Telus Optik - Lack of Spanish channel

Just Moved In
I was wondering why Telus does not have a Spanish speaking channel in its Optik lineup? Telus only has the channel TLN but this is not really a Spanish speaking channel, and has at best 10% Spanish content. Telus has TLN en Espanol, but this is only part of the Telus Satellite package which is not a feasible option for people in an urban area where the large majority of Spanish speaking people live. 

In our family, we subscribe to Shaw, but would switch to Telus if there was a Spanish channel offered. 
It seems to me that Telus is losing alot of potential business by not having a Spanish channel. Shaw has TLN en Espanol as part of its regular package and has had this channel for years. I doubt they would keep this channel if it is not profitable. 

The fact that globally there are over half a billion Spanish speaking people, and Spanish is second only to Mandarin as language with most native speakers further shows the value of adding a Spanish channel to lineup. Also, with the increase in immigration to Canada of Spanish speaking people*, it makes sense to have at least one Spanish speaking channel. I see various channels in other languages which have fewer Canadian native speakers than Spanish, which further makes me wonder why not even one Spanish channel is  offered. 
*Currently, there are over 410 K people in Canada who speak Spanish as a first language which makes Spanish the fifth most spoken language in Canada. However, Telus Optik has no Spanish channel.Telus Optik currently has several language channels for languages that are much less frequently spoken than Spanish. For example, Optik has 3 channels in Polish. There are alot fewer Polish language speakers in Canada (190 K vs 410K) than Spanish language speakers, and the number of Polish speakers is decreasing every year, but the number of Spanish speakers is increasing due to immigration trends which are seeing an increase in immigration from Asian and Latin American countries and a decrease in immigration from European countries. 
(Source: Wikepidia)
Status: Duplicate
CPU Alum
CPU Alum

Actually Spanish's 1.2% sits behind both punjabi and mandarin...


Just Moved In

Simple math, using Wikepdia population numbers and current Telus Optik channels listings


Polish speakers (190 K). Number of Polish channels (3)

Philipino speakers (327 K). Number of Phillipino channels (5)

Italian speakers (408 K). Number of Italian channels (2)

Chinese (Canonese + Mandarin) speakers (~ 1M). Number of channels (~19)

Punjabi speakers (430 K). Number of channels (~8)

etc, etc,


Spanish speakers (411 K). Number of Spanish channels (0)


Might not be a bad idea to add just 1 Spanish channel

Status changed to: Under Review



Thank you for sharing your idea. I shared it with our internal ideas team and I will get back to you when I have an update.


Please continue to share great ideas.


Take care,



Hi geyni1234


I totally agree with you! It is time for Telus to step up and put their act together regarding spanish programming.


It is almost impossible not to take it personal when you realize that in Canada there is roughly the same population of spanish speakers then punjabi speakers and Telus offers a huge variety of punjabi speaking channels, when they have clearly neglected their spanish speaking customers.





Status changed to: Under Review
Status changed to: In progress

Dear @geyni1234 


We love your idea bout Spanish programming and are listening to our customers. There has been a lot of ove for this on Optik TV. Our content team is hard at work to find a great Spanish-language offering and you should hearing more about this in 2015. We will be sure to make an announcement once we know more.


Thanks again for the submission and please keep submitting your suggestions.



Just Moved In

I couldn't agree more. It is astounding that Optik TV doesn't offer Telemundo, Univision, Televisa, TV Azteca, etc. There are a lot of Spanish speakers in this country. I shouldn't feel like I have to switch providers in order to get the channel line up I need. Every time I cross the border to Bellingham I am jealous of all the Spanish TV programming playing in Mexican restaurants I frequent. If Bellingham has it 1 hour away it can't be that hard for us to get the same here! Come on, please release this already. It helps us Spanish speaking immigrants to feel more connected to our roots by being in the loop as to what's happening in our countries of origin. 


Robot Happy

Status changed to: Duplicate

Hi @geyni1234


I'm just following up to let you know that we've followed up with our content team on the Spanish channel submission. There was a request for Spanish programming submitted in May and so since this request came after, I have changed the status on this Idea to "duplicate".  This is just an administrative change so we can keep track of requests. Please know that your Idea has been heard and we're doing what we can to find a solution for everyone.









My wife and I have been watching this closely. We're Telus TV/internet/phone and mobility subscribers patiently waiting for a Spanish channel. 

Is there any update on at least one Spanish channel like Univision Canada for example? 

Is it a licensing issue that is causing a hold up?