The Portuguese Channel
An American Portuguese-language cable television channel serving Portuguese-speaking communities in southern New England.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
The Portuguese Channel is an American cable television service focused on Portuguese-language programming for Portuguese immigrants, their descendants, and other Lusophone viewers in southern New England. Its core audience developed in and around New Bedford and Fall River, Massachusetts, communities with a substantial Portuguese-American population. The channel is distributed principally through Cox and Comcast's Xfinity systems and has reached much of the Providence and Boston designated market areas, with a later expansion across additional Greater Boston communities. The service began in 1976 as a pilot called Panorama de Portugal. Colony Communications launched it at the initiative of company president Bruce Clark, who saw Portuguese-language programming as a way to increase cable penetration in New Bedford. At the time, roughly 60 percent of the city's population was of Portuguese descent, while Portuguese Americans represented about 30 percent of Colony's subscribers. The pilot was presented by António A. Costa, who had previously hosted Passport to Portugal on WTEV-TV, described as the first Portuguese-language variety program on American television. Initially broadcast once a week on Colony's Channel 13, the service proved successful and became a permanent channel in 1978. During its early years, production and playout were handled from Colony's New Bedford facilities. The channel developed a strongly local identity, combining community news, talk programs, religious broadcasts, cultural features, sports, entertainment, and programming imported from Portugal and Brazil. Colony's production operation also created music videos featuring Portuguese performers, filming in Portugal and synchronizing the images to recorded tracks. Plans to televise matches of the Luso American Soccer Association were pursued under Adelino Ferreira, then the association's president and later president of The Portuguese Times. Sports broadcasts became social events for local viewers, who gathered in Portuguese-American businesses and community venues to watch them. The channel received a CableACE Award for specialized programming in 1980. Its audience expanded further through Portuguese-language telenovelas, particularly TV Globo's A Escrava Isaura, recommended by Eduardo Lima, who had professional contacts at Globo. The program was among the first Brazilian telenovelas shown in the United States. The channel later continued to carry Globo titles even after the creation of the nationwide TV Globo Internacional service. Globo actors Lucélia Santos and Rubens de Falco visited New Bedford at the channel's invitation, helping connect imported programming with the local audience. Lima also introduced Sunday Mass broadcasts for viewers who could not attend church in person because of health-related limitations. By the early 1980s, the service was pursuing a wider international role. In January 1983, its ownership group announced plans to distribute programming by satellite to Portugal and Portuguese communities in Europe. By 1984, the channel was broadcasting nine hours each day, and American technical crews traveled to mainland Portugal and the Azores to record sporting events for later transmission in the United States. The channel's carriage also became a matter of local community advocacy. Around 5,000 subscribers protested in 1986 when Spanish International Network programming was placed on the channel, and a 1994 hunger strike by Manuel Bonifácio sought a permanent local Portuguese-language channel on Time Warner Cable. By the late 1980s, ownership had become concentrated in The Portuguese Times, a newspaper serving the Portuguese diaspora. The channel later changed hands in May 2016, when The Portuguese Times sold it to Semba Studio LLC for $350,000. Comcast approved the transaction, and the service subsequently underwent a reported renovation costing approximately $300,000. Semba-related programming later included the revival of Hora Quente, a program produced by Semba Studio CEO Coréon Dú; a pilot aired in December 2017 and the program returned to the channel in 2018. The current schedule described in reference material centers on evening weekday transmission, generally from 6:00 p.m. to midnight, with locally produced news, community talk shows, religious programming, and imported telenovelas from TVI and TV Globo. Mass is broadcast on Sundays and Wednesdays, while weekends emphasize entertainment and repeat broadcasts. In March 2022, the channel expanded its Comcast coverage to 21 additional cities and towns in the Greater Boston area and was assigned channel 93 across Comcast headends in that region. Its role remains that of a regional ethnic-media outlet combining local service, cultural representation, religious content, and international Portuguese-language television.
History
The Portuguese Channel originated in New Bedford, Massachusetts, in response to the area's large Portuguese-American population. Colony Communications president Bruce Clark supported the creation of a Portuguese-language cable service as a means of increasing cable adoption among local residents. The initial pilot launched on August 2, 1976, under the name Panorama de Portugal. António A. Costa presented the program, having previously hosted Passport to Portugal on WTEV-TV. The weekly broadcast appeared on Colony's Channel 13 and became a permanent service in 1978 after attracting sufficient interest. Early operations were based at Colony's New Bedford facilities. The channel mixed locally produced material with programming from Portugal and Brazil. Its output included community features, Portuguese music videos, sports, religious programs, and local affairs. Colony production crews filmed music videos involving Portuguese performers in Portugal and edited them for broadcast. The channel also pursued coverage of Luso American Soccer Association matches. Under Adelino Ferreira, the association's president, the broadcasts became an important communal activity for Portuguese immigrants, who watched them in cafés and other businesses connected to the local cable network. The service received a CableACE Award in 1980. Its audience grew after Eduardo Lima recommended TV Globo's A Escrava Isaura, one of the first Brazilian telenovelas to receive U.S. exposure. The channel continued to show Globo productions even after TV Globo Internacional became available nationally. Lucélia Santos and Rubens de Falco visited New Bedford following the program's success, and other Globo personalities subsequently appeared in connection with the channel. Lima also helped establish a Sunday Mass broadcast for viewers who were unable to attend church because of health constraints. The channel's ambitions extended beyond local cable distribution. In 1983, its ownership group announced plans for satellite distribution to Portugal and Portuguese communities in Europe. By 1984, the channel was transmitting nine hours daily. Its technical staff traveled to mainland Portugal and the Azores to record sporting events for later U.S. broadcasts. At the same time, carriage decisions generated community responses. About 5,000 subscribers objected in 1986 when Spanish International Network programming was carried on the channel. Inland Cable added the service to its lineup in September 1987, and the channel participated in the first Encontro de Televisões de Língua Portuguesa in May 1988. By the end of the 1980s, The Portuguese Times had become the channel's owner. Local demand for dedicated Portuguese-language television remained visible in the 1994 protest by Manuel Bonifácio, who undertook a hunger strike seeking a permanent service from Time Warner Cable. Time Warner proposed placing Portuguese programming on a public-access channel, but Bonifácio maintained that smaller cable systems already offered comparable access. In May 2016, The Portuguese Times sold the channel to Semba Studio LLC for $350,000. Comcast approved the transaction, after which the channel underwent a reported renovation. Semba's production operations also became connected with the revived entertainment program Hora Quente. A pilot aired in December 2017, and the program returned to the channel in 2018. In March 2022, the service expanded its Comcast carriage to 21 additional cities and towns in Greater Boston and adopted channel 93 across Comcast headends in the region. Its documented programming includes weekday evening news and community shows, TVI and TV Globo telenovelas, religious broadcasts, weekend entertainment, and overnight and morning repeats.
