Porto Canal
# Porto Canal

Porto Canal is a Portuguese pay television channel broadcasting from northern Portugal based in Matosinhos. Launched on 29 September 2006, it replaced former NTV (from Porto TV, based in Vila Nova de Gaia) which transformed into RTPN, Radiotelevisão Portuguesa's news channel.

In July 2010, Porto Canal launched three new delegations in Mirandela, Arcos de Valdevez and Penafiel, and in the beginning of 2011, three more in Guimarães, Braga and Vila Real.

In March 2011, Porto Canal announced a partnership with Portuguese sports club F.C. Porto. In August 2011, F.C. Porto assumed the management of Porto Canal, launching two new F.C. Porto related programs, Flash Porto and Somos Porto. Porto Canal also broadcasts live full matches of the F.C. Porto teams of football (only FC Porto B home games), basketball, handball and roller hockey.

In June 2019, FC Porto was sentenced to pay a €2 million fine for publishing and manipulating illegally obtained Benfica emails on Porto Canal. Related to that, in June 2023, the club's director of communication, Francisco J. Marques, was sentenced to a ten-month suspended prison sentence for aggravated violation of private correspondence or telecommunications and to a one-year and two months suspended prison sentence for offense to a collective person. Porto Canal's contents director, Diogo Faria, received a nine-month suspended prison sentence for violation of private correspondence or telecommunications. Both persons were also sentenced to pay a €10,000 compensation to Luís Filipe Vieira. Júlio Magalhães, the channel's former director, was abolved of all accusations.

## Programming

In terms of content the channel airs generalist and regional programming. It focuses primarily on news of the northern region of Portugal, having also many diverse programs.

Since the partnership with FC Porto, it has programs like Flash Porto or 45 Minutos à Porto that broadcast club-related news and information.

### Major programs (non-sports)

* À Conversa com Ricardo Couto
* Caminhos da História
* Cinema Batalha
* Clube de Cozinheiros
* Consultório
* Destino Norte
* Jornal Diário
* Mentes que Brilham
* Net Diário
* Notícias às 17
* Notícias às 18
* Notícias às 19
* Pólo Norte
* Parlamento da Região
* Ponto Cardeais
* Porto Alive!
* Radioativo
* Saúde no Tacho
* Territórios
* Testemunho Directo
* Último Jornal
* Valter Hugo Mãe

### Sports programs (FC Porto)

* Azul e Branco
* Cadeira de Sonho
* Especial Porto
* Dragão Caixa
* Dragon Force
* Flash Porto
* Invictos
* Portistas pelo Mundo
* Somos Porto
* 45 Minutos à Porto
