The Board of Regulators has decided to authorize, as requested, a modification of the approved project for the Porto Canal program service, provided by Avenida dos Aliados – Sociedade de Comunicação, S.A., regarding the change of classification from generalist to sports-themed, focusing on the universe of Futebol Clube do Porto,” stated the ERC decision dated November 26.
The ERC document notes that the request to alter the Porto Canal project, with a particular emphasis on the Northern region, was made on October 20.
In the request submitted, Porto Canal clarified that since its launch in 2006, the objective was to build a generalist television project in the north, with special attention to this region.
“This work was developed over several years with programs in music, cinema, culture, science, history, information, entertainment, debates, interviews, promotion of relevant events, coverage of major happenings and, of course, sports content highlighting FC Porto brand programs,” the television channel emphasized.
However, they added, continuing this project has proven difficult, particularly in terms of audience, competition response, and revenue generation, making sustainability increasingly difficult and, eventually, inviable.
“It is in this context that Porto Canal takes the initiative to submit a request to change its classification from a generalist to a thematic channel (…) justifying this intention with a strategic and regulatory analysis that responds to the evolution of the audiovisual market and new media consumption trends,” they explained.
Porto Canal stated that by specializing, it will deepen its engagement with the local community, particularly the FC Porto community, and offer specialized and interactive content.
In its new configuration as a sports-themed channel, Porto Canal aims to be “the official voice and the reference platform for everything related to FC Porto and its universe,” it highlighted.
The channel will offer a 360º coverage ranging from professional football to amateur sports, youth categories, club history, social initiatives, and fans’ lives, it explained.
The programming will be entirely dedicated to sports in Portuguese, focusing on FC Porto, but may also include other sports relevant to the club and the national sporting and media landscape, such as basketball, handball, and roller hockey, it noted.
“The rationale for this change is based on an in-depth analysis of the evolution of the audiovisual market, which shows a clear shift towards digital consumption and specialized content,” it pointed out.
