La Sexta (Spanish pronunciation: [la ˈseksta], "The Sixth") is a Spanish free-to-air television channel. It is privately owned and was originally founded on 18 March 2001 as Beca TV that began broadcasting on 1 April 2001, that same year. By 21 July 2003, the channel ran into liquidation and was closed down, but two years later in 2005, it was replaced by a new channel called La Sexta that began test transmissions on 25 November 2005, and a year later, it started broadcasting officially on 27 March 2006. The channel's programming is generalist, however, there is an emphasis on humour and entertainment. The channel is also known for its large quantity of American and sports programming, and in the last years, it's becoming more and more acknowledged due to the wide covering of political events, such as elections, which include extensive debate through 3 key programmes: Al rojo vivo (Red-hot), El objetivo (The lens) and Salvados (Saved). The political alignment of its news and debate programs is left-wing.

 

In 2012 the channel was acquired by Grupo Antena 3, currently named Atresmedia Televisión.