ERT2 Sport
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA Greek public-service television channel operated by the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation and dedicated to sports programming.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
ERT2 Sport is a Greek free-to-air television channel belonging to the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as ERT. It is the second television service in the ERT family and is associated with the long-running second-channel tradition of Greek public broadcasting. The channel’s institutional history reaches back to 1966, when Greece established a second television service under the Armed Forces Television structure. That service became the Armed Forces Information Service, or YENED, in 1970. On 3 November 1982, YENED was transferred from military to civilian control and renamed ERT2. The channel initially operated as a broad general-interest public television service. In 1987, ERT and ERT2 were consolidated within a single broadcasting organization, and the two services were relaunched under the names ET1 and ET2. As commercial television expanded in Greece, the second channel faced growing audience competition. In response, ET2 was substantially repositioned in 1997 as a news, information, documentary, and sports service. The new identity, NET, meaning New Hellenic Television, was introduced on 20 October 1997. NET became part of one of the most significant institutional crises in modern Greek broadcasting. On 11 June 2013, the Greek government announced the closure of ERT. The terrestrial service was taken off air, but employees continued to produce and distribute programming through internet and satellite channels, with assistance from the European Broadcasting Union. NET’s online continuation ended on 7 November 2013 after police entered the former ERT headquarters and interrupted the remaining internet-based operation. When ERT was relaunched on 11 June 2015, the second television service returned under the ERT2 name, effectively occupying the position previously associated with NERIT Plus. For much of the following period, ERT2 carried a varied public-service schedule. Its output included cultural and arts programs, documentaries, informational programming, imported drama, children’s content, educational material, and selected live events. Examples of its cultural programming included Art Week, The Era of Images, Without Question, Ancient Drama, and Athens Tower. The channel also carried sports and major international events, including Formula One coverage and Eurovision-related programming at different points in its history. According to the cited reference material, ERT2 is scheduled to be rebranded ERT2 Sport from 4 October 2025. Under the new format, the channel is intended to become an exclusively sports-oriented service. The planned sports identity is connected with a protocol involving the Hellenic Olympic Committee, stated to remain valid through the end of 2027. This change would distinguish ERT2 Sport from ERT1 and ERT3 by concentrating the second channel on sports coverage, competitions, event programming, and related public-service content. The channel’s exact post-rebrand schedule, rights portfolio, and long-term operating model remain dependent on official ERT announcements and broadcasting arrangements.
History
ERT2 Sport is the announced sports-focused successor to the second television service of Greece's public broadcaster, ERT. Its history begins with the creation of a second Greek television channel on 27 February 1966. The service was established by the Hellenic Armed Forces as Armed Forces Television, or TED. In 1970 it became the Armed Forces Information Service, YENED, and broadcast a broad schedule containing news, sports, music, drama, fashion, documentaries, films, and children's programs. On 3 November 1982, YENED was placed under civilian control and renamed ERT2. At that time, Greece's public broadcasters had no domestic commercial television competitors and the channel followed a general-interest model. In 1987, ERT and ERT2 were reorganized as one company, with the channels renamed ET1 and ET2. The second service subsequently faced declining audience share as private television networks entered the Greek market and competed for mass audiences. The broadcaster responded with a major repositioning in 1997. ET2 was reshaped around news, information, documentaries, and sports, and adopted the name NET, an abbreviation of Nea Elliniki Tileorasi, or New Hellenic Television. The NET branding appeared from 20 October 1997. During this period, the service combined public-affairs and informational material with cultural programs, sports coverage, international series, films, and children's programming. A major interruption occurred in 2013. On 11 June, the Greek government announced the closure of ERT. The terrestrial broadcasts ended, but ERT personnel continued to operate NET and related services through internet and satellite distribution. The European Broadcasting Union supported the continuation of the signal during the dispute. On 7 November 2013, police entered the ERT headquarters and stopped the remaining internet-based programming from the site. ERT was relaunched on 11 June 2015, and the second television service returned as ERT2, taking the position previously associated with NERIT Plus. During its ERT2 phase, the channel again carried a broad public-service schedule. Cultural and arts programs included Art Week, The Era of Images, Without Question, Ancient Drama, and Athens Tower. The schedule also included documentaries, imported series such as Borgen, Downton Abbey, Murdoch Mysteries, and Parade's End, children's programs, educational television, films, and selected live events. Sports remained an important part of the output, including Formula One qualifying and race coverage. The cited reference material identifies 4 October 2025 as the planned start date for the ERT2 Sport identity. The proposed change would convert the channel from a mixed public-service schedule into an exclusively sports-oriented channel. It is also associated with a protocol involving the Hellenic Olympic Committee, described as running until the end of 2027. ERT2 Sport therefore represents both a new programming strategy and the latest stage in the long institutional evolution of Greece's second public television service.
