TLN was licensed by the CRTC on April 2, 1984, to TLN Media Group, at the time owned by Joseph Vitale, Organización de Telecomunicaciones de Iberoamérica CHUM Limited and Canwest, along with that of MuchMusic (also owned by CHUM Limited); the channel was launched on October 2, 1984, as Telelatino, broadcasting a trilingual format, focusing on Italian, Spanish and English programming.

In 1999, Aldo Di Felice acquired Canwest Global Communications' shares in TLN, and the assets of Shaw were spun off to form Corus Entertainment.

In 2015, TLN was given a graphical overhaul, introducing an updated wordmark over a red background, and a new lineup with a greater focus on lifestyle Italian and Spanish programming.

In April 2018, the network introduced a new marketing campaign, Colour Your Life, to signal a shift in focus for the channel to include "all lovers of the mainstream cultural lifestyle" in addition to existing viewers, after having phased out its foreign-language programs in favour of more lifestyle programming relevant to Italian and Spanish culture.

[2] Corus Entertainment previously owned a 50.5% majority share in the service; it later sold its interest to its existing partners and Di Felice for $19 million in 2019.

[6] In 2015, TLN also sub-licensed Spanish-language rights to the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto from CBC, collaborating with the U.S. Spanish rightsholder ESPN Deportes.