Sporza

Sporza

Country	Belgium
Programming
Language(s)	Dutch
Ownership
Owner	VRT
History
Launched	31 May 2004
Links
Website	sporza.be

Sporza is a multimedia brand of Belgian public-service radio and television network VRT specifically for coverage of sporting events. These broadcasts are organised by the Flemish government and mainly publicly financed.

History

Television network (2004)

Sporza originated as the third VRT network—in addition to VRT 1 and VRT Canvas/Ketnet—that only existed for 96 days from 31 May to 3 September 2004. The radio station of the same name on the medium wave (927 KHz AM) and DAB that covered sporting events was the successor of 927 Live, and continued to exist after that period. Various major sporting events were covered on the program prior, including the Summer Olympic Games. To guarantee normal programming on VRT1 and Ketnet during the 2004 Summer Olympics, VRT started the temporary third channel.

Another reason for establishing the Sporza television network was the protection of copyright. Belgian television pays for broadcasting rights to sport in Belgium, but not beyond. However, the sports competitions on VRT channels were also viewed widely in the Netherlands. To avoid additional costs and fines for this, Sporza was set up to only show in Belgium. The channel started in the second week of the 2004 French Open. In addition to sport programmes, the network also offered framework programs, including talk and quiz shows.

Multimedia (2004–present)

After closing the television network, Sporza continued to exist as a multimedia sports brand. All sports broadcasts on radio and television, such as Sporza at 12, take place under this name, as does its website. VRT also suggested the idea of giving the Sporza license to a publisher to set up a daily or weekly newspaper under the name.

Current rights

Belgium

Sports	Competition/Tournament	Summary
Association football	Croky Cup	Shared with VTM

International

Sports	Country/Region	Competition/Tournament	Summary
Association football	Worldwide	FIFA World Cup	All matches live
		FIFA Women's World Cup	Selected matches live, licensed by Eurovision
		FIFA Youth World Cups	Selected matches of the men's and women's U- 20 and U- 17 World Cups live, licensed by Eurovision.
	Europe	UEFA European Championship	All matches live
		UEFA European Under-21 Championship	All matches live
		UEFA Youth European Championships	Belgium matches live. Other matches of the men's and women's U- 19 and U- 17 European Championships also available on UEFA.tv.
		UEFA Europa League	2 matches per week, licensed by Telenet and VOO
Cycling	Worldwide	UCI Road World Championships
	Belgium	Tour of Belgium
		Ronde van Vlaanderen
		Tour de Wallonie
	France	Tour de France Tour de France Femmes
	Italy	Giro d'Italia
	Netherlands	Amstel Gold Race
	Spain	La Vuelta
Gymnastics	Worldwide	Gymnastics World Championships

Logos

• 
  Sporza logo used from 31 May 2004 until 2018
• 
  Sporza logo icon from online with VRT

External links

• Official website