XHY-TDT
A former television station in Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico, historically operated under the SIPSE Televisión brand.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
XHY-TDT was a television station serving Mérida, Yucatán, and the wider southeastern Mexican market. The station was associated with Grupo SIPSE and was historically known on air as SIPSE Televisión. It holds an important place in the development of television in southeastern Mexico because it was the region’s first television station. The station received its concession on January 29, 1963, and began broadcasting only two days later. Its original transmission assignment was channel 3. The station was established through a partnership involving Emilio Azcárraga Vidaurreta, a leading figure in Telesistema Mexicano, and Andrés García Lavín, the owner of SIPSE. This ownership relationship linked the station to both the emerging national television business and the principal regional media group in Yucatán. XHY’s channel position changed as Mérida’s television market developed. In 1994, the station moved from channel 3 to channel 2. The change enabled Televisa to introduce XHMEN-TV on channel 5 in Mérida. Later, following Mexico’s transition to standardized virtual channels, XHY appeared on virtual channel 9 from 2016. In 2021, it moved to virtual channel 8, exchanging positions with the Nu9ve subchannel of XHMEN-TDT. The station also underwent notable branding changes. From December 2013 through January 2017, it operated under the Gala TV Mérida identity. At the beginning of February 2017, it returned to the SIPSE Televisión name, reinforcing its association with Grupo SIPSE’s regional media operations. XHY-TDT’s core offering was terrestrial television programming for viewers in Mérida and surrounding areas. As a local broadcast outlet, its role centered on distributing television content through its assigned over-the-air channel and maintaining a regional presence within the Yucatán media landscape. The available reference material does not provide a complete programming schedule, detailed audience data, financial information, or a confirmed account of the station’s final operating date. Wikipedia describes XHY-TDT in the past tense, so it is treated here as defunct or no longer operating under this call sign, while the precise closure or successor arrangement remains unconfirmed.
History
XHY-TDT was established as a television station in Mérida, Yucatán, and became the first television station in southeastern Mexico. Its concession was granted on January 29, 1963, and the station began transmissions two days later. The original operation used channel 3 and was created through a joint ownership arrangement involving Emilio Azcárraga Vidaurreta of Telesistema Mexicano and Andrés García Lavín, the proprietor of SIPSE. This structure reflected the relationship between Mexico’s expanding national television system and the regional influence of Grupo SIPSE in the Yucatán Peninsula. For much of its history, XHY operated as a regional station associated with SIPSE. Its service area was centered on Mérida, although its significance extended to the broader southeastern Mexican television market. The station’s primary function was terrestrial broadcasting: it delivered television programming to households through its assigned channel and maintained a local presence within a market that also included national network operations. A major technical and market-related change occurred in 1994, when XHY moved from channel 3 to channel 2. The reassignment was made to permit Televisa to add XHMEN-TV in Mérida with the Canal 5 network. The move illustrates how the station’s frequency position was affected by the expansion and reorganization of television services in the city. The station later participated in Mexico’s virtual-channel system. After virtual channels were standardized in 2016, XHY adopted virtual channel 9. Its on-air identity also changed during this period. Between December 2013 and January 2017, the station was branded Gala TV Mérida. At the beginning of February 2017, it resumed the SIPSE Televisión branding, returning to the name most directly associated with its regional owner and operating identity. In 2021, XHY changed its virtual channel from 9 to 8. The move involved an exchange with the Nu9ve subchannel of XHMEN-TDT. This was the last channel-position change identified in the available reference material. The station is described in the past tense in the principal reference source, and it is therefore recorded as defunct in this dossier. However, the supplied material does not specify a formal shutdown date, the precise disposition of its concession, or whether its programming and facilities continued under another call sign or service. No verified financial data, audience figures, detailed program archive, or executive roster was available in the reference material.
- 2021
Move to virtual channel 8
[1]XHY moved to virtual channel 8, exchanging positions with the Nu9ve subchannel of XHMEN-TDT.
- 2017
Return to SIPSE Televisión branding
[1]At the start of February, the station returned from the Gala TV Mérida identity to the SIPSE Televisión brand.
- 2016
Virtual channel 9 assignment
[1]Following Mexico’s virtual-channel standardization, XHY appeared on virtual channel 9.
- 2013
Gala TV Mérida branding begins
[1]XHY adopted the Gala TV Mérida identity in December, replacing its prior SIPSE Televisión presentation for a period of approximately three years.
- 1994
Move from channel 3 to channel 2
[1]The station changed from channel 3 to channel 2, allowing Televisa to introduce XHMEN-TV on channel 5 in Mérida.
- 1963
Concession granted and broadcasting begins
[1]XHY received its television concession on January 29 and began broadcasting two days later on channel 3, becoming the first television station in southeastern Mexico.
Products and positioning
A regional free-to-air television station serving Mérida and southeastern Mexico, with its identity closely tied to Grupo SIPSE and the development of television in Yucatán.
Regional television broadcasting · 1963
SIPSE Televisión
The station’s principal regional broadcast identity, associated with Grupo SIPSE and its television operations in Yucatán. SIPSE Televisión represented XHY’s role as a locally based terrestrial outlet serving Mérida and the surrounding southeastern Mexican market.
Television station brand · 2013
Gala TV Mérida
The temporary on-air identity used by XHY from December 2013 through January 2017. It positioned the Mérida station under the Gala TV name before the outlet returned to the SIPSE Televisión branding in February 2017.
Brand decisions
2021
Virtual channel change to 8Generation changeBackground
The station’s virtual channel position was reorganized alongside the Nu9ve subchannel of XHMEN-TDT.
Action taken
XHY moved from virtual channel 9 to virtual channel 8 in an exchange with the Nu9ve subchannel.
Aftermath
The change established channel 8 as the station’s last documented virtual-channel position.
2017
Return to SIPSE Televisión identityStrategyBackground
After operating under the Gala TV Mérida name for several years, the station re-emphasized its relationship with Grupo SIPSE.
Action taken
XHY resumed the SIPSE Televisión branding in early February.
Aftermath
The station again used the regional SIPSE identity until the end of the documented history.
2013
Adoption of Gala TV Mérida brandingStrategyBackground
The station changed its on-air identity during a period when Gala TV was used as its regional brand.
Action taken
XHY operated as Gala TV Mérida from December 2013 through January 2017.
Aftermath
The station later restored the SIPSE Televisión name at the beginning of February 2017.
1994
Channel reassignment to channel 2StrategyBackground
XHY’s original channel 3 position was affected by the expansion of television services in Mérida and Televisa’s plan to introduce XHMEN-TV on channel 5.
Action taken
The station moved from channel 3 to channel 2.
Aftermath
The reassignment allowed the new Canal 5 affiliate to operate in Mérida while XHY continued as a regional station on a different channel position.
Sources2 sources
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