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Timeline

.1920.

1929 Diego Cisneros establishes a small material transport business that rapidly becomes the largest in Caracas, Venezuela.

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.1930.

1939 The company D. Cisneros & Cia. acquires the franchise rights to the Norge & Hamilton brands and REO Trucks.

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.1940.

1940 D. Cisneros & Cia. obtains the exclusive right to market and sell Pepsi-Cola products in Venezuela. This arrangement becomes Pepsi-Cola International’s largest independent bottling network.

1944 D. Cisneros & Cia. opens Liquid Carbonic to produce carbon dioxide and related products.

1947 D. Cisneros & Cia. obtains the right to represent Studebaker automobiles in Venezuela.

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.1950.

1952 Helados Club Ice Cream Company, later known as Helados Tío Rico, S.A., is established.

1953 The first corporate strategic plan is developed to integrate the firm’s commercial and industrial activities into the Cisneros Group of Companies.

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.1960.

1961 Venevisión initiates its first television broadcast.

1968 The Diego Cisneros Foundation is created to support democratic values, stimulate growth in the private sector and promote free market values.

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.1970.

1970 Gustavo A. Cisneros assumes the position of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Cisneros Group of Companies. Ricardo J. Cisneros assumes the position of Chief Operating Officer of the Cisneros Group of Companies. Gaveplast, one of the leading South American producers of plastic crates and cases and specializing in retail cases for the beer and carbonated soft drink industries, is established.

1974 O’Caña Distributors, an imported liquor distribution company, begins operations. Radiovisión begins operations as Venezuela’s first national radio network.

1975 CADA Automercado, Venezuela’s first supermarket chain, joins the Cisneros Group of Companies. Ninety-three supermarkets are established throughout the country. Summa Sistemas obtains exclusive licensing rights for NCR Corporation in Venezuela.

1976 Pharsana de Venezuela is founded to produce and distribute Chicco baby-care products through Laboratorios Fisa and Distribuidora Kapina S.A. These companies also begin production and distribution in Venezuela of beauty products, including the Helene Curtis brand. The rights to the Miss Venezuela beauty pageant, one of the most popular beauty events in the world, are acquired.

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.1980.

1980 The Antonio José Cisneros Rendiles, Altran distribution center, the largest consumer products warehouse and distribution center in Latin America, opens in Cagua, Venezuela. The Rodven Group of Companies is formed to manufacture records, audio and video cassettes. The Cisneros Group of Companies obtains the exclusive rights to operate the Burger King chain in Venezuela.

1982 Proyectos Pet, C.A. becomes the principal bottle supplier for Hit and Pepsi-Cola beverages. Televisión Latina begins distribution of Venevisión’s productions to the U.S. Hispanic Market. The Cisneros Group of Companies obtains the license for the French’s and Cherry Blossom brands. All-American Bottling, one the largest soft-drink bottling companies in the United States, joins the Cisneros Group of Companies. Commerce Union Bank joins the Cisneros Group of Companies.

1983 The Cisneros Group of Companies obtains the exclusive distribution rights of U.S. Digital Equipment Corporation in Venezuela. Sears Roebuck department stores in Venezuela are renamed Maxy’s, the country’s largest retail chain store, by the Cisneros Group of Companies. The Cisneros Group of Companies acquires franchise rights to Pizza Hut in Venezuela from Pepsico Food Services International.

1984 Saeca Travel, one of the leading travel agencies in Venezuela, is launched. The company initially specialized in travel-related services for businesses, and now additionally offers services to retail customers. Galerías Preciados, Spain’s largest department-store chain, joins the Cisneros Group of Companies. The Cisneros Group of Companies obtains the exclusive right to represent Apple computer products in Venezuela. Evenflo, a worldwide leader in the development of innovative infant equipment, baby care and juvenile products, joins the Cisneros Group of Companies. Spalding, one of the oldest, largest and most well-known sporting goods companies in the world, joins the Cisneros Group of Companies.

