TV Globo
TV Globo, formerly known as Rede Globo or simply known as Globo, is a Brazilian free-to-air television network, launched by media proprietor Roberto Marinho on 26 April 1965. It is owned by Globo, a division of media conglomerate Grupo Globo, in turn owned by Marinho's heirs. The network is by far the largest of its holdings. TV Globo is the largest commercial TV network in Latin America, the second largest commercial TV network in the world and the largest producer of telenovelas. All of this makes Globo renowned as one of the most important television networks in the world and Grupo Globo as one of the largest media groups.
TV Globo is headquartered in the Jardim Botânico neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, where its news division is based. The network's main production studios are located at a complex dubbed Estúdios Globo, located in Jacarepaguá, in the same city. TV Globo is composed of 5 owned-and-operated television stations and 122 affiliates throughout Brazil plus its own international networks, TV Globo Internacional and TV Globo Portugal. In 2007, TV Globo moved its analog operations to high-definition television production for digital broadcasting.
According to Brazilian national and international statistical data, TV Globo is one of the largest media companies in the world, and produces around 2,400 hours of entertainment and 3,000 hours of journalism per year in Brazil. Through its network, the broadcaster covers 98.6% of Brazil's territory. Recognized for its production quality, the company has already been presented with 14 international Emmys. The international operations of TV Globo include seven pay-per-view television channels and a production and distribution division that distributes Brazilian sports and entertainment content to more than 190 countries around the world.
In Brazil, TV Globo presently reaches 99.5% of potential viewers, practically the entire Brazilian population, with 5 owned-and-operated stations and 131 network affiliates that deliver programming to more than 183 million Brazilians. The network has been responsible for the 20 most-watched TV programs broadcast on Brazilian television, including Avenida Brasil, a 2012 record-breaking telenovela that reached 50 million viewers and was sold to 130 countries.
The successful programming structure of TV Globo has not changed since the 1970s: In primetime Monday through Saturday it airs four telenovelas and the newscast Jornal Nacional. The three telenovelas, along with other productions are made in the net's Projac, the largest production center in South America.
The four top-rated TV shows in Brazil are Globo's flashy hourlong soap operas, called novelas, at 6 pm, 7 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. nightly, and Globo's national evening news at 8 p.m.—all from the network's own studios. Globo also produces 90% of its programming.
Globo has had a near monopoly on TV viewership and a symbiotic relationship with successive military and civilian governments. Its political and cultural sway in Brazil is unrivaled. "Globo has a very persuasive influence on diverse aspects of Brazilian society," comments Raul Reis, a former Brazilian journalist. Producing Brazilian-made programming in accordance with international technical standards, the television network grew to become the flagship of multimedia Globo Organization including cellular phone service, cable, television stations in Portugal and Mexico, book and magazine publishing, Internet and film production. The company is expanding its role in Brazilian and Latin American media, transforming from an old-style family fiefdom into a twenty-first-century media conglomerate. Most recently, Globo struck a strategic alliance with Microsoft, which paid $126 million in August for an 11.5 percent share in Globo Cabo, the company's cable subsidiary. Now an international economic powerhouse, TV Globo no longer needs the perks its proximity to local power once offered: it is on the road to becoming Latin America's prime player in the world's mass-media market.
History
Early history
The roots of TV Globo can be traced to the beginning of the 20th century. What eventually became the Globo empire began in 1925 with the creation of the newspaper O Globo in Rio de Janeiro. In 1944, Rádio Globo went on the air and has become a school of radio broadcast news. It was the first radio network in Brazil to follow a 24-hour all news format. It had 26 wholly owned and affiliated stations.In 1957, Brazilian President Juscelino Kubitschek approved a request by Rádio Globo to establish a television channel.
TV Globo began broadcasting on 26 April 1965 in Rio de Janeiro on channel 4. That same day, at about 10:45 a.m., Rubens Amaral formally introduced Rede Globo to viewers in Rio de Janeiro, and all over Guanabara State, with the song "Moon River" by Henry Mancini at the start of the children's show, Uni Duni Tê, an adaptation of Romper Room. It was the beginning of the Globo television network and vital component in the growth and expansion of the Globo organizations.
