Regiões TV was a Portuguese digital cable and satellite television channel, based in Porto, which specialized in programming concerning the Portuguese regions. The channel started in 2008, but had its history tracing back to 2004. It closed down in 2020.
Background Invicta TV was a channel established in 2005 whose first test broadcasts were conducted in January 2005, with definitive broadcasts between 18 April 2006 and 3 January 2007, without having a legal Portuguese license to carry its service. Owned by Finanzza Investments, it was available exclusively on Porto cable operator TVTEL. The channel was subsequently sold to TVTEL, renamed two times (Região Norte TV and later RTV) before shutting down completely in 2020.
Finanzza Investments The channel traces its origins to Invicta TV, which was owned by Finanzza Investments, extant in 2003, created to compete Telefonia Virtual, the first Portuguese website dedicated to radio, founded by Nuno Ribeiro in 1998, which existed until 2005.
FI presented itself as a Luso-American holding, administered by Portuguese businessman Vítor Fernandes, of Bragança, who claimed to control 95% of the shares. The headquarters were slated to be in Washington, the American capital, and in Portugal, it would own Grupo Norte Rádio e Televisão, which, according to Vítor Fernandes, would manage four local radio stations. A December 2004 Jornal de Notícias investigation revealed, however, that one of the stations was licensed to Vinhais, with little activity and without regular broadcasts. Another station was located in Sabrosa, having also a share in . Other sources noted that FI was owned by Vítor Fernandes' family, in partnership with an American risk capital company, whose name was never revealed.
Although Washington was initially appointed as the location of the company's headquarters, in November 2006, Vítor Fernandes affirmed that it would be located "between Washington and New York". An investigation made by Expresso discovered that, neither in the state of New York or in Washington D.C., a company with the name "Finanzza Investments" existed, listed only in the state of Delaware. Facing this lack of congruence, Vítor Fernandes confirmed that the company was actually headquartered in Delaware, having selected the location “for personal convenience and legal reasons”. The businessman assured, however, that there would also be offices in New York and Washington, to which it never provided contacts, despite attempting to do so.
According to Vítor Fernandes, in December 2007, the company would have at least three staff in the United States: himself, Curtis Swetz and another one whose name he did not remember.
FI also owned JornalRadio.com, founded by Filipe Jorge, which annually granted an award for those to be considered the best radio websites in the country, the Oscar Jornal Rádio awards. The winner for 2003 was TSF, and in 2004, a RCI Viseu.
In December 2004, Vítor Fernandes announced that FI pretended to launch a cable television channel, whose name was not yet revealed, which proposed, according to the businessman, to have a strong informative component, also aiming to have an "interventive role related to the region", concentrating on the dissemination of cultural and scientific issues in northern Portugal.
On 29 December, Vítor Fernandes announced that he had invited SIC to take part in the project. On 7 January 2005, there was still no response from SIC's behalf.
The start of its experimental broadcasts was scheduled for mid-January 2005, with the Greater Porto audience being the first to have contact with the new project, since, in an initial phase, the channel would be available exclusively on TVTEL. TVTEL, a company with participations from Cofina, BPI and PME Capital, operated exclusively in the Greater Porto region, having in December 2004 a total of 15,000 subscribers.
Initial investment projected for its first six months on air, including the content area, would be in the order of €497,000, with the new channel being located in the Porto's industrial zone. The channel would have a news team of three presenters and six journalists. The team would also have the support of the digital system built by Norwegian company Mobbers Telelinks, specialist in the broadcast of interactive television content, and partner of several European networks, such as the French TF1, with a technological structure involving an investment of €100,000.
Invicta TV's test broadcasts and problems with the regulator In January 2005, the channel started its first phase of test transmissions, showing a mere test card.
On 14 June, Vítor Fernandes announced that its first broadcasts were set for July, with experimental content catering topics related to the Greater Porto area, being distributed through the TVTEL operator, and with an initial five-hour line-up.
On 4 July, Vítor Fernandes, as the administrator of FI - Portugal, was visited by minister Augusto Santos Silva, to whom he presented the concept of the regional channel. According to Vítor Fernandes, the channel would be "the first true Portuguese regional channel, by genre, product and format, with programming dedicated to Greater Porto, centered on culture and people". The minister's cabinet did not inform the type of the discussion, only revealing that FI's staff was received and heard at an audit, with all operators that solicited encounters.
