Letterman, Rachel Ray, Craig Ferguson, Oprah, Dr. Phil, 60 Minutes and others have disappeared from the screens of thousands of cable and dish viewers in Mexico with the closing of the English-language American Network, which broadcast mostly CBS real-time programming.
The channel has been replaced by Tiin, a new Spanish-language channel oriented to teenagers.
On August 22, Televisa Networks, which owns American Network, announced it would be closing the channel on Monday, September 5. They gave no explanation for the sudden decision, other than it was due to “external causes.”American Network was carried by Megacable and Telecable in the metro-Guadalajara area, as well as Sky, and most other cable and satellite providers around Mexico.
Writing in the Milenio daily, television analyst Alvaro Cueva called the move “scandalous and shameful,” noting that Mexico should be opening itself up to what the foreign media has to offer rather than “shutting itself off” with repetitive, substandard locally-made programming. He also called the closure of the American Network “a direct offense against the U.S. community.”