Vodafone Portugal buys 33% of Sport TV
August 1, 2016
From Branislav Pekic in Rome
Vodafone Portugal has purchased one third of premium sports network Sport TV, distributed in Portugal via all major cable networks.
Sport TV will now be equally owned by three shareholders – Vodafone Portugal, NOS and Olivedesportos – each with 33.3 per cent of the capital.
Sport TV was launched in 1998 as the only dedicated sports channel in Portugal. The premium network currently broadcasts five channels in Portugal (all available in HD), as well as two international channels for Africa. A new channel dedicated to sports news, Sport TV+, will start broadcasting on August 5th and will also be distributed via cable in Portugal.
Besides the Portuguese Football League and the Portuguese Cup, Sport TV provides exclusive coverage of the English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Dutch, Russian, Belgian, Swiss and Scottish football leagues.
According to the financial results of NOS, Sport TV registered a loss of €3.2 million at the end of the second quarter of 2016, compared to a loss of only €290.000 in Q2 2015, mainly due to rising costs for acquiring content.
Last month, the leading pay-TV operators in Portugal (NOS, Vodafone Portugal, Cabovisão and MEO) signed several agreements for the joint sharing of national football TV rights and distribution of football club channels.