaptation of Deal or No Deal, followed by additional format-based game, reality, and entertainment programs.

  Aftermath. Format adaptations became a visible part of the channel’s entertainment strategy, alongside news, culture, sports, and locally oriented programming.

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• 1980Adoption of color-television brandingGeneration change

  Uruguay began its transition to color television, creating a major technical and market change for domestic broadcasters.

  What changed. Teledoce adopted the name Teledoce Televisora Color, later simplifying its public identity to Teledoce and using La Tele as another brand.

  Aftermath. The station retained its general-interest identity while updating its branding for the color-broadcasting era.

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• 2003Telethon Uruguay partnership expands

  Teledoce began broadcasting Telethon Uruguay jointly with Canal 10; additional Uruguayan broadcasters later joined the fundraising event.

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• 1980Teledoce adopts a color-television identity

  With the arrival of color television in Uruguay, the channel used the name Teledoce Televisora Color before later returning to shorter Teledoce and La Tele branding.

  Product generation
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• 1962Teledoce begins television transmissions in Montevideo

  Teledoce opened as the third and final private free-to-air television channel to begin operating in Montevideo.

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1. Teledoce
2. Teledoce official website