Sport TV

Sport TV
Launched September 16, 1998
Owned by Global Media Group (25%)
Portugal Telecom (25%)
NOS (25%)
Vodafone Portugal (25%)
Picture format Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Resolution: 576i (SDTV)
720p (HDTV)
Slogan "O seu desporto favorito." ("Your favorite sport.")
Website sporttv.pt
Availability
Satellite
NOS Channel 9 (SportTV + SD)
Channel 19 (SportTV 1 SD)
Channel 20 (SportTV 2 SD)
Channel 21 (SportTV 3 SD)
Channel 22 (SportTV 4 SD)
Channel 23 (SportTV 5 SD)
Channel 25 (SportTV 1 HD)
Channel 26 (SportTV 2 HD)
Channel 27 (SportTV 3 HD)
Channel 33 (SportTV + HD)
MEO Channel 9 (SportTV + SD)
Channel 20 (SportTV 1 SD)
Channel 21 (SportTV 2 SD)
Channel 22 (SportTV 3 SD)
Channel 23 (SportTV 4 SD)
Channel 24 (SportTV 5 SD)
Channel 25 (SportTV 1 HD)
Channel 26 (SportTV 2 HD)
Channel 27 (SportTV 3 HD)
ZAP Channel 20 (SportTV África 1 SD)
Channel 21 (SportTV África 2 SD)
Channel 22 (SportTV África 1 HD)
Channel 23 (SportTV África 2 HD)
Cable
NOS Channel 9 (SportTV + SD)
Channel 19 (SportTV 1 SD)
Channel 20 (SportTV 2 SD)
Channel 21 (SportTV 3 SD)
Channel 22 (SportTV 4 SD)
Channel 23 (SportTV 5 SD)
Channel 24 (SportTV + HD)
Channel 25 (SportTV 1 HD)
Channel 26 (SportTV 2 HD)
Channel 27 (SportTV 3 HD)
Channel 28 (SportTV 4 HD)
Channel 29 (SportTV 5 HD)
Nowo Channel 9 (SportTV + SD)
Channel 209 (SportTV + HD)
Channel 210 (SportTV 1 HD)
Channel 211 (SportTV 2 HD)
Channel 212 (SportTV 3 HD)
Channel 213 (SportTV 4 HD)
Channel 215 (SportTV 5 HD)
ZAP Channel 20 (SportTV África 1 SD)
Channel 21 (SportTV África 2 SD)
Channel 22 (SportTV África 1 HD)
Channel 23 (SportTV África 2 HD)
IPTV
MEO Channel 9 (SportTV + SD)
Channel 20 (SportTV 1 SD)
Channel 21 (SportTV 2 SD)
Channel 22 (SportTV 3 SD)
Channel 23 (SportTV 4 SD)
Channel 24 (SportTV 5 SD)
Channel 25 (SportTV 1 HD)
Channel 26 (SportTV 2 HD)
Channel 27 (SportTV 3 HD)
Channel 28 (SportTV 4 HD)
Channel 29 (SportTV 5 HD)
Channel 33 (SportTV + HD)
Vodafone Channel 9 (SportTV + SD)
Channel 20 (SportTV 1 SD)
Channel 21 (SportTV 2 SD)
Channel 22 (SportTV 3 SD)
Channel 23 (SportTV 4 SD)
Channel 24 (SportTV 5 SD)
Channel 25 (SportTV + HD)
Channel 26 (SportTV 1 HD)
Channel 27 (SportTV 2 HD)
Channel 28 (SportTV 3 HD)
Channel 29 (SportTV 4 HD)
Channel 30 (SportTV 5 HD)

SportTV is a Portuguese sports-oriented premium cable and satellite television network with five premium channels in Portugal, one sports news channel and two channels in Portuguese-speaking Africa. The first channel, then known as only SportTV, was launched on 16 September 1998. It is owned by Portugal Telecom, NOS, Vodafone Portugal and Global Media Group (and originally had the participation of RTP). It is available in almost all television distribution operators in Portugal as a premium subscription channel.

SportTV broadcasts mainly association football, basketball, volleyball, rugby, surf, golf, athletics, wrestling and American sports, combat sports, auto racing and tennis. It also features debates, news and sports reports.

All Primeira Liga games are shown exclusively on SportTV, with the exception of Benfica home games which are broadcast by BTV.

