SIC Notícias

SIC Notícias is the cable news channel of the Portuguese television network SIC and the second thematic channel of the station. It is available on basic cable and satellite. It replaced CNL, a Lisbon region independent cable news channel owned by TV Cabo, on January 8, 2001. The channel was created as means to lure subscribers to TV Cabo, which needed a stronger Portuguese news channel after the CNL experiment failed. Since the end of 2003, SIC Notícias has also been available in Angola and Mozambique via satellite or cable. The channel is especially developed for cable, and its programming is almost totally made up of information and news programs. In response to its success, the public television network RTP bought NTV, Northern Portugal's news channel, and transformed it into RTPN in 2004, directly competing with SIC Notícias. Beside the rolling-news blocks, it also offers special editions and thematic programs on economy, health, interviews, show business, automobile industry, advertising and sports. The channels' primetime news program, Jornal das Nove, airing from 9-10 p.m., is hosted by Mário Crespo.