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Sport TV

{{short description|Portuguese sports television network}}

{{about|the Portuguese sports network|the similarly named and themed network in Brazil|SporTV|sports television in general|broadcasting of sports events}}

{{distinguish|Sporting TV}}

{{Infobox television channel

| name = Sport TV

| logo = Sport TV 2023.svg

| logo_size = 250px

| launch_date = {{Start date and age|df=yes|1998|9|3}}

| owner = Olivedesportos (25%)
Altice Portugal (25%)
NOS (25%)
Vodafone Portugal (25%){{cite web|title=Lei da Transparência|url=https://www.sporttv.pt/lei-da-transpar%C3%AAncia/|website=SportTV.pt|access-date=1 March 2018}}

| picture_format = Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Resolution: 576i (SDTV)
1080i (HDTV)

| website = [http://www.sporttv.pt/ sporttv.pt]

| key_people =

| country = Portugal

}}

Sport TV is a Portuguese sports-oriented premium cable and satellite television network with seven premium channels in Portugal, one sports news channel and one channel in Portuguese-speaking Africa. The first channel, then only known as Sport TV, was launched on 16 September 1998. It is owned by Altice Portugal, 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.

Sport TV broadcasts mainly association football, basketball, volleyball, futsal, 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 matches are exclusively broadcast by Sport TV, with the exception of Benfica home matches, which are broadcast on the club's channel, BTV.

History

File:Sporttv1998.gif

File:Sporttv logo.png

Sport TV started broadcasting on 3 September 1998 on TV Cabo's analog service on channel 39 and on channel 1 of the newly-launched digital satellite system. The channel launched as a free preview for interested subscribers, after which, on 15 September, the channel would formally commence its encrypted broadcasts. The channel was the first service to be created after the passing of a new Television Law.{{cite news |title=TV Cabo Launches Sport TV - The First Portuguese Channel Devoted Exclusively To Sports |work=Business Wire |date=4 September 1998}}

On 16 September 2005, seven years after the opening of the first channel, Sport TV 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 did not 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.

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

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

On 13 August 2010 they launched SPORT.TV Liga Inglesa, an 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 7 January 2011 SPORT.TV1, SPORT.TV2 and SPORT.TV3 started to broadcast in 16:9.

On 13 August 2011 all of the SportTV main channels started to broadcast in HD and it was launched a new channel, SPORT.TV4, that also is available in HD. At the same time, the Sport TV HD channel ended its two-year run.

On 5 June 2013 Sport TV stopped broadcasting in the United States.

On 1 August 2013 SPORT TV launched a new channel, SPORT.TV Live, replacing SPORT.TV4.

On 14 August 2014 SPORT.TV Live was renamed to SPORT.TV4 again (there's also SPORT.TV4 HD). SPORT.TV Golfe was renamed to SPORT.TV5, which is also available in HD.

On 20 October 2023, weeks after the network's 25th anniversary, Sport TV received a major rebrand.{{cite news |title=Sport TV assinala 25 anos com nova imagem |url=https://eco.sapo.pt/2023/10/20/sport-tv-assinala-25-anos-com-nova-imagem/ |work=Sapo |language=pt-pt}} Sport TV 7 launched on 1 August 2024, airing minor sports. Sport TV 4 and 6 became the motorsport channels.{{cite news |title=Sporttv7 reforça oferta televisiva da Sport TV |url=https://www.meiosepublicidade.pt/2024/08/02/sporttv7-reforca-oferta-televisiva-da-sport-tv |work=Meios e Publicidade |language=pt-pt}}

The accumulation of seven matches at 6pm on 17 May 2025 forced Sport TV to air a quadruple simulcast of minor matches on Sport TV 4; these four matches being decisive for smaller teams facing promotion or relegation to the second league. Individual carriage of the matches was restricted to the app.{{cite news |title=Sport TV transmite decisões da última jornada num formato diferente |url=https://www.ojogo.pt/3486395641/sport-tv-transmite-decisoes-da-ultima-jornada-num-formato-diferente/ |work=O Jogo |language=pt-pt}}

Broadcasting rights

= Football =

;International competitions

;National competitions

= Basketball =

  • {{flagicon|Europe}} Euroleague
  • {{flagicon|United States}}{{flagicon|Canada}} NBA

= Rugby union =

= Motorsports =

= Ice hockey =

  • {{flagicon|United States}}{{flagicon|Canada}} NHL

= MMA =

  • {{flagicon|United States}} UFC

= Golf =

= Tennis =

Channels

=Current channels=

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center; style:text-align: center"

! colspan = "2"|Channel number

! colspan = "2"|Format

! Channel name

! Logo

! Content

! Launch

Nos 10

|Meo 20

|rowspan = "9"|16:9 SDTV

|rowspan = "9"|16:9 HDTV

|sport.tv+

|100px

|rowspan = "8"|The channel launched on 1 August 2024. Football coverage is reduced, unlike as European leagues, England and Italy , as well as their cup and super cup tournaments.

