What Brazilians Watch on TV
Brazilians spend more than five hours per day watching TV. Find in this article what the population watches on their TVs according to region, time and also program format
It is true! According to IBOPE, in 2011, Brazilians spent more than five hours watching TV. It is important to highlight that this is an average of all the population, ranging according to the age group, social class and also gender.
Background
Associated by the population as a combination of the radio and the cinema, the TV arrived in Brazil through Assis Chateaubriand with “TV Tupi de São Paulo”, the first TV station in the country, in 1950.
The population did not know what to expect from the vehicle, but the publicity on newspapers and magazines promised a technological that would change the way of people relate with each other and also kill the radio.
Today we know that some forecasts about the TV were completely wrong, just like those regarding the end of the radio. But there were the other forecast completely right, such as the way people relate to the others and also the way people organize their lives.
Relation between Brazilians and the TV
As mentioned before, five hours and twenty minutes in front of the TV is just the average time of the population, but this number changes significantly according to gender, age group and social class.
People from classes A and B spend less time than the others in front of the TV, their average time is almost five hours per day, as for class C, the average time is of five hours and 30 minutes. In the end, the most time consumed classes D and E, spent in 2011, six hours and fifteen minutes watching TV.
In Brazil, having a TV means to be socially included. The TV is the most popular media in the country, present in 95 % of the Brazilian houses. What changes in these houses is the size and the quality of these televisions. Brazilians associate the size and the quality of one TV with power. Yes, the bigger and higher quality is your TV, the richer you are in the Brazilian concept.
Nowadays it is really common to see people watching TV not only at home, but also on their mobile equipment as cellphones, GPS and tablets. In 2011, according to IBOPE, there was a significant growth of TV audience over the last years occurred due to a greater accessibility to cable TV, while on free to air channels the audience was reduced.
What are the major broadcasters of free to air channels in Brazil?
Rede Globo
The channels belonging to Rede Globo is watched by more than 150 million people around the world every day, being the second largest TV channel in the world, only losing for American Broadcasting Company, (ABC), from the USA. Their own broadcasters or affiliates count more than 122 units. Their soap operas are famous and very well reputable around the world, being one of the shows with higher audience in the country.
Rede Record
Being the oldest broadcaster still operating in Brazil, it is the second broadcaster in terms of audience in the country. Nowadays, the broadcaster is property of Edir Macedo, founder of the Church “Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus”. “Rede Globo” and “Rede Record” are the only Brazilians broadcasters figuring in the international ranking of major TVs and Rede Record occupies the 28º place.
Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão (SBT)
Being famous for their shows focused on children’s and also family’s entertainment, SBT is famous for producing content such as game shows, reality shows, talk shows and also soap operas. The broadcaster owner, Silvio Santos, presents his own show that has been reformulated several times, but still maintain some characteristics as giving money to the contestants. The broadcaster is one of the major of America Latina.
Rede Bandeirantes (Band)
Rede Bandeirantes belongs to Rede Bandeirantes de Comunicação. This broadcaster has invested hard on their shows schedule over the last years, reaching a consecrated position. The broadcaster is bringing high audience shows to work with them, such as “Pânico na TV” that used to belong to “RedeTV!”, named now as “Pânico na Band” and “Custe o Que Custar” (CQC) an Argentinian show adapted to Brazil.
RedeTV!
The broadcaster can be considered a baby of TV, once it was born in 1999. At first their purpose was to reach classes A and B, but as the audience is something that sustains a TV broadcaster, they decided to change the focus. Nowadays RedeTV! counts with five own broadcasters, being the fifth major player in the country.
TV Shows and News
We have selected some TV shows to introduce you and explain who are they audience and what kind of TV show they offer.
Programa do Faustão
Being on air since 1989, this shows is one of the oldest of Rede Globo. The TV show is weekly going to the air on Sundays at 6pm until 8:50pm. It is the most successful one in the exhibition time, reaching the highest audience of the time.
The show we will highlight is the presentment ‘’Dança dos Famosos”, which consists on famous people that have never danced before, competing against each other, dancing different kind of songs aided by professional dancers.
Programa do Silvio Santos
Silvio Santos, SBT owner is the Game Show precursor in the country. Going to the air on Sundays at 7:45pm, the program is very famous for promoting the auditory participation on presentments that ends on money prizes for participants. The show we will introduce you is the presentment “Cameras Escondidas” (or “Hidden Cameras”) which consists in a sort of play in which actors make-up a story for common people that do not know what is going on, resulting in a funny situation.
Jornal Nacional
The program is the one most respected by the Brazilian population, originally resented by Willian Bonner and Fátima Bernardes, who leaved the function to work in a new TV show, being replaced by Patricia Poeta. The program, although being a formal one, has a mix of national and international news in an easy language being watched by all Brazilian social classes.
Jornal da Record
Presented by Ana Paula Padrão and Celso Freitas, the program format is very similar to “ Jornal Nacional”. The program goes on air everyday at 7:50pm, being a direct competitor of the Rede Globo’s news program.
Soap Operas
As mentioned before, Rede Globo soap operas are really famous and it happens inside and outside the country. There are some other broadcasters that advertise their programs saying “After the Globo’s soap opera, switch to our channel’’.
The one which is currently in exhibition on the golden time of Rede Globo is “ Avenida Brasil ’’:
We would also like to highlight a TV show that is not a soap opera but can be included here, that is Chaves, a Mexican TV show exhibited by SBT and has been is the air for over 20 years, being a cultural reference for many Brazilian teenagers and children.
The program is so famous in Brazil that SBT has decided to switch a News show to Chaves.