1985 Cinemakit, a Venezuelan video and film production company, joins the Cisneros Group of Companies.

1986 Yukery Venezolana de Alimentos, a leading producer and distributor of fruit juices, ketchup, chocolate, baby food and pasteurized milk, joins the Cisneros Group of Companies. The Minalba and San Bernardo mineral water brands are added to the Cisneros Group portfolio of consumer products.

1988 London’s Paternoster Square, a large-scale office and retail complex development, which is managed in partnership with Park Tower Realty, Greycoat and Mitsubishi Estates, is launched. Videomovil Color, C.A., an audiovisual production company, joins the Cisneros Group of Companies. The Cisneros Group of Companies creates a Mining Development division to begin work on Aluyana, C.A., Venezuela’s primary aluminum smelting plant.

1989 Venevision International is launched to distribute Cisneros Group and third-party productions in international markets, including the U.S. Hispanic market.

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.1990.

1990 Pepsi-Cola and Hit de Venezuela open Embotelladora Los Llanos, C.A. in Calabozo, Guárico State, Venezuela, its twenty-first bottling plant in the country. Sistemas Teracom C.A. obtains the exclusive right to represent Stratus Computer and Fujitsu Ltd. in Venezuela. The company is founded as part of the Computer Systems and Telecommunications Division of the Cisneros Group of Companies.

1992 Chilevision, a leading private television network in Chile, joins the Cisneros Group of Companies. Cervecería Regional, the second-largest brewery and beer distribution business in Venezuela, joins the Cisneros Group of Companies. Univision Communications Inc., the leading Spanish-language media company in the United States, joins the Cisneros Group of Companies. The company will develop the dominant U.S. Hispanic TV, radio, music and Internet operations.

1993 Americatel, a digital communication "trunking" service in Venezuela that employs technology developed by Motorola, Inc., is launched by the Cisneros Group of Companies. Pueblo Xtra International, a supermarket chain with 52 stores in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and South Florida, joins the Cisneros Group of Companies. The Cisneros Group of Companies acquires exclusive franchise rights to Blockbuster Inc. stores in Puerto Rico.

1994 Caribbean Communications Network Ltd. a leading communications and media company based in Trinidad and Tobago, joins the Cisneros Group of Companies.

1995 The Cisneros Group of Companies and Hughes Electronics Corporation launch Galaxy Latin America, later renamed DIRECTV Latin America, the first all-digital direct-to-home satellite television service in Latin America.

1996 Cisneros Television Group, a member of the Cisneros Group of Companies, is formed to create pay-television channels for international distribution. Cl@se, the first educational television channel available across Latin America via cable and satellite, is launched by the Cisneros Group of Companies, offering programming 24 hours a day. Embotelladora Hit de Venezuela enters into a strategic alliance with the Coca-Cola Company, thus creating Coca-Cola y Hit de Venezuela. The new company gives Coca-Cola a dominant position in Venezuela. Coke's share of the country's soft-drink market increases from 16% to 85%.

1997 Cisneros Television Group acquires Imagen Satelital, a group of leading pay-television channels in Argentina including Space, I-Sat, Infinito, Uniseries, Jupiter Comic and Venus. A partnership forged between the Cisneros Group of Companies and Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst, Inc. leads to the creation of Ibero-American Media Partners, an investment fund including the assets of the Cisneros Television Group that invests in, acquires, and develops media properties in Latin America, Spain and Portugal. Coca-Cola y Hit de Venezuela, Venezuela’s top soft-drink bottling company, announces a strategic alliance with Panamerican Beverages Inc. (Panamco), jointly becoming the leading soft-drink bottling player throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Caracol, the leading broadcast television network in Colombia, and the country’s leading producer of television content, joins the Cisneros Group of Companies.