In other sports, its programming stands out in the two major motorsports competitions Formula 1 and MotoGP , in team sports such as basketball, rugby, handball and volleyball, and in individual sports such as tennis, cycling, athletics , gymnastics, swimming and golf. It is also the official broadcaster in Portugal of the four major sporting competitions in the United States the NBA , NFL , MLB and NHL the other channels.

|5 August 2016

Nos 20

|Meo 21

|sport.tv1

|100px

|September 1998 (as SPORT TV)

June 2006 (as SPORT TV 1)

January 1, 2009 (as Sport TV 1 HD)

Nos 21

|Meo 22

|sport.tv2

|100px

|June 2006

August 2011 (as Sport TV 2 HD)

Nos 22

|Meo 23

|sport.tv3

|100px

|June 2008

August 2011 (as Sport TV 3 HD)

Nos 23

|Meo 24

|sport.tv4

|100px

|August 2011 (original)

August 2014 (re-release)

August 2011 (as Sport TV 4 HD)

Nos 24

|Meo 25

|sport.tv5

|100px

|August 2014 and (as Sport TV 5 HD)

Nos 25

|Meo 26

|sport.tv6

|100px

|August 2021 and (as Sport TV 6 HD)

Nos 26

|Meo 27

|sport.tv7

|100px

|1 August 2024 and (as Sport TV 7 HD)

Nos 151

|Meo 110

|NBA TV (sponsor by sport.tv)

|

|Sport TV has a distribution agreement with NBA TV to distribute the linear NBA TV International channel.[https://pr.nba.com/nba-sport-tv-partnership-portugal/ NBA and Sport TV expand partnership to provide most extensive NBA coverage ever in Portugal]

|Which was renewed in 2022.

Zap 25

|

|16:9 SDTV

|16:9 HDTV

|sport.tv áfrica HD

|

|sport.tv áfrica broadcasts all the matches of the Primeira Liga , with the exception of Sport Lisboa e Benfica's matches at Estádio da Luz, and the Second League and League Cup (for Angola and Mozambique)

|2008, August 2011 (as Sport TV áfrica HD)

=Former channels=

File:Sporttv channels.png

  • SPORT.TV HD
  • SPORT.TV LIGA INGLESA
  • SPORT.TV LIVE
  • SPORT.TV AMÉRICAS
  • SPORT.TV ÁFRICA 1 HD
  • SPORT.TV ÁFRICA 2 HD
  • SPORT.TV 4K UHD

Controversies

A 2003 contract to create new Sport TV channels was rejected by RTP, who viewed the agreement as an "assassin".{{cite web |title=RTP bloqueia novos canais da Sport TV |url=https://www.publico.pt/2003/02/21/portugal/noticia/rtp-bloqueia-novos-canais-da-sport-tv-281335 |access-date=9 August 2024 |website=Público |date=21 February 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240809180450/https://www.publico.pt/2003/02/21/portugal/noticia/rtp-bloqueia-novos-canais-da-sport-tv-281335 |archive-date=9 August 2024 |url-status=live }}

Sport TV 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, which air on their in-house channel Benfica TV).{{cite web |url=http://www.ionline.pt/artigos/portugal/ps-quer-ouvir-adc-pt-zon-sporttv-alegado-monopolio-no-futebol |title=PS quer ouvir AdC, PT, ZON e SportTV por alegado monopólio no futebol |trans-title=PS (Socialist Party) wants to hear AdC, PT, ZON and SportTV about alleged monopoly in football |date=7 June 2013 |work=Agência Lusa |access-date=12 January 2014}}{{cite web |url=http://www.cmjornal.xl.pt/detalhe/noticias/sport/desporto/mario-figueiredo-arrasa-olivedesportos |title=Mário Figueiredo arrasa Olivedesportos |trans-title=Mário Figueiredo devastates Olivedesportos |language=pt |work=Correio da Manhã |date=1 November 2013 |access-date=12 January 2014}}

In September 2007, Sport TV 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.{{cite web |title=Liga congratula-se com condenação da SPORT TV e espera para breve o fim do monopólio dos direitos televisivos |url=http://www.ligaportugal.pt/noticias/liga-congratula-se-com-condenacao-da-sport-tv-e-espera-para-breve-o-fim-do-monopolio-dos-direitos-televisivos/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140614225826/http://www.ligaportugal.pt/noticias/liga-congratula-se-com-condenacao-da-sport-tv-e-espera-para-breve-o-fim-do-monopolio-dos-direitos-televisivos/ |archive-date=June 14, 2014 |trans-title=Liga welcomes condemnation of SPORT TV and hopes for soon the end of the monopoly of television rights |language=pt}}

On 17 January 2011, Sport TV was criticized by Benfica after a match against Académica. Benfica's director of communications at the time, João Gabriel, accused the channel commentators of bias against the club.{{cite web |url=http://www.record.xl.pt/Futebol/Nacional/1a_liga/Benfica/interior.aspx?content_id=679795 |title=Sport TV acusada de parcialidade |trans-title=Sport TV accused of bias |language=pt |date=17 January 2011 |work=Record |access-date=12 January 2014 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110119024112/http://www.record.xl.pt/Futebol/Nacional/1a_liga/Benfica/interior.aspx?content_id=679795|archive-date=19 January 2011}}{{cite web |url=https://expresso.sapo.pt/benfica-acusa-sport-tv-de-parcialidade=f626469 |title=Benfica acusa Sport TV de parcialidade |trans-title=Benfica accuse Sport TV of bias |date=17 January 2011 |work=Agência Lusa |access-date=12 January 2014}}

See also

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • {{official website|https://www.sporttv.pt/}} {{in lang|pt}}

{{NOS|state=expanded}}

{{Portuguese television stations}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:SPORT TV}}

Category:Television networks in Portugal

Category:Mass media in Portugal

Category:Television stations in Portugal

Category:Sports television networks

Category:Television channels and stations established in 1998

Category:Sports television in Portugal