The station is owned and operated by Paramount Global through Televisión Federal S.A.[2] Telefe is also one of Argentina's six national television networks.

[5] The history of Telefe stretches back to 1957, when a group of alumni and lawyers from the Colegio El Salvador led by Fr.

When Raúl Alfonsín became President of Argentina, among his first acts in office, was to nullify the transfer of Canal Once to García, leaving it in the hands of the state for another six years.

The energy crisis that helped bring down Alfonsín's presidency had forced massive cuts in broadcast hours in Buenos Aires; with the ability to broadcast only four, later eight, and ultimately ten, hours a day, and amidst the already rough economic backdrop, Canal Once teetered on the brink of bankruptcy.

[19][20] With Gustavo Yankelevich (and after 1999, Claudio Villaruel) directing the channel's output, and with the introduction of satellite broadcasts nationwide, Telefe took to an unprecedented 20-year streak atop the Argentina ratings.

It logged ratings wins in every year between 1990 and 2009, acquiring the rights to The Simpsons, Formula 1 racing and the franchise for Big Brother.

In 2010 and 2011, under the direction of Marisa Badía, Telefe lost its number one position in the ratings — which had not happened since just after the privatization of the station — to then-perennial runner-up El Trece.

In 2012, however, another change in management, this time to Gustavo Yankelevich's son Tomás, and shows like Graduados, Dulce amor and Pekín Express helped Telefe return to the top of the rating list.

[22] The station's digital signal is multiplexed: This is a list of programs currently being broadcast by Telefe, with their years of debut in brackets.

All of the owned-and-operated stations (except LRK458 TV) joined Telefe in April 1998, after Editorial Atlántida acquired a majority stake of the former Televisoras Provinciales.