Canal180 is a Portuguese editorial platform,

digital cable Digital cable is the distribution of cable television using digital data and video compression. The technology was first developed by General Instrument. By 2000, most cable companies offered digital features, eventually replacing their previ ...

and

open source Open source is source code that is made freely available for possible modification and redistribution. Products include permission to use the source code, design documents, or content of the product. The open-source model is a decentralized so ...

TV channel entirely dedicated to culture, arts and creativity. Launched on 25 April 2011 by the media company OSTV, Canal180 was founded by João Vasconcelos, its current executive director, and by Nuno Alves. Rita Moreira, who previously worked at Portuguese radio channel Antena 3, is the channel's announcer. Available on Portuguese cable TV on position 180, the channel is distributed by NOS, MEO and

Vodafone Vodafone Group plc () is a British multinational telecommunications company. Its registered office and global headquarters are in Newbury, Berkshire, England. It predominantly operates services in Asia, Africa, Europe, and Oceania. , Vod ...

TV. Starting as a TV channel, Canal180 has over time morphed into an ecosystem of broadcast, social media content, and content production not dedicated for TV. Part of the funding for Canal180 came from the Creative Industries National Award, an award appointed by Unicer and

Serralves Foundation Serralves is a cultural institution located in Porto, Portugal. It includes a Contemporary Art Museum, a Park, and a Villa, each one an example of contemporary architecture, Modernism, and Art Deco architecture. The Museum, designed by Álvar ...

, in 2010. The ident of the channel was awarded the Bronze Lion at

Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity (formerly the International Advertising Festival) is a global event for those working in creative communications, advertising, and related fields. It is considered the largest gathering of the ...

in 2012. Canal180 introduced several innovations never seen before on Portuguese TV: it's the first national channel completely dedicated to culture and creativity. Based on a low cost business model, the transmission of Canal180 consists on video blocks. There are no studios or ''régies''. Also, the channel reclaims the title of being the first open source TV channel in the world. The daily TV grid is composed of national content produced by Canal180, like the daily ''Mag'', a series that goes through

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of th ...

's cultural agenda, and also international series such as Focus Forward, The Avant/Garde Diaries, Fubiz TV, Gestalten TV and Like Knows Like, among others. Several of these contents are funded by well-known brands like

Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquarte ...

, GE or Orange. Another original project produced by Canal180 is ''180 ID'', a series of short documentaries featuring artists like David Wilson, Hiro Murai, Andreas Johnsen, Kirsten Lepore, Nico Casavecchia, Kristoffer Borgli, and Layzell Bros. In 2014, the channel extended the open source model to a short film on Optimus Primavera Sound Porto 2013, ''Driving Without License'', a collaborative work between the audience and Canal180's team. The channel, based in

Porto Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropo ...

, regularly covers popular music festivals like Optimus Primavera Sound and Vodafone Paredes de Coura. In 2012, Canal180 was also a partner of the

Guimarães Guimarães () is a city and municipality located in northern Portugal, in the district of Braga. Its historic town centre has been listed as a UNESCWorld Heritage Sitesince 2001, in recognition for being an "exceptionally well-preserved and ...

European Capital of Culture initiative.

References

{{Portuguese television stations Portuguese-language television stations Television channels and stations established in 2010 Television stations in Portugal 2010 establishments in Portugal