SBT

SBT – Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão: Owned by brazilian TV host Silvio Santos. Began it's broadcasts in August 19th, 1981, airing it's own license signing in the Ministry of Communications in Brasília via flagship TVS São Paulo channel 4 and other at-that-exact-moment acquired channels. It is said that SBT is the only network in the world to broadcast it's own birth. At that time, SBT stepped in what once was the place of the defunct Tupi network. That one debuted in 1950 and ended it's operations in 1980 after going bankrupt. Silvio Santos gained licenses to former Tupi channels in São Paulo, Porto Alegre, Rio and Belém. Santos already had a TV station since 1976: TVS Rio de Janeiro channel 11. That one was independent until SBT made the scene in 1981. Many thought that TVS Rio was to be the network head, but Silvio Santos made TVS São Paulo flagship instead. The Rio acquired channel in 1981 was sold. Since that year, SBT is second in ratings but has lost considerable audience share in recent years almost giving away it's silver medal to the Record network. Nowadays, SBT has 8 owned stations: São Paulo, Rio, Brasília, Porto Alegre, Belém, Nova Friburgo, Ribeirão Preto and Jaú. They also have over 90 affiliates.