Who Owns TV Globo?

Roberto Marinho, owner of the newspaper O Globo and radio stations since the 1920s family media origins, won a television concession in 1957 and launched TV Globo in Rio de Janeiro on April 26, 1965. The network expanded through owned stations in Sao Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Recife, and Brasilia, plus affiliated stations nationwide.

The 1970s and 1980s built the Globo formula: nightly telenovelas that became a national ritual, the flagship newscast Jornal Nacional, and the 'Padrao Globo de Qualidade' production standard. Hits like 'O Clone' and 'Avenida Brasil' turned telenovelas into a major export, sold to more than 100 countries. The network's reach and cultural dominance made it a political force, and historians continue to debate its relationship with Brazil's 1964 to 1985 military regime, which Globo itself acknowledged in 2013 as an editorial error.

Audience dominance peaked in the 1990s when Globo routinely commanded over half of Brazilian prime-time viewing. Cable channels, the Estudios Globo production complex, and sports rights, especially football and Formula 1, reinforced the position.

The 2010s brought disruption: streaming, cord-cutting, and competition eroded broadcast audiences, though Globo remained number one. The group responded with Globoplay (launched 2015), which became Brazil's leading domestic streaming service, and heavy investment in original series for digital. As of 2026, TV Globo remains Brazil's most-watched network by a wide margin, while the group increasingly measures success across linear, streaming, and digital combined.