SportTV is the brand name for a group of seven
PortuguesePortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
sports-oriented television channels. SportTV is the dominant subscription television sports brand in Portugal. The first channel, then known as only SportTV, was launched on 16 September 1998 and is produced by ZON Multimédia and
ControlinvesteControlinveste is a Portuguese media holding company founded and controlled by Portuguese sports mogul Joaquim Oliveira. Controlinveste was founded in 2005 after the amalgamation of Lusomundo Media and Olivedesportos.- Assets :*Diário de Notícias...
(and originally had the participation of Rádiotelevisão Portuguesa). It is available in almost all television distribution operators in Portugal as a premium subscription channel.
SportTV transmits mainly
football (soccer)Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
,
Formula OneFormula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
,
basketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
,
volleyballVolleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
,
rugbyRugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
, and
tennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
. It also features debates, news and sports reports.
The most important
Liga ZON SagresThe Primeira Liga , formerly called Primeira Divisão, currently named Liga ZON Sagres after their main sponsors, is the top professional association football division of the Portuguese football league system...
games are shown exclusively on SportTV.
History
On 16 September 2005, seven years after the opening of the first channel, SportTV launched a second channel,
SportTV 2SportTV 2 started its broadcasts in 2006, being the second channel of the SportTV brand. It broadcast mainly soccer, basketball and beach soccer....
. It regularly broadcasts alternative sports such as
mountaineeringMountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
,
cyclingCycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
and radical sports. The channel was available only through ZON TV Funtaasic Life package, but the model didn't work. They relaunched the channel as a premium channel, also available on
CabovisãoCabovisão is a Portuguese private telecommunications operator, founded on September 27, 1993, and in 1995 obtains the licences to start operating.It bought Pluricanal Aveiro S.A...
, Optimus Clix TV and
Portugal Telecom'sPortugal Telecom is the largest telecommunications service provider in Portugal. Although it operates mainly in Portugal and Brazil, it has also a significant presence in Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Timor-Leste, Angola, Kenya, the People's Republic of China, and São Tomé and...
meo. This was followed in June 2008 by
SportTV 3SportTV 3 started its broadcasts in 2008, being the third channel of the SportTV brand. It broadcast mainly alternative sports, ice hockey, gimnastics, American football and professional wrestling....
.
SportTV showed UEFA Euro 2008 in HD, through ZON TV.
On January 22, 2010, the specialist golf channels SportTV Golfe and SportTV Golfe HD were launched.
On August 13, 2010, they launched SportTV Liga Inglesa, a HD channel dedicated to the Barclays 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 will broadcast in HD and will launch a new channel, SportTV 4, that will also be available on HD. At the same time, the SportTV HD channel will disappear.
Controversies
SportTV is widely regarded as anti competitive, since it is the only group of channels in Portugal with the rights to broadcast the Liga Sagres matches, as well as other international competitions. Portugal is one of the few countries in Europe where
Formula OneFormula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
is broadcast on a premium channel, the others being Finland and Sweden.
On September 2007, SportTV sent a cease-and-desist to a Portuguese live TV streaming website
http://www.tvtuga.com, because the latter was providing links to streams of
UEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
matches that only SportTV had the rights to broadcast. This has caused great public concern with regard to the
monopoly abuseCompetition law, known in the United States as antitrust law, is law that promotes or maintains market competition by regulating anti-competitive conduct by companies....
status of the SportTV channels.
Football
Every year SportTV shows many live matches from around the world of football.
Liga ZON SagresThe Primeira Liga , formerly called Primeira Divisão, currently named Liga ZON Sagres after their main sponsors, is the top professional association football division of the Portuguese football league system...
Taça de Portugal Millenium
bwin CupThe Lunar New Year Cup, also known as the Carlsberg Challenge or the Carlsberg Cup before, is an annual football tournament organised in Hong Kong by the Hong Kong Football Association, established on 1948. It is usually held on the first and the fourth day of the Chinese New Year as a part of...
Liga OranginaThe Liga de Honra , known for sponsorship reasons as the Liga Orangina, is the Portuguese second level football league. It was formerly called Segunda Divisão and Segunda Divisão de Honra . When the LPFP took control of the two nationwide levels, it was renamed Segunda Liga, before renaming it...
Barclays Premier League
The F.A. Cup with Budweiser
Carling CupThe Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
Community Shield Liga BBVA
Copa del ReyThe Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
Supercopa de EspañaThe Supercopa de España is a Spanish football championship contested by the winners of La Liga and the Copa del Rey...
Serie A TIMSerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
TIM CupThe Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
Supercoppa ItalianaThe Supercoppa Italiana is a pre-season football competition held the week before the season begins in Italy every year. It is contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season, as a curtain raiser to the new season. It is usually played at the home of the Serie A...
Ligue 1 FranceLigue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
Trophée des championsThe Trophée des champions , is a French association football trophy contested in an annual match between the champions of Ligue 1 and the winners of the Coupe de France. It is equivalent to the Super Cups found in many countries...
1. BundesligaThe Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
DFL-Supercup
SOGAZ Russian Football ChampionshipThe Russian Premier League , currently called SOGAZ Russian Football Championship due to sponsorship reasons, is the top division of Russian football. There are 16 teams in the competition...