1998 Ibero-American Radio Chile is formed to acquire, consolidate and operate the leading radio stations in Chile. MuchMusic Argentina, the leading music television channel in Argentina and all of the Southern Cone, joins the Cisneros Television Group. The Cisneros Group of Companies and America Online, Inc. announce the formation of a joint venture to bring America Online, the world's most popular Internet service provider, to Latin American consumers. AOL Latin America launches operations in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Puerto Rico.

1999 Business Services Provider de Venezuela C.A. (BSP) is formed to consolidate the administrative functions of the Cisneros Group’s Venezuelan owned and operated companies, with the aim of creating synergy in a single, advanced service provider.

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.2000.

2000 Ibero-American Media Partners invests in El Sitio, Inc., a leading new media company in Latin America. The Cisneros Group of Companies establishes Eccelera Holdings, an investment company that seeks to capitalize on opportunities in telecommunications, media and technology in the Brazilian and international markets. Venevisión Continental, a pay-television network targeting the Spanish-speaking population worldwide, is launched. DIRECTV Latin America surpasses one million subscribers in Latin America and the Caribbean.

2001 Los Leones del Caracas, one of the most successful baseball teams in Venezuela, joins the Cisneros Group of Companies. Claxson Interactive Group Inc., a multimedia provider of branded entertainment content to Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking audiences worldwide, is created via the merger of Cisneros Television Group, Ibero-American Media Partners and El Sitio. Venevision International launches Venevision International Theater to offer Spanish-language plays in Miami, Florida, and additional Latino markets including New York City; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

2002 Univision announces the acquisition of Hispanic Broadcasting Corporation, the largest Spanish-language radio broadcasting company in the U.S., and launches Univision Radio. Backus and Johnston, the largest brewer in Peru and the sixth-largest brewer in Latin America, joins the Cisneros Group of Companies. Venevision International and Synapsys form Synapsys International, the first company in Latin America dedicated to the production of "Advertainment", the synthesis of advertising and entertainment content for Ibero-American audiences.

2003 Venevision International Theater opens El Nuevo Teatro de Venevision International in Miami, Florida, to showcase Venevision International’s productions. Venevision International launches Vene Music, an international music label that seeks to promote popular Latin music genres.

2004 SBS Sports Business C.A., a sports marketing company, is created to manage the design, outsourced manufacturing and importing of all "Leones del Caracas B.B.C."-branded products. LatCel, a joint venture between Venevision International and WAU Móvil, is created to provide wireless content services for mobile telephone networks and other wireless carriers that target the U.S. Hispanic market. Venevision Productions, a Miami-based television production unit, is founded to create upscale telenovelas for North American Spanish-language television markets.

2005 Movida, the first mobile telephone service to specifically target the more than 40 million Hispanics living in the United States, is launched. Venevision International launches FonoLibro, a producer and distributor of audiobooks. The company employs the creative talents of Cisneros Group directors, actors, and sound technicians. Venevision Studios, a fully-equipped state-of-the-art facility for the production of TV programming, is founded in Miami.

2006 Siente Music, a joint venture between Venevision International and Universal Music Latino, the award-winning Latin music division of Universal Music Group, is created.  The record label leverages the vast resources of these two global entertainment leaders. Cl@se, the leading Latin American educational television channel, signs an agreement with the Mexico-based Latin American Institute for Educational Communication (ILCE) to promote and develop educational programming in Latin America. Venevision International launches Vene Movies, a 24-hour, subscription TV channel, on Comcast cable systems. Vene Movies is the first full-feature Spanish-language film channel offered in the U.S.

2007 Venevisión Plus launches worldwide. The 24-hour, Spanish-language subscription TV channel features the best in programming from broadcast TV networks in Latin America and the U.S., as well as movies from top studios. Venemobile is created to deliver content from the Cisneros Group’s and Venevision International’s libraries of television programs, film clips, images, and music over wireless platforms.

• History
• Timeline
• Companies
• Corporate Social Responsibility