XHTV-TDT
Mexico City's channel 4 television station and flagship transmitter for the N+ Foro news service.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
XHTV-TDT is a broadcast television station serving Mexico City on virtual channel 4. It is one of the foundational assets of Mexican television and is generally identified as Mexico's first television station, as well as the oldest television channel in Mexico and Latin America. The station's concession was granted in 1949 to Televisora de México, a company associated with newspaper publisher Novedades and businessman Rómulo O'Farrill. Test transmissions began in July 1950, and regular broadcasting commenced on September 1, 1950, with coverage of the presidential message opening the congressional session. The station's formal inauguration took place on August 31, 1950, through a musical program from the Jockey Club at the Hipódromo de las Américas. During its early years, XHTV operated with a comparatively small schedule, initially broadcasting for roughly two hours on most evenings and for longer periods on Sundays. Its first facilities were located in and around central Mexico City, including the National Lottery Building, which was then among the city's tallest structures, followed by studios on Bucareli and Balderas streets. The station developed a general-entertainment profile that included live events, theatrical and musical presentations, news, films, and locally produced programs. It also produced telenovelas until 1961, after which that production activity was concentrated largely on Televisa's channel 2 service. In 1955, XHTV became part of Telesistema Mexicano and moved into the company's Televicentro complex alongside Mexico City's other major television stations. Telesistema Mexicano later became Televisa in 1973, linking XHTV's history to the development of Mexico's dominant commercial television group. Over subsequent decades the station changed its programming identity several times. In 2001 it adopted the 4TV name and focused more directly on Mexico City. From 2003, it used the branding Canal de la Ciudad, or The City Channel, with a lineup aimed at the metropolitan audience and supplemented by reruns of foreign series and Mexican films. The most consequential repositioning occurred on August 30, 2010, when channel 4 became FOROtv. Televisa transferred much of its news output to the station, added new news and talk formats, and used the channel as a broadcast outlet for programming that had previously appeared elsewhere in the Televisa system. The transformation effectively ended the station's former general-entertainment identity and made it a primarily news, current-affairs, and opinion service. The format was intended in part to recreate the impact of ECO, Televisa's earlier news network, while competing with cable and specialized news services such as adn40, Azteca Noticias, Telefórmula, CNN en Español, Excélsior TV, and Milenio Televisión. The channel was later associated with the N+ Foro identity, and its operations are connected with Triton Comunicaciones, the Televisa news division reorganized in the 2022 corporate split. XHTV has also been part of Mexico's transition from analog to digital television. Its analog VHF channel 4 signal ended at midnight on December 17, 2015, under the federally mandated digital switchover. The station retained virtual channel 4 while transmitting digitally on UHF channel 49. In October 2016 it added CJ Grand Shopping as a digital subchannel, which was removed in March 2019; a Televisa-owned CV Shopping service subsequently occupied the subchannel. On November 3, 2018, the station moved its physical digital assignment from channel 49 to channel 15 as part of the Mexican repacking process that cleared spectrum in the 600 MHz band for mobile services. XHTV-TDT remains a Mexico City broadcast platform within the TelevisaUnivision ecosystem, with its principal contemporary role tied to news and opinion programming rather than the broad entertainment schedule associated with its earlier eras.
History
XHTV was established through a 1949 concession granted to Televisora de México, a company owned by newspaper publisher Novedades and associated with Rómulo O'Farrill. Equipment deliveries began in March 1950, concluding with a mobile studio in July. Test broadcasts started on July 5 from facilities in the National Lottery Building. The station's regular service began on September 1, 1950, following its formal inauguration the previous day. Its initial schedule was short, with evening broadcasts on weekdays and a longer Sunday schedule. Early programming combined live ceremonies, news, musical and theatrical productions, films, and entertainment. XHTV expanded its production capacity by moving to studios on Bucareli and Balderas streets in 1951. In 1955 it joined Telesistema Mexicano and moved into the Televicentro complex shared by the company's Mexico City stations. The station produced telenovelas through 1961, after which Televisa concentrated much of that genre's production on channel 2. Telesistema Mexicano became Televisa in 1973, making XHTV one of the historical components of the later Televisa broadcast system. The station retained a general-entertainment orientation for much of the second half of the twentieth century. In 2001 it was branded 4TV and increasingly targeted viewers in Mexico City. In 2003 it adopted Canal de la Ciudad, using a city-focused schedule that included local programming, reruns of American series, and Mexican films. This identity ended in 2010 when Televisa converted channel 4 into FOROtv. The change moved much of the company's news output to XHTV, including programs formerly carried by other Televisa stations, and introduced additional news and talk programming. The resulting service sought to reproduce aspects of the earlier ECO news network while competing with Mexico's growing collection of cable and specialized news channels. The station's technical history continued with the digital switchover. XHTV ceased analog transmission on December 17, 2015, while retaining virtual channel 4 on its digital service. Its initial post-transition physical channel was UHF 49. Digital subchannel activity included the addition of CJ Grand Shopping in 2016, its removal in 2019, and the subsequent use of the slot by CV Shopping. On November 3, 2018, XHTV moved to physical channel 15 to facilitate the reassignment of the 600 MHz spectrum for mobile communications. In the contemporary TelevisaUnivision structure, the station functions as the Mexico City flagship transmitter associated with N+ Foro. The broader Foro operation is connected with Triton Comunicaciones, the news organization formed from Televisa's former news division after the 2022 split.
