The Regulatory Entity for Social Communication (ERC) authorized Porto Canal to change from a generalist channel to a thematic one, specialized in sports focused on Futebol Clube do Porto (FC Porto), according to a deliberation to which Lusa had access.
“The Regulatory Council decides to authorize, under the required terms, the modification of the approved project for the Porto Canal program service, provided by Avenida dos Aliados – Sociedade de Comunicação, SA, with regard to the conversion of the typology, from generalist to specialized sports theme, with a focus on the universe of Futebol Clube do Porto”refers to the ERC deliberation dated November 26th.
In the document, ERC states that the request to change the Porto Canal project, with a special focus on the North region, was made on October 20th.
In the request presented, Porto Canal clarified that since its broadcast began in 2006, the objective was to build a generalist television project in the north, with a special focus on this region.
“It was this work that, over several years, was developed with (…) music, cinema, culture, science, history, information, entertainment, debates, interviews, promotion of relevant events, coverage of major events and, of course, sports content with emphasis on FC Porto brand programs”highlighted the television channel.
However, he added, the continuation of this project has proven difficult, particularly in terms of audience, response to competition and revenue generation, making its sustainability increasingly difficult and, even in the long term, unfeasible.
“It is, in this sense, that Porto Canal takes the initiative to present a request to change its classification from a generalist channel to a thematic channel (…) basing this claim on a strategic and regulatory analysis that responds to the evolution of the audiovisual market and new trends in media consumption”he justified.
Porto Canal explained that by specializing it will deepen its involvement with the local community, namely the Porto community, and offer specialized and interactive content.
In its new configuration as a thematic sports channel, Porto Canal wants to be “the official voice and the reference platform for everything related to FC Porto and its universe”, he highlighted.
The channel will offer 360º coverage, from professional football to amateur sports, youth teams, club history, social initiatives and the lives of fans, he explained.
The program will be entirely dedicated to sports in Portuguese, with a focus on FC Porto, but may also include other sports relevant to the club and the national sports and media landscape, such as basketball, handball and roller hockey, he said.
“The rationale for this change is based on an in-depth analysis of the evolution of the audiovisual market, which demonstrates a clear transition towards digital consumption and specialized content”pointed.