Portugal: SIC launching streaming service
October 7, 2020
From Branislav Pekic in Rome
Portuguese commercial broadcaster SIC will launch its streaming service in November.
Branded ‘OPTO SIC’, it will be available in two versions – free and premium. Registration is open now, with the free version providing access to a catalogue of programmes, including TV series, documentaries and soap operas.
The premium version, which will cost €3.99 per month or €39.99 per year (€29.99 if subscribed pre-launch), will have exclusive content, as well as soap operas 24 hours before they are broadcast on linear TV, and SIC content from the previous 30 days.
OPTO SIC will also be available abroad, mainly targeting the Portuguese diaspora. However, the streaming service will have a specific offer and subscription fees will “depend on the respective markets”, according to CEO Francisco Pedro Balsemão.
According to Marktest’s Telecommunications Barometer, some 800,000 Portuguese subscribed to streaming services in the period from February to April 2020, taking the total number of subscribers to 2 million.