Star Channel (previously known as Fox) is a Portuguesepay television channel. It primarily specializes its content in American television series and feature films. Since 2019, it is owned by Walt Disney Company. Its main competitor is AXN.[2]
In the past (until 2015), the channel also aired comedies; these were later moved to the Portuguese feed of FX, which in November 2015 was renamed Fox Comedy.
History
As Fox
Former logo used from 2019 to 2024
In February 2003, it was announced that Fox would start broadcasting on Cabovisão from March 1, one of the cable companies that existed at the time, as an exclusive channel to the platform. Cristina Gomez, director-general of Cabovisão, explained to the Lusa news agency that the channel was "a unique experience in Portugal", combining "the greatest hits from the Fox studio, some Portuguese movies and the most important television series". The primary target was defined as viewers in the 18-45 age range, with the aim of leading the entertainment segment in Portugal, similar to what happened in Latin America and Japan, despite the reduced coverage of Cabovisão, which had 17% of the share of the pay-TV operators at the time, against 80% from TV Cabo.[3] The channel promised television series already broadcast in Portugal, as well as some new series that were exclusive to the channel at the time: The Simpsons, The X-Files, Family Guy, King of the Hill, Alien Nation, Batman, L.A. Law, The Pretender and Lou Grant. From the start, the channel would broadcast 18 hours a day, from 9am to 3am.[1] Usually, most of these hit series were shown on late night slots on terrestrial networks. Portugal was a key market for the European expansion of the brand, primarily due to the fact that Portuguese viewers have long since been used to watch television series in their original soundtrack with subtitles.[4]
On September 27, 2004, the channel premiered Las Vegas.[5]
The channel's reach increased in May 2005, when it launched on the TV Cabo platform in its then-new Funtastic Life package.[6] The channel was temporarily available to analog subscribers before moving to Funtastic Life as an exclusive in June 2005. Regional director-general of FOX International Channels Sónia Jackson said that it and the newly-launched FOX Life would "attract customers to the digital network".[7] The fact that it was exclusive to the Funtastic Life package was merely strategic.[8] Within more than three years from launching, the channel's ratings increased significantly, becoming the fourth most-watched cable network, behind AXN, SIC Notícias and Canal Panda. The launch on TV Cabo in 2005 enabled the channel to be measured by Marktest. The channel had increased from 1,400 viewers at launch to close to 12,000 in October 2006 alone. That same month, the average number of viewers that accessed the channel for at least one second stood at 620,000, which at the time was a record high.[9] Occasionally, the channel was made available to analog subscribers due to special actions by TV Cabo.[10]
The network in 2006 premiered Invasion on February 21, 2006 with RTP securing terrestrial rights for the series later in the year.[11] On November 2, 2006, the channel premiered Prison Break, when the network was available free for subscribers of the basic digital service of TV Cabo for two months. During this period the channel also premiered The Unit (November 7, it and Prison Break were secured for RTP), Tru Calling (November 11, already broadcast by RTP2), My Name Is Earl (December 3), American Dad! (December 3) and Bones (December 13).[12]
The channel was made available to DStv subscribers in Angola and Mozambique to subscribers of the DStv Bué package on February 26, 2009.[14] In the same year, a print advertisement promoting The Simpsons appeared in Angola depicting a localized version of the family, for the "premiere" of the series in the country.[15]
The HD feed of the channel launched on MEO on July 31, 2009. Portugal became the third region to introduce the feed after Italy and Latin America.[16] The HD feed later expanded to other providers.[17]
On February 1, 2010, the channel was made available to ZON's analog and digital basic subscriber bases, the former as part of a realignment of the analog offer.[18]
The channel broadcast the finale of Lost almost simultaneously with the US broadcast on the early hours (5 to 7am) of May 24, 2010. The simulcast had audio problems on the HD feed. The episode repeated on June 1.[19]
The premiere of The Walking Dead was marked by a campaign held on October 26, 2010 involving a zombie invasion in Lisbon and advertising in universities in Lisbon, Oporto and Coimbra to attract the university student viewing target. The series premiered on November 2, 2010, two days after the American premiere.[20] A similar campaign in was held in early 2011 for the premiere of Hawaii Five-0, involving an interpretation of the series' opening theme and Hawaiian dancers.[21]
For the tenth anniversary in March 2013, the channel used the international I Love Fox campaign.[22]
For Carnaval 2015 (which fell on February 17), the channel premiered the TV version of Porta dos Fundos. Fox set the date as National Hangover Day, and aired the first episode sideways on purpose, to target "hungover viewers".[23]
On November 27, 2023, Disney has announced that Fox would rebrand to Star Channel on 7 February 2024. The visual concept is of a "luminous shooting star" that will guide the viewers through its programming.[25] The programming will remain mostly unchanged.[26][27][28] The full version of the rebrand song, A Brilliant Change was revealed on January 5, 2024. The campaign used in the EMEA region was developed and implemented by The Walt Disney Company's Portuguese marketing and communications team.[29]
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. It is available in almost all television distribution operators in Portugal as a premium subscription channel.
