Willax Televisión (commonly known as Willax, from Quechua willaq 'narrator, informant')Willaq ‘the one who tells, informant, fact’ is the agentive participle of the verb willay ‘to tell, recount, inform’. ‘News report’ is expressed as willakuy ‘information, account, narration’. is a Peruvian free-to-air television channel, owned by Erasmo Wong Lu. It began as an internet channel in 2010, with a television channel launching later that year.
History In 1998, journalist Cecilia Valenzuela founded Imediaperu, a company specializing in investigative journalism initially published online and later distributed through mass media. The company later changed its name to AgenciaPerú and produced the Sunday programs Entrelíneas for the pay-TV channel Canal N and La ventana indiscreta for the free-to-air channel Latina Televisión. These programs exposed corruption cases during the governments of Alberto Fujimori, Alejandro Toledo, and Alan García.
In 2006, Guillermo Hume, former director of Canal N and the Sunday program Cuarto Poder on the free-to-air channel América Televisión, joined AgenciaPerú as general producer. The company also began producing the program Dos dedos de frente, hosted by Augusto Álvarez Rodrich and Juan Carlos Tafur. Two years later, in 2008, AgenciaPerú shifted its focus and decided to launch its own online media outlet. Additionally, a group of 16 shareholders with equal shares was formed, giving full control of the outlet to Hume.
Willax was founded by journalist Gilberto Hume and his wife, Cecilia Valenzuela, in 2010. Willax was founded after the relaunch of AgenciaPerú, originally established in 2008. The channel's name comes from the Quechua word willaq, meaning 'narrator, informant', probably to relate it to willakuy 'news'.
In early 2010, Willax was founded as an online news television channel operating from the former studios of . By late September 2010, it began distribution on Claro TV (then Telmex TV) on channel 8 of its digital cable service. On October 1, 2010, it joined the lineup of Movistar TV (then Cable Mágico) on channel 66 of its analog cable service (later moved to channel 36 after a few months). In 2011, Willax announced a partnership with TV Perú during the 2011 elections to launch its interview program Mira quien habla. It also partnered with the Trujillo-based channel Sol TV to broadcast some of its news programs on its signal.
In 2014, Willax moved to channel 18 on Movistar TV’s analog cable service. In November 2015, Corporación EW acquired Willax Televisión and shifted the channel’s focus; its programming transitioned from a news channel to a generalist one, while retaining its news and current affairs segments. The channel also relocated its operations to the shopping center.
In November 2015, the channel was purchased by Erasmo Wong Lu, former owner of the Wong supermarket chain, via its company Corporación EW. After the acquisition, Wong Lu transformed Willax into a free-to-air television station on Lima's digital terrestrial television service and changed the focus of the channel; its programming changed from being a news channel to a general channel, although it maintained its news and current affairs programming. It also changed its operations headquarters to the Plaza Norte shopping center in Independencia District. Later, Willax would acquire the Monitor studios and return to the studios where Willax would still record some programs.
In 2016, Willax transitioned from a pay television channel to a free-to-air television channel on Lima’s digital terrestrial television (DTT) on virtual channel 12.1.Willax Televisión estará pronto en señal abierta On August 4, 2017, the channel changed its numbering, moving from 12.1 to 1.1 on the .
In 2020, Willax increased the number of original productions on the channel, especially political opinion programs like Beto a Saber, La Hora Caviar, Rey con Barba and ComButters with prime hours beginning at 8:00 p.m. and ending at midnight. In April, due to the closure of schools as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the channel began simulcasting from TV Perú with the educational government TV program Aprendo en casa in the mornings.
In 2021, Corporación EW (Eduardo, Edgardo, Efraín, Eric, and Erasmo Wong Lu Vega) dissolved, with the intent for each member to pursue independent business ventures, leaving Erasmo as the sole owner of most of the group’s companies, including Willax Televisión.
In 2022, the channel preemptively acquired the broadcast rights for the Carlos Stein vs. Universitario match, one of the few matches aired outside the channel holding the rights to Liga 1, GolTV, and the first to feature a female camerawoman in this tournament.
In May 2023, Willax’s manager, Alberto Moreno Shimabukuro, signed a partnership with the American network Telemundo.
Regarding the , Willax echoed Keiko Fujimori’s false claims of stolen elections, including the , despite the lack of substantial evidence supporting these accusations. Subsequently, the channel intensified confrontations with the political party Perú Libre since its rise to power that year. Journalists attacked the party and its political positions, actions that prompted legal retaliation from then-President Pedro Castillo. Additionally, the IACHR included Willax in its report on the social unrest in Peru for its role in the events.
Programming The channel’s programming focuses on news, politics, and miscellaneous content. Since 2015, Willax shifted to include , Turkish telenovelas, news, and political programs.
In 2017, Korean dramas were added to the channel’s lineup after acquiring their rights from Panamericana Televisión. In 2018, Willax began airing anime in a primetime block called Hora Ánime, later moved to Saturdays, which included iconic films like Akira. A year later, the channel launched the Butaca Vip programming block focused on movies, followed by Butaca Extreme for horror films and Cine Willax for classic movies. That same year, two music programs were introduced: one focused on K-pop, called El especial del K-pop/music core, and another on salsa, called Los especiales con .
