Paramount finalized the sale of Argentina's most-watched channel to the group led by businessman Gustavo Scaglione
Scaglione is a well-known figure in the world of regional media. As a businessman with a strong base in Rosario, he has maintained a steady growth profile in the country's interior for years. The acquisition of Telefe positions him as one of the most relevant players in the Argentine audiovisual ecosystem.
Together with him, other prominent businesspeople such as José Luis Manzano, former Minister of the Interior and current shareholder of América TV, could also join, fueling speculation about possible synergies, restructurings, and a new power bloc in the national television industry.
Although Telefe is the audience leader and has a 95% penetration rate in Argentine households, since mid-2024 Paramount had begun the process of disengaging from the local market. The decision was accelerated after the global merger agreement between Paramount and the production company Skydance Media, in a context of financial restructuring and redefinition of strategic assets at the international level.
Despite being a content powerhouse—it produces more than 3,000 hours of programming per year and manages a catalog of over 33,000 hours—the operation no longer fit into the American company's global plans. The channel also has an international presence through Telefe Internacional, available in 17 countries with 17 million subscribers.
After months of negotiations and rumors circulating both in the corridors of power and throughout the media ecosystem, the sale of Telefe was officially finalized this Tuesday, September 30.
The channel, until now owned by the American holding Paramount Global, was acquired by a national business group led by Rosario native Gustavo Scaglione, current owner of media outlets such as El Tres TV in Rosario and the radio station LT8.
With this agreement, a process of share transfer begins that could take several weeks and marks a significant shift in the media landscape in Argentina. The news was leaked just hours after the Martín Fierro awards ceremony, where the topic was one of the most discussed among producers, executives, and television personalities.
