SBT

Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão (SBT) was born in August 1981 already with its own network of owned stations, with studios in São Paulo (cannel 4), Rio de Janeiro (channel 11) and Porto Alegre (channel 5), and around other 14 independent affiliated stations. In their very first decade operating, the network established itself as the vice-leader in ratings in the country’s free TV, second only to Globo TV Network. It would lose its position from 2007 on, when the Sílvio Santos Group started facing a severe financial crisis, including the termination and the sell-out of companies they controlled at the same time as they witnessed the growth of Record TV Network. It would recover its second place position in 2016.

As soon as it started operations, Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão started exhibiting the show “A Semana do Presidente” (‘The President’s Week’), in the station’s Sunday programming grid, during the transmission of “Programa Sílvio Santos”. The show reported the President of the Republic’s weekly schedule – at the time, a position exercised by General João Batista Figueiredo, during the military dictatorship regimen that ruled Brazil for two decades. The offer of the slot was a means to retribute the military government the choice of SBT for the public television concession.

It is estimated that SBT started with an initial investment of approximately 10 million dollars. The Network’s first official broadcast was precisely the ceremony of signing the concession contract, live, straight from Brasília. In the first year of operations, the station reached 24% of ratings and increased to 30% in the second year. In 1988, SBT Network was already formed by 44 affiliated stations. Currently, SBT is a Network consisted of 114 stations, both owned and affiliated, employing approximately 6000 people.

Besides the station’s headquarters, located on Centro de Televisão (CDT) – Anhanguera Complex, in the city of Osasco (SP), channel 4, SBT Network also consists of owned stations like channel 12 in Jaú (SP), channel 5 in Ribeirão Preto (SP), channel 11 in Rio de Janeiro (RJ), channel 3 in Nova Friburgo (RJ), channel 5 in Porto Alegre (RS), channel 5 in Belém (PA) and channel 12 in Brasília (DF).

On the other hand, among SBT’s affiliates, are outlets from Groups such as Sistema Opinião de Comunicação (‘Opinion system of communication’), owned by private health group Hapvida (TV Ponta Verde - AL; TV Ponta Negra – RN; and TV Borborema – PB); Sistema Jangadeiro de Comunicação (‘Jangadeiro Communication System’), owned by Senator Tasso Jereissati’s family (PSDB-CE); Massa Group, owned by TV Host and entrepreneur Carlos Roberto Massa, “Ratinho” (Iguaçu TV, Cidade TV , Naipi TV, Tibagi TV and Guará TV, all from Paraná); and Diários Associados Group (Alterosa TV – MG), that also holds shares of Sistema Opinião de Comunicação’s stations.