Rede 21 Comunicações S.A. | |
Type: | Broadcast television network |
Headquarters: | São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil |
Country: | Brazil |
Owner: | Grupo Bandeirantes de Comunicação |
Parent: | Band, BandNews TV, BandSports, Arte1, Terra Viva |
Key People: | Johnny Saad |
Picture Format: | 480i (SDTV) 1080i (HDTV) |
Former Names: | Canal 21 PlayTV |
Servicename1: | NET |
Service1: | Channel 24 |
Servicename2: | Vivo TV |
Service2: | Channel 15 |
Affiliation: | Rede Mundial (2008–2013) TV Universal (2013–2022) Canal Empreender (2022-2023) TV Terra Viva (2023-present) |
Rede 21 (Portuguese for 21 Network) is a Brazilian television network, launched on October 21, 1996 (relaunched on July 7, 2008), as Canal 21, broadcasting only for São Paulo. It grew to a network in 2003 with the addition of the TV Brasília affiliation. Before this, Salvador and Macapá pass to have the 21 signal. In 2003, Rio de Janeiro received the 21 on channel 54 UHF by retransmission, but shut down at the end of 2005.
In 2005, the network nationally broadcast five hours, from 7pm to 12am, but had good quality. Most part of this schedule was occupied by Japanese cartoons and American series like Sex and the City, The X-Files and That '70s Show.
The network had presence in 14 cities in 2004, but in this time of the year lost affiliates in Porto Alegre, Belo Horizonte, Vitória and Rio de Janeiro.
At the end of 2005, the small schedule and prime time from 7pm at 12am was further reduced. The newscast host and the Blog 21 hosts were fired and was canceled the programs Top of the Pops, Doc 21 (with the National Geographic documentaries), the sitcom Seinfeld and Top of the Pops Brasil and put on air the Gamecorp programs.
On June 5, 2006, Rede 21 shut down and Play TV was put in its place.
After two years off the air, on July 7, 2008, Rede 21 came back on, after the disaccord between Grupo Bandeirantes and Gamecorp. In August 2008, the network aired a programming block from the World Church of God's Power. In 2013 the network switched to simulcasting the agro-business network Terraviva. In 2014 the network became a full-time Universal Church of the Kingdom of God. In 2022 it began to simulcast Canal Empreender, and in 2023 it returned to air Terraviva programming. Bandeirantes announced to switch Rede 21 into a full-time sportainment network as the channel content consists of live sports and entertainment programs, this channel also often broadcasts football tournaments from the international, regional, and local ones. Other than that, there's also many more entertainment programs.