Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão (SBT - Brazilian Television System), is a Brazilian television network. The network first aired in 1981, and the studio headquarters are based in Osasco. SBT is owned by Silvio Santos (born Senor Abravanel), a popular Brazilian TV host. It's studios are located in São Paulo. Until 2007, it was the second largest Brazilian tv network in audience. However, its position was passed to Rede Record, that want the leadership. SBT has most of its schedule dedicated to children and pre-teens, making it the favourite network for the young audience. In 1998, SBT had the longest children's programming ever,together with TV Cultura, being shown from Sessão Desenho, a cartoon block, at 7:00 am (the time the network used to start broadcasting), until 9:00 pm, when the children's telenovela Chiquititas normally ended. SBT promoted this situation on the screen, calling this whole period as SBT Kids, a total of 14 hours per day, and until nowadays neither SBT nor other networks have beaten this mark.
While most TV stations in Brazil depends mostly on national productions, SBT depends heavily on imports, mainly from Mexico and USA. For more than 20 years comedy show El Chavo del Ocho (shown in Brazil as Chaves) is one of the station's most-watched shows. The show also has a deal with Warner Brothers which gives the channel an exclusivity deal to show all their sitcoms, dramas and movies.
For a long time, Mexican soap operas have been one of the most recognizable things for SBT, mostly during the early 90s when Mexican soap operas reached its peak in the country with soaps like the children-oriented Carrosel, La Usurpadora, El Privilegio de Amar, Luz Clarita and the incredibly successful Maria trilogy (Maria Mercedes, Marimar, Maria la del Barrio). Compared to the toned-down Brazilian soaps, Mexican soaps are considered tacky and exaggerated, but during the 90s were a huge hit with lower-class people.
Other 90s hits include Domingo Legal, a Sunday variety show which during the late 90s was SBT highest-rated show and surpassed Globo for hours, something very rare. Domingo Legal was criticized for being excessively sensationalist and ratings started to decline and after the PCC scandal, ratings declined a lot and the show now is sometimes in the 3rd place at ratings, far from the time it was 1, Ratinho which had a similar format as Jerry Springer, Show do Milhão, a version from Who Wants to be a Millionaire? and Chiquititas, which was a big hit among kids.
For over 20 years SBT was the second place in Brazilian television ratings, behind Rede Globo, but in February 2007 it was outpaced by Rede Record for the first time in São Paulo, but the following month, the SBT retook the second placement again. 
Since the 90s peak in popularity Mexican soaps have been declining in the audience hitting an all time-low in the last two years (the last Mexican soap operas to have big ratings were Carita de Angel in the early 2000s and Rebelde, which was a phenomenon in 2006). In 2001, SBT decided to star remaking Mexican soaps with Brazilian actors. The first soaps (Picara Sonhadora and Marisol) did OK on the ratings but they also hit an all-time low recently, with soaps like Cristal, Os Ricos Também Choram and Maria Esperança (a version of the highly-successful Maria Mercedes) scoring very low ratings.
Beside Mexican soaps and their remakes, the channel also air cartoons during the morning, formats (like Ídolos, Brazilian version of American Idol, that was replaced to TV Record, and the Brazilian version of Supernanny), which are two of the most-watched shows on the channel and also a version of Deal or No Deal, presented by Silvio Santos himself, who presents lots of the network shows), lots of talent shows and one dating show. The channel also shows movie and A Praça é Nossa, a comedy show which been one of the network highest-rated show since the very first days.
When Rede Tupi collapsed in 1980, Santos obtained three stations: São Paulo's channel 4, Porto Alegre's channel 5 and Belém's channel 5. Thus, SBT was created, launched officially on August 19, 1981, still using the TVS name. Until the official SBT's formation, the Silvio Santos Group have other station too named TVS, in Nova Friburgo (O&O in channel 3).
However, Minas Gerais' TV Alterosa was integrated the future base of SBT affiliates in 1978. Some way was adopted by Tupi's affilities "orphans", after his closure in July 18, 1980, by order of Brazilian Ministry of Communications, Haroldo de Matos.