SIC Comédia was a Portuguese TV channel, available on cable. It was part of the television network SIC. It closed on 31 December 2006.
TVTEL was a Portuguese cable pay television and digital satellite service provider. The cable service started in 2001 in the Porto area, acting as its regional operator. In 2007 the provider increased its reach, starting its fiber network in parts of the Lisbon metropolitan area and nationwide by satellite. The satellite service started on 26 June 2007 and it was on the Eurobird 9 satellite, broadcasting FTA and Conax-encrypted channels for the whole of Europe. It was bought by ZON Multimédia in early 2009 and subsequently closed by it by merging its operations with ZON in late 2009.
TVCine is a Portuguese premium television brand used on four movie channels, operated by NOS. They showcase recent movies and premieres from all the major studios, as well as comedy, action, classic and old movies.
Mass media in Portugal includes a variety of online, print, and broadcast formats, such as radio, television, newspapers, and magazines. In the 20th century the Portuguese government censored the media, until the "1976 constitution guaranteed freedom of the press."
Fox:Next was a television channel operated by Fox International Channels in Portugal. Its programming was focused on television series and movies, with its core target being viewers of the 25-44 demographic, covering a variety of genres.
AXN White is a channel operated by Sony Pictures Television International Networks Europe. Its programming is focused on comedy and romantic television series and movies. The channel was launched in Portugal on 14 April 2012 and in Spain on 7 May 2012 replacing Sony Entertainment Television. The channel replaced AXN Crime on 1 October 2013 in Hungary, Poland, Romania, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Moldova.
Star Channel is a brand name used by a number of different television channels throughout the world owned by Disney Entertainment, a division of The Walt Disney Company as a replacement of Fox. Star Channel was originally established as a television channel in Latin America, but has expanded worldwide.
Benfica TV (BTV) is a Portuguese sports-oriented premium cable and satellite television channel operated by sports club S.L. Benfica. Its headquarters are located at the Estádio da Luz, having a second studio at Benfica Campus. Its first broadcast was on 2 October 2008, and regular transmissions began on 10 December. The channel was originally made available for free on all of its cable operators until June 2013.
Star Comedy is a Portuguese pay television channel that broadcasts comedy series and films, owned by The Walt Disney Company Portugal. Programs are mostly imported, mainly from the United States, occasionally also Canada and the United Kingdom. The channel has become the home for primarily Fox's animated adult shows such as The Simpsons and Family Guy. The name of the channel is derived from one of the multiplex Star Premium channels in Latin America which originally was used in 2021.
AXN is a Portuguese pay television channel. It is the Portuguese version of the AXN network, owned by Sony. It was a Cabovisão exclusive in its beginnings, but now it is available in all operators and platforms. It's one of the most watched channels on pay-TV in Portugal, competing with FOX, SIC Notícias, Canal Panda, Disney Channel and Canal Hollywood.
Animax Portugal was the Portuguese version of Animax. The channel launched in April 2008 and was closed in May 2011. Originally, the channel broadcast anime only, but started airing live-action shows in 2009.
Star Movies is a Portuguese pay television movie channel owned by The Walt Disney Company Portugal. It was launched on 1 July 2011.
The Walt Disney Company Portugal was created in 2003 with headquarters located in Lisbon, Portugal, and is the owner of many Portuguese versions of Disney Channels'.
Correio da Manhã TV (CMTV) is a private Portuguese generalist channel, with a strong focus on news. It is operated by Medialivre, owner of Correio da Manhã, a notable Portuguese tabloid and the most read newspaper in Portugal. It is available in basic fiber and satellite. The channel launched in March 2013 as an exclusive in Portugal to MEO.
Globo is a Portuguese pay television channel owned by TV Globo, a Brazilian television network. Its programming is taken from TV Globo or GloboNews, along with Brazilian cinema. its flagship programming are Globo's Brazilian telenovelas. It also broadcasts television series and sitcoms. Despite being available only as an exclusive to NOS platform, it is one of the most watched television channels in Portugal. In 2016, it became available to subscribers of the FTTH service of Vodafone Portugal. Similarly to what happens in Brazil, Globo's main competitor is Record's Europe unit.
Fox was a series of international television channels operated by Fox Networks Group, a division of 21st Century Fox. The network was affiliated with Fox Broadcasting Company from its inception until Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox in 2019.
Star Life is an international pay television network, owned by Disney Entertainment, a division of The Walt Disney Company, as a replacement to Fox Life. The network has been discontinued in Latin America, and is currently active in the Middle East, Portugal, Bulgaria, India, South Africa, and Balkans.
Star Mundo is an African pay television channel, launched on October 23, 2015, as the regional variant of the MundoFox. It is only available in Angola and Mozambique and its programming is entirely in the Portuguese language. In addition to screening dubbed foreign television series, the channel also airs some local productions, mostly funded by Portuguese production companies.
News Now, or just Now, is a Portuguese news channel, owned by the Medialivre group. It competes against RTP3, SIC Notícias and CNN Portugal. The channel launched on 17 June 2024.
TDT: free-to-air on DTT – AC/MA: free-to-air on regional DTT
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
