8TV (Catalonia)
Encyclopedia
8TV (ˈbujt ˈte ˈβe) is a Catalan
private tv station based in Barcelona
, Spain. The channel is run by Grupo Godó and broadcasts from street-level studios on the Avenida Diagonal in the heart of Barcelona.
name and brand identity, similar to the Citytv system of television stations in Canada and licensed to Grupo Godó by CHUM Limited
.
Officially limited to inner Barcelona, it slowly expanded its coverage to the suburbs of the city, as well as other important places such as Girona
or Lleida
.
In 2003, Emissions Digitals de Catalunya (Digital Broadcasting of Catalonia), won a bid for a digital license to broadcast in all Catalonia
, (DVB-T
). As the Godó group was part of this commercial bid, CityTV could (by law) broadcast as a de facto Catalonia-wide station, but only in digital.
As the first launch of Digital terrestrial television
in Catalan Countries in 2003 did not succeed, most television channels decided to postpone any further plans to broadcast in digital. Consequently, Citytv continued to expand its analogue coverage in the following years. For all this, it was not until March 2005 that Citytv began broadcasting in DVB-T in March 2005 (restricted to Barcelona).
With a steady relaunch of Digital terrestrial television in November 2005, the channel's owners decided to rename Citytv to 8TV and become a private Catalan broadcaster.
On 27 February 2006, the channel was renamed TD8 (Televisió Digital 8 "Digital Television 8"), and began broadcasting to all Catalonia (in analogue). Initial digital coverage was limited to Barcelona, but in 4 April 2006 TD8 it was also available in Tarragona
, Girona
and Lleida
. Later that year, TD8 was once again renamed 8TV- vuit televisió (eight television).
One original program on the station was Notícies 10, airing at 8:25 pm.
Catalan language
Catalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...
private tv station based in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Spain. The channel is run by Grupo Godó and broadcasts from street-level studios on the Avenida Diagonal in the heart of Barcelona.
History
8TV began as a local tv channel in Barcelona in 2001. In its early years, the station used the CitytvCitytv
Citytv is a Canadian English language television system owned and operated by Rogers Communications under its Rogers Broadcasting Ltd. division...
name and brand identity, similar to the Citytv system of television stations in Canada and licensed to Grupo Godó by CHUM Limited
CHUM Limited
CHUM Limited was a media company based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada from 1945 to 2007. Immediately prior to its acquisition, it held full or joint control of two Canadian television systems — Citytv and A-Channel — comprising 11 local stations, and one CBC Television affiliate, one...
.
Officially limited to inner Barcelona, it slowly expanded its coverage to the suburbs of the city, as well as other important places such as Girona
Girona
Girona is a city in the northeast of Catalonia, Spain at the confluence of the rivers Ter, Onyar, Galligants and Güell, with an official population of 96,236 in January 2009. It is the capital of the province of the same name and of the comarca of the Gironès...
or Lleida
Lleida
Lleida is a city in the west of Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital city of the province of Lleida, as well as the largest city in the province and it had 137,387 inhabitants , including the contiguous municipalities of Raimat and Sucs. The metro area has about 250,000 inhabitants...
.
In 2003, Emissions Digitals de Catalunya (Digital Broadcasting of Catalonia), won a bid for a digital license to broadcast in all Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
, (DVB-T
DVB-T
DVB-T is an abbreviation for Digital Video Broadcasting — Terrestrial; it is the DVB European-based consortium standard for the broadcast transmission of digital terrestrial television that was first published in 1997 and first broadcast in the UK in 1998...
). As the Godó group was part of this commercial bid, CityTV could (by law) broadcast as a de facto Catalonia-wide station, but only in digital.
As the first launch of Digital terrestrial television
Digital terrestrial television
Digital terrestrial television is the technological evolution of broadcast television and advance from analog television, which broadcasts land-based signals...
in Catalan Countries in 2003 did not succeed, most television channels decided to postpone any further plans to broadcast in digital. Consequently, Citytv continued to expand its analogue coverage in the following years. For all this, it was not until March 2005 that Citytv began broadcasting in DVB-T in March 2005 (restricted to Barcelona).
With a steady relaunch of Digital terrestrial television in November 2005, the channel's owners decided to rename Citytv to 8TV and become a private Catalan broadcaster.
On 27 February 2006, the channel was renamed TD8 (Televisió Digital 8 "Digital Television 8"), and began broadcasting to all Catalonia (in analogue). Initial digital coverage was limited to Barcelona, but in 4 April 2006 TD8 it was also available in Tarragona
Tarragona
Tarragona is a city located in the south of Catalonia on the north-east of Spain, by the Mediterranean. It is the capital of the Spanish province of the same name and the capital of the Catalan comarca Tarragonès. In the medieval and modern times it was the capital of the Vegueria of Tarragona...
, Girona
Girona
Girona is a city in the northeast of Catalonia, Spain at the confluence of the rivers Ter, Onyar, Galligants and Güell, with an official population of 96,236 in January 2009. It is the capital of the province of the same name and of the comarca of the Gironès...
and Lleida
Lleida
Lleida is a city in the west of Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital city of the province of Lleida, as well as the largest city in the province and it had 137,387 inhabitants , including the contiguous municipalities of Raimat and Sucs. The metro area has about 250,000 inhabitants...
. Later that year, TD8 was once again renamed 8TV- vuit televisió (eight television).
Programming
The station broadcasts a mixture of old films, entertainment (Arucitys; Envasat al 8; X-tra; Amics, coneguts i saludats), news (Noticíes 8 ), sports (Força Barça), cartoons (Garfield & Xou de Lupo i DuesEspatlles). Most programs are broadcast in Catalan, but foreign films and series are dubbed in Spanish.One original program on the station was Notícies 10, airing at 8:25 pm.