It was founded in 1987 in Santa Cruz de la Sierra as Teleoriente, which in 1997 created the current network and bought two Telesistema Boliviano stations.
[9] TSB's main accolades were becoming the first television channel in Bolivia to broadcast 18 hours a day and the first to produce three news editions (morning, midday, evening) in contrast to Televisión Boliviana and ATB, which only started in the afternoon and produced only one news bulletin, which gave the station some success.
In Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Red ATB terminated the contract with the Monasterio family, beginning to operate through Channel 5.
[1] In 2003, Unitel consolidated its position with its viewing audience and advertisers, with total nationwide coverage in fifty locations, the nine department capitals and 41 cities with relayers installed.
The transmitters manufactured by Harris for the stations in Santa Cruz and La Paz were working without major flaws since 1996.
From 2003 to 2007, the network had broadcast eleven titles: Esperança, O Dono do Mundo, O Rei do Gado, Mulheres Apaixonadas, O Clone, Celebridade, Senhora do Destino, Presença de Anita, América, Belíssima and Cobras e Lagartos.
The contract lied mainly in the quality of its telenovelas, in contrast to those produced by Televisa, which were preferred by the lower class.
[19][20] Unitel's market share in 2011 according to the IN magazine (given as certain by other publications in April 2012) was of 36% (in the trunk axis), far ahead of Red Uno (21%), ATB (13%), PAT (8%), Bolivisión (8%) and Bolivia TV (6%).
The channel has owned the broadcasting rights for sporting events such as the Bolivian Professional Football League and the World Cups since 2002.
In 2008, it broadcast the matches on cable in the trunk axis (Santa Cruz, La Paz, Cochabamba) and over-the-air in the rest of the country.
The network broadcast the 2022 FIFA World Cup held in Qatar alongside Bolivia TV and Red Uno.
At the end of February 2016, La Fábrica de Estrellas – Star Academy,[35] a singing reality show produced in association with Endemol and hosted by Anabel Angus and Angélica Mérida.
This teleseries is broadcast in prime time with Grisel Quiroga, Ronico Cuellar and Susy Diab as the main stars.
It emulated the format of ATB's Sipiripi, before gaining an identity of its own, replacing the doll with a group of children doing choreographies and games.
[41] Following the rise of Evo Morales, Unitel started taking a stance against the ruling government led by Movimiento al Socialismo.
[1] During the Cochabamba social unrest of 2007, the network was harshly criticized by people in favor of local separatist movements, creating graffitis against Unitel, accused of media manipulation.
[42] The network is known for its high advertising costs (in contrast to the ones practiced by Red Uno), over-reliance on exclusive news items (particularly crimes) and heavy attention to agricultural businessmen, often disguised as "public interest information".
[43] On June 23, 2008, following a referendum in the department of Tarija, the building of Unitel's affiliate in Yacuiba was targeted by miners on strike, launching dynamite to the facilities.