On August 21, Canal 13 (Chile) it celebrated its 65th anniversary, marking a significant milestone in Chile’s media history. Over the decades, the network has solidified itself as one of Chile and Latin America’s most influential media outlets.
Canal 13’s legacy is built on a wide range of successful formats, including game shows, reality series, soap operas, docuseries, and more, leaving a lasting impact on the television industry and social media.
One of the company’s major efforts is its international distribution arm, 13Sudmedia, which represents both Canal 13’s content and external productions, offering a broad and diverse catalog.
‘We are incredibly proud to celebrate 65 years. We began as a university channel, and today we are a multimedia society. Our mission is to improve the lives of our viewers by responsibly informing, entertaining, and accompanying them through diverse formats’, said Alexis Zamora, content manager at Canal 13.
Among 13Sudmedia’s offerings for 2024 is the standout telenovela Secretos de Familia: Justicia para Sara (142×45’), an original production by Catalina Calcagni and Felipe Montero, directed by Roberto Rebolledo and produced by Matías Ovalle. The plot centers on Elena Valdés (played by Daniela Ramírez), a pediatrician living in Madrid who left Chile 15 years ago to escape traumatic childhood experiences. When her sister, Sara (played by Florencia Berner), desperately begs her to return to Chile, Elena makes her way back to her hometown of Pirque—only to discover it’s too late.
Premiered early this year, Secretos de Familia quickly became the most-watched show in its time slot on Chilean television. It also achieved a pioneering milestone by being acquired by Prime Video, where it has remained among the top-watched shows in Chile for months.
This latest hit joins the long list of successful Canal 13 productions that have resonated both in Chile and internationally, including Machos, Brujas, Primera Dama, Secretos en el Jardín, Las Vega’s, and Los 80, among others.
Additionally, 13Sudmedia offers other standout entertainment formats, such as the show El Purgatorio (21×120’), which premiered last year. This live show is packed with emotion, adrenaline, humor, and celebrity guests. Each episode features two celebrities facing off in a challenge where their fate—whether they ascend to «Paradise» or descend into «Hell»—is determined by public votes.
The show includes sections like «El muro de los lamentos» (Wall of Laments), where guests confront three life controversies, and the humorous «Libro de condolencias» (Condolence Book), where comedians poke fun at the guests’ imaginary funerals.
13Sudmedia also features La Ruta de la Patagonia (12×65’), a posthumous series from the renowned travel journalist Claudio Iturra, who passed away in May 2023. Premiering in June, the series follows Iturra’s journey through Chile’s southern regions, showcasing travel tips and key destinations along the Carretera Austral.
Rounding out the catalog is the exclusive film El Fantasma (1×115’), available across Latin America, the U.S., Spain, and Portugal. Set in 2006, the film follows José (played by Willy Semler), a former bank employee turned criminal mastermind, as he forms a notorious bank-robbing crew. Directed by Martín Duplaquet, the movie premiered at the São Paulo International Film Festival in 2023 and hit Chilean theaters in August 2024.