In August, according to declarations from the company's administrator, Invicta TV had received a non-binding opinion from Instituto da Comunicação Social (ICS), waiting for an opinion from (AACS) to continue its experimental broadcasts. In particular, there were doubts on what was the jurisdiction to apply to the channel, since although the content and the broadcast was produced in Portugal, the owning company was headquartered in the United States of America.
A new tentative launch date set for 10 October would also fail.
On 5 November 2005, still without an answer from AACS, Vítor Fernandes issued an announcement eyeing for the launch of the channel in the next few days, accusing AACS of delaying the deliberation process on the regional channel project, giving it as responsible for its "current and future failures", as well as the delay in its full launch. According to Vítor Fernandes, the channel would not be under Portuguese jurisdiction, which would not depend on AACS's waiver to go on air.
According to Armando Torres Paulo, president of AACS, he had informed Diário de Notícias that the process would be out of his reach, in the hands of the rapporteur, suggesting that the delay could be due to possible steps taken during the process. In turn, José Garibaldi, vice-president of the organization, declared to the Lusa News Agency that the process for Invicta TV was still in appreciation phase, being early for the regulator to pronounce on the subject, clarifying that what was at stake in the process was not the opinion of the AACS, but rather whether or not the channel needed authorization to broadcast in Portugal.
On 12 November, the channel decided to continue operations showing promotional advertisements even without receiving a waiver from AACS, alleged that it wasn't necessary, since Invicta TV, owned by FI, was not under Portuguese jurisdiction, since the group did not have headquarters in Portugal.
In early February 2006, Invicta TV continued its experimental broadcasts, with a staff of 16 people, five of which were journalists, with Vítor Fernandes assuring the channel's economical viability. Shortly before, AACS imposed a €10,000 fine on the FI group, since the local radio stations it owned in northern Portugal aired different programming from what was approved.
Fall of Prensa Ibérica On 29 July 2005, Spanish company Prensa Ibérica announced the suspension of the two newspapers it owned in Portugal, Comércio do Porto and A Capital, with a combined group of close to 150 workers, citing a lack of financial viability. On the same day, Vítor Fernandes, alleging an alleged agreement he had allegedly made with that company, went public to accuse the management of Prensa Ibérica of violating the terms of the agreement made with FI, by refusing to continue publication, opting for immediate closure.
According to Vítor Fernandes' statements, the FI had agreed the previous day with the Spanish group Prensa Ibérica, represented in Portugal by António Matos, the purchase of Comércio do Porto, with the condition that the publication would continue for the time necessary to carry out the public deed of purchase, from eight to fifteen days. according to the businessman, the agreement with the representative of Prensa Ibérica provided that the Spanish group would assume the liabilities of O Comércio do Porto, worth around 4.8 million euros, while FI, owner of Invicta TV, would buy the newspaper for "a symbolic price" and would assume the burden of laying off part of the workers, 20 to 25. These layoffs, and other short-term commitments of the periodical, would require a €500,000 injection of capital, which FI would have committed to advance. The remaining workers, around 50, would be integrated into the Invicta TV project, aiming to create a single newsroom where the television channel, radio and newspaper would operate.
According to Prensa Ibérica representatives, the agreement, however, would never have come to fruition. , administrator of the two companies owned by Prensa Ibérica, confirmed that Vítor Fernandes had actually sent a proposal, but that it had not even been considered, since his company did not present itself as a credible entity.
Invicta TV goes live The channel's definitive broadcasts started at 7pm on 18 April 2006, with its newscast "Jornal do Grande Porto", being operated by TVTEL, provisionally available on channel 47 of its basic package.
According to the then administrator Vítor Fernandes, the first day of broadcasts lasted until one in the morning, being filled, among others, by "Jornal do Grande Porto", with three daily editions, by the interview program "Nós aqui ao lado" and by the commentary on current affairs by Teresa Lago, former president of Sociedade Porto 2001 - European Capital of Culture. Vítor Fernandes announced his intention to maintain this programming schedule for at least the first two months, later admitting to moving to 12 hours of programming a day. The channel defined itself as exclusively informative, with no room for entertainment.
At the time the broadcasts began, the channel's team consisted of twenty people, with programs and information being managed by journalist Carla Mendes Rocha, who led the first informative block. Vítor Fernandes stated that the channel had an occupancy of 15% of the maximum advertising space, predicting that in the next fifteen days the station could reach a commercial occupancy of 40%. The broadcast infrastructure was assured by FI. The channel did not, however, have the approval of Entidade Reguladora para a Comunicação Social (ERC).