TNT Sports Chile is a privately owned sports pay TV channel of Chile. It launched in 2003 and it was controlled by the Asociación Nacional de Fútbol Profesional, the Chilean football league after of the authorization of sale by the FNE (Fiscalia Nacional Económica) in Chile. Now is operated by Warner Bros. Discovery International. Originally called CDF (acronym of Canal del Fútbol), it was renamed on January 17, 2021.[1][2]
History
Created at the beginning of 2003 to broadcast the national championship after the ANFP finalized contracts with Fox Sports, the SKY satellite signal, and National Television of Chile, the latter did not reach a new agreement. This decision led in not pursuing a bidding process. The ANFP leadership headed by Reinaldo Sánchez decided to execute the proposal by businessman Jorge Claro where all 32 professional football clubs obtain all the benefits of a collective bargaining agreement from television broadcasting rights. This meant without an intermediary whom Claro was directly the negotiator in a desperate attempt to restore the Chilean game in financial constraints.
At first, it was projected that the channel would be available through cable operators and UHF signal decoders upon payment of a monthly fee.