- 2022
Greater Boston carriage expansion
[1]Comcast coverage expands to 21 additional Greater Boston communities, with the channel assigned to position 93 across regional Comcast headends.
- 2018
Hora Quente revived
[1]Hora Quente returns to the channel after a pilot broadcast in December 2017.
- 2016
Semba Studio acquisition
[1]The Portuguese Times sells the channel to Semba Studio LLC.
- 1987
Inland Cable adds the channel
[1]Inland Cable adds The Portuguese Channel to its lineup.
- 1984
Daily schedule reaches nine hours
[1]The channel is broadcasting nine hours per day and recording sports in mainland Portugal and the Azores.
- 1983
Satellite distribution plans announced
[1]The ownership group announces plans to distribute programming by satellite to Portugal and European Lusophone communities.
- 1980
CableACE recognition
[1]The channel receives a CableACE Award for specialized programming.
- 1978
Service becomes permanent
[1]The successful pilot develops into a permanent Portuguese-language cable channel.
- 1976
Portuguese-language cable pilot launches
[1]Colony Communications launches Panorama de Portugal as a weekly pilot on August 2, with António A. Costa as presenter.
Products and positioning
A regional Portuguese-language television service that connects Portuguese-American communities in southern New England with local news, community programming, religious broadcasts, cultural content, sports, and television from Portugal, Brazil, and other Lusophone contexts.
Local news
Telejornal
A weekday Portuguese-language news bulletin forming part of the channel's locally produced evening schedule. It provides the service's principal recurring news offering for viewers in southern New England, alongside community-focused discussion and public-affairs programming.
Community affairs
Community talk shows
Locally produced discussion programs addressing community life and issues relevant to Portuguese-speaking residents of the region. These programs support the channel's role as a regional ethnic-media service rather than a purely imported-content outlet.
Drama programming
Portuguese and Brazilian telenovelas
The channel carries serialized television dramas from Portuguese and Brazilian producers, including titles from TVI and TV Globo. A Escrava Isaura was an especially important early acquisition and helped broaden the service's audience beyond locally produced programming.
Religious programming
Mass broadcasts
The channel broadcasts Catholic Mass on Sundays at 7:00 p.m. and Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. The service was introduced in part for viewers who could not attend church in person because of health-related limitations.
Entertainment · 2018
Hora Quente
An entertainment program associated with Semba Studio that was revived for The Portuguese Channel. A pilot episode aired in December 2017, followed by the program's return in 2018 under the production leadership associated with Coréon Dú.
Sports programming
Portuguese sports coverage
The channel has historically carried coverage of Portuguese-American soccer and sporting events recorded in Portugal and the Azores. Early Luso American Soccer Association broadcasts helped turn the service into a gathering point for Portuguese immigrants in local cafés and businesses.
Brand decisions
2022
Expand Comcast carriage in Greater BostonStrategyBackground
The channel sought to reach more Portuguese-speaking viewers beyond its historic New Bedford and Fall River base.
Action taken
Comcast expanded coverage to 21 additional cities and towns in Greater Boston and reassigned the service to channel 93 across regional Comcast headends.
Aftermath
The expansion increased the channel's documented regional distribution footprint.
2016
Sale to Semba StudioM&ABackground
The Portuguese Times had owned the channel by the late 1980s and later chose to sell the service.
Action taken
The Portuguese Times sold The Portuguese Channel to Semba Studio LLC. Comcast approved the transaction, and the channel subsequently underwent a renovation.
Aftermath
The acquisition connected the channel more closely with Semba's production activities, including the revival of Hora Quente.
Reported acquisition price. $350,000 (May 2016)
1978
Convert the pilot into a permanent serviceStrategyBackground
The weekly Panorama de Portugal pilot attracted enough interest among Portuguese-speaking cable viewers to justify a continuing channel.
Action taken
Colony Communications made the service permanent under The Portuguese Channel identity.
Aftermath
The decision established the channel as a long-term regional Portuguese-language television outlet.
Sources2 sources
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