This article is about the Portuguese sports network. For the similarly named and themed network in Brazil, see SporTV. For sports television in general, see broadcasting of sports events.
Sport TV is a Portuguese sports-oriented premiumcable and satellite televisionnetwork 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.
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
SportTV's first logo, until June 2008SportTV's second logo, from June 2008 until August 2016
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.[2]
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.
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.[3] Sport TV 7 launched on 1 August 2024, airing minor sports. Sport TV 4 and 6 became the motorsport channels.[4]
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.[5]
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.
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 Liga Portugal 2 and Taça da Liga (for Angola and Mozambique)
2008, August 2011 (as Sport TV áfrica HD)
Former channels
Sport TV channels logo
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".[7]
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).[8][9]
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.[10]
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.[11][12]
TDT: free-to-air on DTT – AC/MA: free-to-air on regional DTT
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