Sport fans will gain a new alternative to accompany their favorite modalities from this Saturday (16/08). This is the date on which it will debut X-Sports, a new dedicated open channel100% to sports broadcasts, with free programming 24 hours a day-something unprecedented since the end of interactive sport as a linear channel in 2018.
The new broadcaster assumes the place of the extinct Ideal TV and will be available in much of the country through digital TV and also in the main payroll operators.
Who are those responsible for X-Sports? The percent station to ESPN? THE Sporting News answer next.
Is X-Sports from ESPN?
ESPN is not owned or has a participation in X-Sports. The initiative came from the Kalunga Group, a stationery company and computer science.
Paulo Garcia and José Roberto Garcia are the owners of Kalunga and investors behind the new sports channel of Brazilian open TV. ESPN’s relationship with X-Sports is a competition subliceming partnership that will be transmitted by the new station.
The partnership with ESPN involves the rights to broadcast the main alloys of European football, including Premier League, Laliga, Serie A and Liga Portugal, which are transmitted by ESPN/Disney channels and will also be part of the X-Sports programming (check out the channel debut programming below).
X-Sports: August 16 programming
- 11h (Brasilia) – Tottenham x Burnley – Premier League
- 13h (Brasilia) – Blackburn x Birmigham – Championship (2nd Division of England)
- 3:30 pm (from Brasilia) – Stuttgart x Bayern Munich – Germany Super Cup
- 18h (Brasilia) – Stage of Silesia (in) of the Diamond League of Athletics
- 8:30 pm (from Brasilia) – NASCAR – Richmond Stage (USA)
Day 16, huh! Note! 📝🔥👀
We already know the anxiety you are to the debut of the newest sports channel of Brazilian TV. Next Saturday we will air with the best of European football.
You do not lose by waiting! 🫵
Hit on ❌! pic.twitter.com/mBqTYMrMN2
— Xsports (@xsportsbrasil) August 10, 2025
X-Sports: Channel Number
Learn the number of X-Sports in your city.
Digital Open TV:
São Paulo:
- Araçatuba – Channel 57.1
- Bauru – Channel 38.1
- Bebedouro – Channel 55.1
- Botucatu – Channel 38.1
- Franca – Channel 55.1
- Jaú – Channel 39.1
- Piracicaba – Channel 24.1
- Prudent President – Channel 58.1
- Ribeirão Preto – Channel 55.1
- Santos – Channel 56.1
- São José do Rio Preto – Channel 15.1
- São José dos Campos – Channel 32.1
- São Manuel – Channel 39.1
- São Paulo – Channel 32.1
Southeast:
- Angra dos Reis – Channel 51.1
- Belo Horizonte – Channel 16.1
- Juiz de Fora – Channel 18.1
- Rio de Janeiro – Channel 48.1
- Vitória – Channel 28.1
Midwest:
- Brasília – Channel 32.1
- Big Campo – Channel 39.1
- Cuiabá – Channel 25.1
- Goiânia – Channel 48.1
North East:
- Natal – Channel 25.1
- São Luís – Channel 18.1
- Teresina – Channel 29.1
- Salvador – Channel 13.1
- Fortaleza – Channel 11.1
- Caruaru – Channel 51.1
- Recife – canal 7.1
- João Pessoa – Channel 32.1
- Maceió – Channel 32.1
On the:
- Cascavel – Channel 43.1
- Caxias do Sul – Channel 25.1
- Curitiba – Channel 29.1
- Foz do Iguaçu – Channel 15.1
- Londrina – Channel 44.1
- Maringá – Canal 25.1
- Balls – Channel 24.1
- Ponta Grossa – Channel 35.1
- Porto Alegre – Channel 14.1
- Santa Maria – Channel 21.1
Norte:
- Belém – Channel 25.1
- Boa Vista – Channel 27.1
- Manaus – Channel 23.1
- Palmas – Channel 32.1
- Porto Velho – Channel 45.1
- Rio Branco – Channel 40.1
Operators Por subscription:
- Claro TV – canal 525
- I live play – canal 522
- Hi tv – canal 20
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X-Sports: Championships and Events
A X-Sports will have a menu of events that draws attention. Through a SUBLICANCTION AGREEMENT WITH ESPNthe channel will broadcast exclusively on TV open championships of European football:
- Premier League (England)
- LaLiga (Spain) – 2 games per round, a live and a replay
- Serie A (Italy)
- Liga Portugal
- EFL Championship (2nd English division)
- King’s Cup (Spain)
- German Cup
The grid will also include Volleyball, basketball, athletics, e-sports e motorsporthighlighting the 2025 season of Nascar.
In addition to live display, part of the program will be available in YouTubewith the exception of tournaments whose contract requires exclusivity on open TV. It is expected that live events will occupy between 40% and 50% of daily programming.
See other confirmed competitions:
- Diamond League (Athletics)
- UTS (Tennis)
- NBB (New Basketball Brazil)
- NASCAR (MOTORS)
- CEV Champions League (European volleyball)
- Legends Global Champions (equestrian)
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X-Sports: Commentarians and Narrators
X-Sports will have a cast of experienced and renowned professionals. Look confirmed narrators and commentators:
Narrators
- Aldo Luiz
- Álvaro José
- Dudu Monsanto
- Elaine trevisan
- Milton Milk
- Rodrigo Bittar
Commentators
- Cristian Baroni (former player of Athletico and Corinthians)
- Danilo Castro (Basketball)
- FELIPPE FACIANCIANI
- Gabriel Beting
- José Neto (Basketball)
- Mauro Beting
- Raí Monteiro
- Rodrigo Lazarini
The station will still have Partnerships with content creatorsseeking to expand interaction with younger and multiplatform audiences.
X-Sports: impact and audience
In total, open TV reaches up to 82 million viewers, 42 million through the band KU and another 26 million connected via pay -TV. Therefore, according to X-Sports executives, the sports channel will have a potential range of 53 million households approximately 150 million viewers. Garcia classifies the project as “pioneer and consolidated” in the Brazilian television business.
X-Sports: histonic and structure
X-Sports will work with the technical structure of Ideal TVallowing national coverage through digital satellite antennas e Pay TV operators.
The project resumes the desire of Kalunga Group to invest in television media. The company had launched the Loadingchannel focused on pop culture in 2020. Despite a good initial audience, the channel ended in 2021 due to the pandemic trade impacts.
Recently, the group also declined a proposal from the Young Pan Groupwhich was interested in the same frequency to launch a journalistic channel.
Will X-Sports and ESPN have equal programs?
While sharing competition rights with the new partner, ESPN (Disney) follows its exclusive programming for paid channels and streaming via Disney+including tournaments such as Copa Libertadores, South American Cupin addition to a collection of more than 1,000 games per seasonin about 300 live events per week and more than 20 sports.
Programs such as SportsCenter, Pass Line, Ball of the Time and Review ESPN remain exclusive on the group’s platforms.
X-Sports: programs and attractions
The 24 -hour schedule of X-Sports It will focus on live events, especially the main sports throughout the day and dawn. To complement the grid, the channel will display two studio programs: Central X, focused on news-still defining if it will be exclusive to football-and the green carpet, dedicated to football, with pre and post-game schedules.
In addition, there will be programs that specialize in the European Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and Bundesliga alloys. On August 18, after the first broadcast weekend, a program debuts with the best goals of the home round.
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