Government launches TV Brasil Internacional after “resentment” from Lula

Seven months after President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) mentioned that he would like to create a television channel to be broadcast in other countries, the government officially launched on Tuesday (26) TV Brasil Internacional, broadcast to 12 countries and via Internet.

The channel is also managed by Empresa Brasil de Comunicação (EBC) and broadcasts programs already broadcast on TV Brasil, but selected and organized in order to meet the demands of Brazilians living abroad. There are four programming slots that alternate throughout the day to accommodate the different time zones in South America, where the countries covered in this first phase are located.

Jean Lima, president of EBC, stated that TV Brasil Internacional has a potential audience of 4.5 million Brazilians living abroad and that, according to him, “they lack news with credibility and quality content to inform themselves about what happens in Brazil and connect with the country”.

He also stated that the channel “wants to be the TV that shows Brazil to the world”. It’s a similar statement to Lula’s when he mentioned his intention to create the channel, who said that “a country the size of Brazil has to have international TV”.

“We need to promote the beautiful things, the good things that the country has. We have extraordinary cuisine, culture, music, museums, forests, mountain beaches,” he said.

On another occasion, the chief minister of the Communication Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic (Secom), Paulo Pimenta, stated that Lula “resents” that, during his trips abroad, he did not find content “that shows Brazil and publicizes things from Brazil”.

He stated that the president “has a lot of desire, desire” to “return to having a space to promote Brazil”. In October last year, the then CEO of EBC, Hélio Doyle, announced the resumption of the project with the creation of a working group to recreate the channel, which came into force between 2010 and 2017.

Doyle was fired days later for making a post critical of Israel on social media, calling the nation’s supporters “idiots.” “You don’t have to be a Zionist to support Israel. Being an idiot is enough,” he said, declaring himself pro-Palestine after the attack by the terrorist group Hamas that started the conflict.

The launch of TV Brasil Internacional also occurs days after EBC expanded the National Public Communication Network (RNCP), with broadcasters from 11 state and municipal universities. The partnership led to the integration of a further 15 TV and 20 radio channels, which allows the network to have 117 TV and 155 radio stations.

Infographics Gazeta do Povo[Clique para ampliar]

Content transmitted by the channel

According to information from Brazil Agencythe first track on TV Brasil Internacional focuses on content such as cooking programs and productions about nature and the environment, such as Sabor e Afeto, Cozinha Amazônica, Meu Pedaço de Brasil and Parques do Brasil.

The second track brings information and culture, with programs such as the news program Repórter Brasil, Sem Censura and the award-winning Caminhos da Reportagem.

The third track is dedicated to music, with programs such as Samba na Gamboa, Canto e Sabor and Todas as Bossas. Finally, the fourth track focuses on tourism and travel, exploring the regional and cultural diversity of Brazil, with attractions such as Rotas, Bem Bahia and Expedições.

In a second phase of the project, scheduled for 2024, TV Brasil Internacional will feature its own exclusive productions. The channel is now available free of charge via the internet and via the TV Brasil Internacional app, for Android and iOS devices. Furthermore, it will be accessible via digital dish in 12 countries in South America, totaling a potential reach of 1 million Brazilians.

EBC is also negotiating with pay TV operators to make the channel available to the public through this medium, with priority for Portuguese-speaking countries and South America.

The next phases of the project include expansion to countries in North America, Europe, Africa and Asia, with the potential to reach a total of 4.5 million Brazilians in 79 countries around the world.

Infographics Gazeta do Povo[Clique para ampliar]