Clydesdale Bank Premier LeagueThe Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
EredivisieThe Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
Johan Cruijff Schaal Süper Lig
Copa KIA do BrasilThe Copa Kia do Brasil, commonly known as Copa do Brasil , is a knockout competition played by 64 association football teams, representing all 26 Brazilian states plus the Federal District...
Primera División
UEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
UEFA Europa League UEFA Euro 2012 Copa Santander Libertadores
Basketball
NBA LPB
Taça de PortugalThe Portuguese Basketball Cup is the top men’s basketball cup in Portugal, which is also called and it is organized by the Federation.-Portuguese Cup Winners:...
Motorsports
Formula 1 MotoGP
GP2 SeriesThe GP2 Series, GP2 for short, is a form of open wheel motor racing introduced in 2005 following the discontinuation of the long-term Formula One feeder series, Formula 3000. The format was conceived by Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore, while Ecclestone also has the rights to the name GP1...
A1 Grand PrixA1 Grand Prix was a 'single make' open-wheel auto racing series. It was unique in its field in that competitors solely represented their nation as opposed to themselves or a team, the usual format in most formula racing series. As such, it was often promoted as the "World Cup of Motorsport"...
WRCThe World Rally Championship is a rallying series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver and manufacturer. The driver's world championship and manufacturer's world championship are separate championships, but based on the same point system. The series currently consists of 13...
International GT OpenThe International GT Open is a grand tourer-style sports car racing founded in 2006 by the Spanish GT Sport Organización. It is a spin-off of the Spanish GT Championship, and uses a similar format, except its races are held internationally.-Format:...
FIA GT ChampionshipThe FIA GT Championship was a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation at the behest of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The championship was mostly concentrated in Europe, but throughout the years has visited other continents including Asia and South...
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Indy Racing League
DTMIn sport:* Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, a motor-racing series staged annually in Germany since 2000* Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft, a motor-racing championship staged in Germany from 1984 to 1995In computing:...
- Others, include Portuguese Rally Championship and Weekly magazines (Formula 3, SBK
SBK may refer to:*SBK Records a now defunct record label*the Superbike World Championship**Superbike, A motorcycle with engine capacity more than 600cc*SBK , Japanese rock and hip-hop band*Snowboard Kids*Sonic and the Black Knight...
, ...)
Golf
Ryder CupThe Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe...
U.S. MastersThe Masters Tournament, also known as The Masters , is one of the four major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week of April, it is the first of the majors to be played each year...
U.S. OpenThe United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
British OpenThe Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
European Tour
PGA ChampionshipThe PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship...
PGA TourThe PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
World Golf ChampionshipsThe World Golf Championships are a group of four annual events for male professional golfers created by the International Federation of PGA Tours, with a fifth to be added in 2012...
Tennis
Davis CupThe Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
Fed CupFed Cup is the premier team competition in women's tennis, launched in 1963 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the International Tennis Federation...
WimbledonThe Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
ATP World Tour Masters 1000The ATP World Tour Masters 1000 is a series of nine tennis tournaments that are part of the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, held annually throughout the year in Europe, North America and Asia...
ATP World Tour
Sport TV Américas
On August 13, 2010, Sport TV launched
Sport TV Américas, a dedicated sports channel for the Portuguese diaspora in North America. The channel was launched in partnership with American Portuguese-language broadcaster
SPT TVSPT TV is a Portuguese language Television channel in the United States that is owned by Seabra Portuguese Television. The channel launched in 1986 and is available via cable and satellite...
. It airs live soccer matches every week from the Portuguese First & Second divisions as well as coverage of the League Cup and Portuguese Cup.
Soccer programming on Sport TV Américas includes:
- Liga ZON Sagres
The Primeira Liga , formerly called Primeira Divisão, currently named Liga ZON Sagres after their main sponsors, is the top professional association football division of the Portuguese football league system...
(5 matches per week)
- Liga Orangina
The Liga de Honra , known for sponsorship reasons as the Liga Orangina, is the Portuguese second level football league. It was formerly called Segunda Divisão and Segunda Divisão de Honra . When the LPFP took control of the two nationwide levels, it was renamed Segunda Liga, before renaming it...
(2 matches per week)
- Taça de Portugal Millenium
- Taça da Liga
The Lunar New Year Cup, also known as the Carlsberg Challenge or the Carlsberg Cup before, is an annual football tournament organised in Hong Kong by the Hong Kong Football Association, established on 1948. It is usually held on the first and the fourth day of the Chinese New Year as a part of...
Sport TV Américas is currently available in the US via
Dish NetworkDish Network Corporation is the second largest pay TV provider in the United States, providing direct broadcast satellite service—including satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services—to 14.337 million commercial and residential customers in the United States. Dish...
and in Canada via
Bell Fibe TVBell Fibe TV is an IP-based television service offered by Bell Canada in Ontario and Quebec. It is bundled with Bell Fibe Internet, and uses the Microsoft Mediaroom platform....
and
NEXTVNEXTV is a Canadian-based IPTV provider that delivers digital television services via broadband. It launched in 2007 and is owned by Ethnic Channels Group, a Canadian ethnic broadcaster...
.
External links