- 2022
News-division reorganization
[1]Following Televisa's corporate split, Foro operations became associated with Triton Comunicaciones.
- 2019
Shopping subchannel changed
[1]CJ Grand Shopping was removed and a Televisa-owned CV Shopping service later occupied the subchannel.
- 2018
Digital channel repack
[1]The station moved its physical digital assignment from channel 49 to channel 15 during the 600 MHz repack.
- 2016
CJ Grand Shopping added
[1]A shopping service was added as digital subchannel 4.2.
- 2015
Analog signal discontinued
[1]XHTV ended analog VHF transmission and continued as a digital service with virtual channel 4.
- 2010
FOROtv launches on channel 4
[1]Channel 4 shifted from general entertainment toward news, talk, and opinion programming under the FOROtv brand.
- 2003
Canal de la Ciudad identity adopted
[1]The station introduced the Canal de la Ciudad name and the slogan The City Channel.
- 2001
4TV branding introduced
[1]Channel 4 adopted the 4TV identity and a programming focus aimed at Mexico City viewers.
- 1973
Telesistema Mexicano becomes Televisa
[1]The station became part of the corporate history of Televisa when Telesistema Mexicano adopted the Televisa name.
- 1961
End of regular telenovela production
[1]Niebla became the last telenovela produced by the station before the genre was concentrated largely on Televisa's channel 2.
Products and positioning
A Mexico City-focused broadcast television station positioned primarily as a news, current-affairs, and opinion outlet, while retaining the historical identity and virtual channel number of Mexico's first television station.
Broadcast television station · 1950
XHTV-TDT Channel 4
The station's primary free-to-air television service for Mexico City. It preserves the virtual channel 4 identity associated with XHTV since the beginning of Mexican television and currently serves chiefly as a transmitter for news, current-affairs, and opinion programming.
Television news service · 2010
FOROtv
The news-focused identity introduced on channel 4 in 2010. FOROtv replaced the station's city-oriented general-entertainment schedule with Televisa news bulletins, interviews, discussion programs, and opinion formats.
Television news service
N+ Foro
The contemporary N+ Foro service associated with XHTV-TDT. It represents the station's role as a flagship broadcast outlet for TelevisaUnivision's news operation in Mexico City.
Digital television multiplex · 2016
Digital subchannels
XHTV's digital multiplex has carried supplementary services, including CJ Grand Shopping from 2016 until its removal in 2019 and a subsequent CV Shopping service associated with Televisa.
Brand decisions
2018
Repack the physical digital channelOtherBackground
Mexico's spectrum-reallocation program cleared the 600 MHz band for mobile services.
Action taken
XHTV moved its physical digital transmission assignment from UHF channel 49 to channel 15 while maintaining virtual channel 4.
Aftermath
The station complied with the national spectrum-repacking plan and continued digital broadcasts in Mexico City.
2015
Complete the digital transitionOtherBackground
Mexico's federally mandated transition from analog to digital television required Mexico City stations to discontinue analog signals.
Action taken
XHTV shut down its analog VHF channel 4 transmission and continued digitally while retaining virtual channel 4.
Aftermath
The station continued serving its established channel identity through digital terrestrial television.
2010
Convert channel 4 into a news-focused serviceStrategyBackground
Televisa sought to use the historic Mexico City channel as a broadcast outlet for a consolidated news and opinion operation, drawing on the model of its former ECO network.
Action taken
The station was renamed FOROtv, most non-news programming was removed, and Televisa news and talk formats were transferred to the channel.
Aftermath
XHTV's role shifted from local general entertainment to a primarily news-oriented service competing with specialist television news channels.
- TV Azteca — TV Azteca's news services, including adn40 and Azteca Noticias, were identified as competitors in the specialized news market.
- CNN en Español — CNN en Español was among the established news channels against which the relaunched service competed.
Sources2 sources
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