In 2020, Willax increased its original productions, particularly political opinion programs airing in primetime from 8:00 AM to midnight. In April, the channel began retransmitting TV Perú’s program in the mornings and afternoons on the virtual subchannel 1.2 on DTT due to the COVID-19 quarantine. That same year, the entertainment and gossip program was launched, hosted by and .
In 2021, the channel’s primetime lineup included the news program Willax Noticias and the sports program Willax Deportes with , as well as its own programs hosted by , Beto Ortiz, and , which focused on politics and covered the . In 2024, Ortiz and Butters left the channel due to editorial reasons. The former program PBO en Willax, hosted by Butters, was replaced by Al Día con Willax, hosted by journalists Alvina Ruiz, Perla Berrios, and Omar Ruiz de Somocurcio, while his nighttime program Combutters was replaced by Crónicas de Impacto, hosted by Andrea Arana and Valeria Flórez.
In June 2025, after 14 years, the program Rey con Barba went off the air. Additionally, the Turkish telenovela ¿Qué culpa tiene Fatmagul? and ¡Habla Chino!, hosted by Aldo Miyashiro, who left América Televisión, were added to the lineup, replacing Crónicas de Impacto. The weekend news program Hechos en Willax joined the Monday-to-Friday schedule as a magazine at 11:25 a.m., replacing Willax Mediodía, while on Saturdays and Sundays, it retained its format as a compilation of the week’s best programming. The Sunday program Contra Corriente moved to a Monday-to-Friday schedule.
News programs and editorial stance The political programming segments on Willax are characterized by a conservative and libertarian editorial stance. These segments feature specialists who share these ideological leanings, including members of the Coordinadora Republicana collective. Additionally, the channel has allowed some interviewees to claim the existence of alleged political interference by its detractors. On some occasions, Willax reporters have interviewed individuals with differing views, such as Susel Paredes, whom they interrupted and claimed “lacked moral authority” to express her opinions.
According to IDL-Reporteros, Willax initially supported the conducted by the Special Team of Prosecutors Against Corruption in Power (Eficcop), an institution established by Patricia Benavides. The channel expressed enthusiasm for Eficcop’s actions and its leader, Marita Barreto, from its inception until late 2023, when it began scrutinizing the team and portraying its members negatively. In 2024, Willax removed YouTube videos that had previously shown support for Eficcop.
Subsequently, an article by Perú 21 titled “Gabinete W” alleged that Willax journalists, such as Beto Ortiz and Phillip Butters, leveraged close ties with authorities to present political events in a manner favorable to the government of Dina Boluarte and against critics of the then-National Prosecutor, Patricia Benavides, such as Gustavo Gorriti. Benavides, a figure opposed by various conservative groups, sparked verbal disputes among journalists due to their freedom of expression. Prosecutor noted that, at one point, the National Prosecutor’s Office had functioned as a “reception desk” for Willax, but this changed following a conflict with the new National Prosecutor, .
The channel also engaged in smear campaigns against Prosecutor Manuela Villar and Judge , who investigated owner Erasmo Wong. La República reported in 2025 that these campaigns mirrored those against Marita Barreto.
Patricia Benavides case
A significant example of Willax’s editorial stance, which influenced other media, was its public support for Patricia Benavides, as reported by IDL-Reporteros. During a conversation, Benavides’ then-advisor, Jaime Villanueva, alleged a plot against her by her predecessor, Zoraida Ávalos, as well as by the channel and Congress. Marita Barreto, then Eficcop’s leader, was also identified as one of Benavides’ detractors. Following Benavides’ dismissal and the emergence of the corruption scandal in the Prosecutor’s Office, Barreto reported that a vehicle linked to Willax’s press team was conducting illegal surveillance on her collaborators. Meanwhile, Benavides presented a hired expert to defend herself against the accusations.
Benavides endorsed her former advisor’s accusations against Gustavo Gorriti, which were broadcast on the channel. At the time, Keiko Fujimori, leader of Popular Force, reiterated some of these claims, alleging that Gorriti was responsible for influencing criminal investigations against her in the Cocktails Case.
Later, Villanueva claimed that the suspended National Prosecutor had leaked information to journalists like Beto Ortiz regarding investigations into Barreto. However, Benavides responded to Ortiz with insults in a leaked audio, accusing him of orchestrating a campaign against her in exchange for alleged personal favors. The former prosecutor later admitted the existence of this audio. Phillip Butters advised Benavides to make decisions with her “trusted staff,” warning that poor personnel choices could lead to imprisonment.
Finally, Willax welcomed Benavides back, where she accused Villanueva of betrayal and confirmed her intent to remove the current head of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, Delia Espinoza, to reclaim her position.
Political alignment The channel has been described as conservative and right-wing by international media outlets. Willax supported Keiko Fujimori and her Fujimorism movement according to Peruvian journalist Augusto Álvarez Rodrich. The owner of Willax, Wong Lu, signed the Madrid Charter, a document opposing the presence of left-wing governments in Ibero-America.