History

On 16 September 2005, seven years after the opening of the first channel, SportTV launched a second channel, SportTV 2. It regularly broadcasts alternative sports such as mountaineering, cycling and radical sports. The channel was available only through ZON TV Funtastic Life package, but the model didn't work. They relaunched the channel as a premium channel, also available on Cabovisão and Portugal Telecom's MEO. This was followed in June 2008 by SportTV 3.

SportTV shown UEFA Euro 2008 in HD, through ZON TV.

On January 22, 2010, the thematic golf channel SportTV Golfe and its HD simulcast, SportTV Golfe HD were launched.

On August 13, 2010, they launched SportTV Liga Inglesa, a HD channel dedicated to the Premier League, broadcasting 380 games and 400 highlights per season, made by the Premier League (also broadcasting on other countries).

On January 7, 2011, SportTV 1, SportTV 2 and SportTV 3 started to broadcast in 16:9.

On August 13, 2011, all of the SportTV main channels started to broadcast in HD and it was launched a new channel, Sport TV 4, that also is available in HD. At the same time, the SportTV HD channel ended its two-year run.

On June 5, 2013, SportTV stopped broadcasting in the United States.

On August 1, 2013, SportTV launched a new channel, Sport TV Live, replacing Sport TV 4.

On August 14, 2014, SportTV Live was renamed to SportTV 4 again (there's also SportTV 4 HD). SportTV Golfe was renamed to SportTV 5, which is also available in HD.

Controversies

SportTV is widely regarded as anti-competitive, since it is the only group of channels in Portugal with the rights to broadcast the Primeira Liga matches (except Benfica home games).[1][2] Portugal was one of the first countries in Europe where Formula One is broadcast on a premium channel.

On September 2007, SportTV sent a cease and desist to a Portuguese live TV streaming website tvtuga.com, because the latter was providing links to streams of UEFA Champions League matches that only Sport TV had the rights to broadcast in Portugal. This has caused great public concern with regard to the monopoly abuse status of the Sport TV channels.[3][4]

On 17 January 2011, SportTV was criticized by Benfica, after a match against Académica. João Gabriel accused the channel's commentators of bias against the club.[5][6]

In June 2016 Sport TV ended their channel SportTV Américas without any warning to their US customers. The channel is no longer available on their website and no further information has been released.

Broadcasting rights

Football

Basketball

Rugby Union

Motorsports

Gridiron

Ice hockey

MMA

Professional wrestling

Golf

Tennis

Volleyball

Channels

Current channels

Former Channels

Sport TV Américas

On August 13, 2010, SportTV launched SportTV Américas, a dedicated sports channel for the Portuguese diaspora in North America. The channel was launched in partnership with American Portuguese-language broadcaster SPT TV. It airs live football matches every week from the Portuguese First & Second divisions as well as coverage of the League Cup and Portuguese Cup.

On June 5, 2013, for reasons exclusively imputable to RTP - USA Inc. dba SPT (Seabras Portuguese Television), SPORT TV Portugal S.A. was forced to restrain the access to the respective signal in the United States.

Association football programming on Sport TV América includes:

SportTV Américas is no longer available in the United States via cable or satellite. It's available online only, through Premium Sports (broadband.premiumsports.tv) in the United States & Canada for a monthly fee of $9.99 or $99 annually. Also on FuboTV (fubo.tv) for a monthly fee of $19.99.[7]

Since June 2016 SportTV Américas is no longer available in the United States via cable, satellite or online. Premium Sports (broadband.premiumsports.tv) stop showing the channel to their yearly customers before the end of their yearly contract. SportTV Américas no longer shows on SportTV website.

References

  1. "PS quer ouvir AdC, PT, ZON e SportTV por alegado monopólio no futebol" [PS (Socialist Party) wants to hear AdC, PT, ZON e SportTV about alleged monopoly in football]. Agência Lusa. 7 June 2013. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  2. "Mário Figueiredo arrasa Olivedesportos" [Mário Figueiredo devastates Olivedesportos]. Correio da Manhã (in Portuguese). 1 November 2013. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  3. http://www.ligaportugal.pt/noticias/liga-congratula-se-com-condenacao-da-sport-tv-e-espera-para-breve-o-fim-do-monopolio-dos-direitos-televisivos/
  4. http://barvelho.blogspot.pt/2007/09/questo-tvtuga.html
  5. "Sport TV acusada de parcialidade" [Sport TV accused of bias]. Record (in Portuguese). 17 January 2011. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  6. "Benfica acusa Sport TV de parcialidade" [Benfica accuses Sport TV of bias]. Agência Lusa. 17 January 2011. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  7. Sport TV Notice Sport TV Americas 2013-06-05
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