By May of that same year, the live telecast of the Holy Mass, which later became its longest running and oldest program, was seen for the first time. The following year, Globo purchased another television station, São Paulo-based TV Paulista and transforming it into the TV Globo São Paulo, expanding its operations and beginning to dominate national television ratings. In January 1966, Globo broadcast its first major news coverage on flooding in Rio de Janeiro.
Jornal da Globo, another trademark show for the network, was the successor to Tele Globo, the network's first news program that ran until 1966. It featured a broadcast time of 30 minutes and was hosted by Hilton Gomez and, later, Luis Jatoba. In 1967, Globo began to build its national network with the affiliation of Porto Alegre-based TV Gaúcha. It is one of Globos oldest affiliates, active since 1962, three years before Globo was launched. Uberlândia's TV Triângulo and Goiânia's TV Anhanguera soon followed in 1967 and 1968. The now extinct TV Guajará, based in Belém, was launched in 1967, and was followed by TV Verdes Mares later in 1970. 1968 was also the year in which Globo's owned and operated station in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, TV Globo Minas, was launched.
On 1 September 1969, the country and national television broadcasting changed with the premiere of Jornal Nacional, the nation's first live newscast anchored by Cid Moreira and Hilton Gomes. Its theme music, "The Fuzz" by Frank DeVol, became one of the show's trademarks, together with the program logo and the "Boa Noite" closing established by the hosts.
TV Globo broadcast its first FIFA World Cup in 1970, the same year in which the Rede Excelsior network closed down, absorbed by Globo. The network's famous Plim-Plim interval sound also debuted that year.
Jornal Nacional's success was followed by the launch of Jornal Hoje on April 21st, 1971, the same day in which its Brasília station was inaugurated. TV Globo Nordeste would launch the next year.
Brazil had its first color television broadcast on February 19th, 1972, when Globo, along with many other TV stations in the country, broadcast the Festa da Uva in Caxias do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, in the southern region of the country. Globo's coverage was narrated by Cid Moreira. Globo also broadcast the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich that same year, being the first time the network broadcast the Olympics.
In 1973, "Globo Repórter" premiered, and it still airs today. That same year, the Sunday program "Fantástico" went on the air, which also remains on the air.
On June 4th, 1976, the station was hit by a fire that resulted in the loss of the archived footage of many early programs broadcast by the network. Despite the fire, the station only went off the air for a few minutes.
The last black-and-white programs transitioned to color broadcast in 1977.
1980s to 1990s era
1986 was the key year when Xuxa Meneghel's own show, Xou da Xuxa debuted on Rede Globo. Xuxa, who left the similarly formatted program Clube da Criança on Rede Manchete, joined the network and thus, her show replaced the successful Balão Mágico as a result. It was a hit among children in all the country, airing all week for seven years until 1992. That year was also the 20th anniversary of Os Trapalhões, which lasted until 1987. The network's other big program was its coverage of the 1986 Copa Ouro, plus the first telecast of the Criança Esperança children's charity show, which Renato Aragão hosted. The logo was renovated several times in the years that followed. 1987 saw yet more improved programming debut in all areas. Jô Soares defected the network and moved to SBT.TV Globo turned 30 on 26 April 1995. The highlights of the year included the opening of the brand new Projac studios and the launch of a new youth oriented program: Malhação, plus its Festival 30 Anos commemorative series. It was the year that Os Trapalhões ended a long successful run on the network, and the Plim Plim interval idents were updated by various cartoonists for the anniversary. Globo suffered a year of audience losses but in 1996 audience share began to increase until they were the nation's number one network, aided by brand new programs and its coverage of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, coupled with changes in the newsrooms. Globo was the first Brazilian network to have its own news channel, Globo News, which started in the same year. Now based in both São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the latter the main headquarters, it broadcast replays of Globo news programs, and had its own news programs and commentaries. The network ratings were threatened by the top rated programming from SBT and Record, but in 1998 the network recovered its top place with its 1998 FIFA World Cup live coverage, although violent images became an issue when its 9 P.M. telenovela Torre de Babel was pulled off the air. Holiday programming was boosted by its New Year's Eve premiere of Show da Virada, Aloysio Legey's creation and Brazil's response to international New Year television celebrations worldwide. That year was also the start of its ground breaking Brazil 500 project aimed at preparing the nation for its 500th anniversary of European discovery. The first clock was installed in Porto Seguro on 31 December 1997.
Globo has since expanded to become the largest TV Network in Brazil, with over $2 billion in revenue in 1992.