Grupo Silvio Santos

 Silvio Santos Group is currently formed by Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão (SBT), Alphaville TV (Cable TV), Jequiti Cosmetics, Liderança Capitalização (‘Leadership Capitalization’ that manages Tele Sena), Baú da Felicidade, Sofitel Guarujá Jequitimar Hotel and Sisan Real State Enterprises, among other companies. Founded in 1958, from the creation of the Baú da Felicidade (‘Happiness Chest’) enterprise,the group is currently managed by the holding Silvio Santos Participações S.A.

SBT is the conglomerate’s broadcasting division. It is critical for promoting some of the Group’s business, with partnerships with shows and constant marketing. This is the case with the show ‘Roda a Roda Jequiti’, promoting actions of the cosmetics company, and with the televised prizing actions for paying clients of “Baú da Felicidade”.

In August 1996, inside the celebrations for SBT’s 15th anniversary, the Television Center (CDT) was inaugurated – Anhanguera Complex in the city of Osasco (SP), based on 231 thousand square meters area, of which 85 thousand square meters of constructed area. CDT allowed th unification in one single location of all operations performed by SBT, until then spread over five different spots: Vila Guilherme, Rua Camarés, Teatro Ataliba Leonel, Sumaré and Rodovia Anhanguera itself. Around 120 million dollars were invested in the construction works. The television center counts with a specific area for the construction of a scenographic city and eight studios (with a total area of 6,2 thousand square meters). The space was designed based on the concept of “horizontal production”, allowing the execution of the processes of creation, production and placement under a same roof, with integrated dynamics and with the best resources administration.

When the channel 11 Rio de Janeiro concession was obtained, in 1975, Sílvio Santos already owned half of the shares for São Paulo’s Record TV – the other part being controlled by entrepreneur Paulo Machado de Carvalho. However, with the Rio de Janeiro concession, Silvio achieved an old goal, of keeping total control of a station: TVS Rio. In 1980, with the dismembering of Tupi Network, in a severe financial crisis, and its extinction by the military government, the businessman would obtain Tupi’s São Paulo-based concessions, channel 4, the former head of the network; Continental TV, channel 9, in Rio de Janeiro; Piratini TV, channel 5, in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul; Marajoara TV , channel 2, in Belém, Pará. Tupi TV in São Paulo had been the first TV station to operate in Brazil.

There was objection to the military government regarding the concession of new stations to Silvio Santos, once he would not be able to, according to legislation, keep a second concession in São Paulo or in Rio de Janeiro, being a partner of Record TV and the single owner of TVS Rio. The entrepreneur defended himself stating that the winner of the new concession was not him but the newly created Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão, a partnership that did not feature him among the shareholders composition. Actually, in formal terms, Silvio Santos did not feature among the partnership’s owners, but his sister-in-law, Carmen Torres Abravanel, along with other people linked to other companies owned by Silvio and by Paulo Machado de Carvalho’s son, Carlos Marcelino Machado de Carvalho. The São Paulo State Radio Syndicate published a note at the time, on Jornal do Brasil, in which it strongly criticized the results of the ublic auction: “the winners were the two worst proposals. Actually, one of the two winners [SBT] should not even take part in the auction, being impeded by law. But Mr. Silvio Santos bypassed the law and entered the auction with scapegoats”. The winner of the other lot of TV concessions was Adolfo Bloch’s, Manchete TV. At this time, the Silvio Santos Group was formed by 40 companies, amongst which retail stores, funders, private pension companies, advertising companies, car dealerships and agriculture companies.

Actually, Carlos Marcelino de Carvalho removed himself from the business as soon as the concession process was finalized. This is because there was a previous agreement between Paulo Machado de Carvalho and Silvio Santos. The latter, already had a Station in Rio. Machado de Carvalho, Silvio Santos’ partner at Record TV in São Paulo, did not. The same occurred with the station located in São Paulo: after obtaining the concession of former head of Tupi TV Network, through SBT, Silvio could let go of the partnership with Machado de Carvalho at Record TV – what would formally happen in the late 1980s. This way, each of the businessmen took control over a station in the capital cities of Rio de janeiro and São Paulo. Besides that, Silvio Santos would keep the Porto Alegre concession, giving up the Belém one to Machado de Carvalho – and splitting the number od stations between the two groups, 3 for each side. In practice, therefore, one TV network appeared in August 1981, SBT, and another consolidated itself, Record.