- 2025
Planned ERT2 Sport rebrand
[1]The channel is scheduled to become ERT2 Sport on 4 October and adopt an all-sports format.
- 2015
Second channel returns as ERT2
[1]ERT's relaunch restored the second service under the ERT2 name, replacing NERIT Plus in that channel position.
- 2013
ERT closure and end of the protest-era NET broadcast
[1]ERT was closed by government decision in June. Staff continued NET online and by satellite until police ended the operation at the headquarters on 7 November.
- 1997
ET2 becomes NET
[1]The second service was repositioned toward news, information, documentaries, and sports; the NET identity appeared on 20 October.
- 1987
Channels relaunched as ET1 and ET2
[1]ERT and ERT2 were consolidated within one company and their services were branded ET1 and ET2.
- 1982
YENED transferred to civilian control and renamed ERT2
[1]The second channel moved under civilian administration on 3 November and adopted the ERT2 name.
- 1970
TED becomes YENED
[1]The service was reorganized as the Armed Forces Information Service and expanded its general-interest programming.
- 1966
Second Greek television service created
[1]A second television channel was established on 27 February under the Armed Forces Television structure, known as TED.
Products and positioning
A Greek public-service television channel whose second-service heritage evolved from general-interest broadcasting into information, documentary, cultural, and sports programming, with an announced transition to an all-sports format under the ERT2 Sport name.
Public television channel · 1982
ERT2 general-interest television service
The ERT2 service historically carried a mixed public-service schedule rather than a single genre. Its output included news and information, documentaries, arts and culture, imported drama, films, children's programs, educational television, and live events. This broad format reflected the channel's role as the second general-interest service of Greece's national broadcaster.
Sports television channel · 2025
ERT2 Sport
ERT2 Sport is the planned sports-only format for the second ERT television channel. The announced repositioning is intended to concentrate the service on sports broadcasts and related programming, with a reported protocol involving the Hellenic Olympic Committee through the end of 2027.
Brand decisions
2025
Conversion of ERT2 into ERT2 SportGeneration changeBackground
ERT is planning to differentiate its second channel through a dedicated sports identity.
Action taken
From 4 October 2025, ERT2 is scheduled to be rebranded ERT2 Sport and operate with an exclusively sports-focused format. The plan includes a protocol with the Hellenic Olympic Committee through the end of 2027.
Aftermath
The channel's final rights package, schedule, and longer-term performance are not established in the supplied material.
2015
Return of ERT2Product launchBackground
The relaunch of ERT restored a second public television service after the closure period and the intervening NERIT arrangement.
Action taken
The channel returned under the ERT2 name, technically replacing NERIT Plus in the second-service position.
Aftermath
ERT2 resumed a broad schedule combining culture, documentaries, information, entertainment, children's content, and sports.
2013
Government closure of ERTOtherBackground
The Greek government announced the closure of the public broadcaster on 11 June 2013.
Action taken
Terrestrial ERT services, including NET, were taken off air, while employees maintained a satellite and internet operation during the protests.
Aftermath
Police ended the remaining operation at the ERT headquarters on 7 November 2013. The public broadcaster later returned in 2015.
1997
Repositioning of ET2 as NETStrategyBackground
The arrival of private television channels weakened the audience position of the second public channel.
Action taken
ERT reshaped ET2 around news, information, documentaries, and sports and introduced the NET identity.
Aftermath
NET became the second service's principal identity until the later ERT relaunch and the return to ERT2.
Sources2 sources
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