In the 1980s, SBT established itself with popular programming, contracting popular hosts and airing a mix of its own and some Televisa programming, especially Mexican soap operas telenovelas and comedy shows such as El Chavo del Ocho (Chaves) and El Chapulín Colorado (Chapolin). It quickly gained 2nd place ranking in Brazilian ratings, except for in Rio de Janeiro, where Rede Manchete occupied this position.
In 1987, Santos turned SBT practically upside-down, pursuing a better 'quality' programming, while trying to attract a larger audience and better advertisers. The most significant new personalities signed by the network were humorist, Jô Soares brought from TV Globo in 1988, thus introducing the concept of late night talk-shows on Brazilian TV, and Boris Casoy, who became the first anchor in Brazil with its TJ Brasil news show.
In 1988, Santos was able at the last minute to prevent TV host 'Gugu' Liberato from signing with TV Globo. This was widely seen as an indication that Gugu would be Santos' successor on Sunday afternoons, reinforced with the extended time of Gugu's program Domingo Legal.
SBT began the decade investing in movies, broadcasting a package of Disney (now working with Rede Globo) and Time Warner productions.
In 2001, the controversial reality show Casa dos Artistas, accused by many of being a copy of Endemol's Big Brother marked the first SBT lead the ratings on Sunday night.
Since 2003, with the advance of Rede Record, SBT entered in a crisis. Two important facts in this year marked the beginning of its problems:
Since then, the only notable SBT success has been the airing of the program Rebelde. Problems have included constantly changing programming without any warning even to hosts, thus confusing the audience. In 2006 SBT celebrated its 25th birthday amidst a deepening crisis.
SBT found much inspiration on United States television. The network logo was inspired by the ABC circle logo, and in the late 80's and early 90's, the institutional campaigns Quem Procura Acha Aqui (1988 to 1991) and Vem Que é Bom (1991) were nearly identical copies of NBC's campaigns Let's All Be There and Come Home to NBC. The sets of versions of American game shows Si o No, Siempre o Bad, Double Dare, and Deal or No Deal bear a very close resemblance to their American counterparts, although some of these shows were actually licensed. In the 90's, SBT has marked a partnership with NBC to news program Jornal do SBT, with transmission from Telemundo channel. More recently, the flagship nightly television news program SBT 24 Horas opening was very similar to the one used by GMA-7 24 Oras in 2005 and now, in 2006 opening is similar to the Telecinco's Noticias Telecinco
The main competitors Rede Globo, Rede Record, Rede Bandeirantes and RedeTV!. Rede Globo has broadcast by ABC shows.
Note:
News and Current Affairs /
Drama /
Sitcoms, Animation and Comedy /
Music /
Factual programs and Documentaries /
Reality, Game shows and Talk shows /
Sport /
Movies.
| Brasília official time | 06:00 PM | 07:00 PM | 08:00 PM | 09:00 PM | 10:00 PM | 11:00 PM | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 06:00 | 06:15 | 06:30 | 06:45 | 07:00 | 07:15 | 07:30 | 07:45 | 08:00 | 08:15 | 08:30 | 08:45 | 09:00 | 09:15 | 09:30 | 09:45 | 10:00 | 10:15 | 10:30 | 10:45 | 11:00 | 11:15 | 11:30 | 11:45 | ||
| SUN | Domingo Legal | 8 e Meia no Cinema | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| MON | My Wife & Kids | That's So Raven | Hebe | SBT Brasil | Pantanal | SBT Realidade | |||||||||||||||||||
| TUE | Nada Além da Verdade | Cine Espetacular > | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| WED | Astros | SBT Brasil | Pantanal | Ugly Betty | SBT Repórter > | ||||||||||||||||||||
| THU | A Praça é Nossa | SBT Brasil | Pantanal | Grey's Anatomy | |||||||||||||||||||||
| FRI | Topa ou Não Topa | Tela de Sucessos > | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| SAT | Supernanny | Cine Belas-Artes > | |||||||||||||||||||||||