ETB 4

ETB 4, also known as ETB Lau, was the fourth television channel associated with Euskal Irrati Telebista, the public broadcasting group of the Basque Autonomous Community. The channel served viewers in the Basque Country, including the French Basque Country, and broadcast programming in both Basque and Spanish. Its role within the ETB portfolio was broadly complementary: rather than functioning as the principal general-interest service, it assembled entertainment, fiction, sports, and repeat programming drawn from the group’s other channels. The idea for ETB 4 was first made public in 2007. The original concept envisaged a channel devoted primarily to information and culture, with a role comparable in broad positioning to Spain’s La 2 or Catalonia’s El 33. Financial pressures associated with the 2008 financial crisis led Euskal Irrati Telebista to abandon that initial plan. In its place, the broadcaster programmed ETBK Sat, an interim service that combined sports coverage with selected programs from ETB 1 and ETB 2 and material previously shown on ETB Sat. ETB 4 eventually became a formal channel on October 29, 2014. It replaced ETBK Sat in the Basque Country, and the change was made without an earlier public announcement that the service’s identity would be altered. The new channel retained a mixed-content approach rather than the narrower information-and-culture brief originally proposed. Its schedule emphasized entertainment, fiction, sports, and reruns of productions from ETB 1 and ETB 2. This gave Euskal Irrati Telebista an additional outlet for catalogue programming and sports content while expanding the visibility of its wider television operation. ETB 4 operated as part of Euskal Irrati Telebista’s regional broadcasting ecosystem rather than as an independent commercial brand. Its bilingual identity reflected the linguistic environment of the Basque territories, although the available reference material does not establish a fixed language ratio or a complete transmission footprint. The channel’s programming model also connected it to the group’s established services: ETB 1 and ETB 2 supplied much of the repeated or repurposed content, while ETB 4 provided another destination for sports and entertainment. According to the supplied reference material, ETB 4 was renamed ETB2 On beginning March 18, 2026, following an announcement on March 16, 2026. Under the new identity, the service was described as combining content from the former ETB 4 with material from ETB 2, including news programming. The service was also described as becoming a fully Basque-language version of the channel on streaming platforms and the internet. As a result, ETB 4 is best treated as a discontinued channel identity whose programming and distribution role continued, at least in part, under ETB2 On.

ETB 4 was conceived as a fourth television service within Euskal Irrati Telebista, the public broadcasting group serving the Basque Autonomous Community. The project was announced in 2007 and was initially intended to provide information- and culture-oriented programming. Its proposed editorial role was broadly comparable to that of La 2 in Spain or El 33 in Catalonia, suggesting a service focused less on mass-market general entertainment and more on cultural and informational content. The plan was abandoned after the 2008 financial crisis created a less favorable financial environment for launching a new dedicated channel. Instead, Euskal Irrati Telebista used ETBK Sat as an interim service. ETBK Sat combined sports coverage with selected programming from ETB 1 and ETB 2, as well as material that had been broadcast on ETB Sat. This arrangement allowed the group to maintain an additional television outlet without implementing the originally envisioned ETB 4 concept. ETB 4 was ultimately launched on October 29, 2014. It replaced ETBK Sat in the Basque Country, and the transition reportedly took place without a prior announcement that the channel’s identity would change. In practice, ETB 4 developed into a mixed-content channel. Its schedule included entertainment, fiction, sports, and repeat showings of programs originating on ETB 1 and ETB 2. The channel therefore functioned as both a programming outlet in its own right and a complementary platform for the broader ETB television catalogue. The service’s linguistic and geographic identity reflected Euskal Irrati Telebista’s regional remit. ETB 4 broadcast in Basque and Spanish and was associated with audiences in the Basque Autonomous Community and the French Basque Country. The available reference material does not specify the channel’s exact distribution arrangements, audience figures, programming budgets, or individual program titles. It does establish that ETB 4’s programming was centered on the combination of entertainment, fiction, sports, and repurposed material from the group’s other television services. The channel’s identity was later scheduled to change again. A March 16, 2026 announcement stated that ETB 4 would become ETB2 On from March 18. The successor service was described as combining programming from the former ETB 4 with ETB 2 content, including news programs. It was also described as offering a fully Basque-language version through streaming platforms and the internet. On that basis, ETB 4 should be understood as a discontinued channel brand whose television role was reorganized under the ETB2 On identity.

• 2026

  Channel identity scheduled to change to ETB2 On

  [1]ETB 4en.wikipedia.org

  An announcement on March 16 stated that the channel would be renamed ETB2 On from March 18 and would combine former ETB 4 material with ETB 2 programming.

• 2014

  ETB 4 launches

  [1]ETB 4en.wikipedia.org

  ETB 4 began broadcasting on October 29, replacing ETBK Sat in the Basque Country.

• 2008

  Original launch plan abandoned

  [1]ETB 4en.wikipedia.org

  The proposed ETB 4 project was discarded in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, and ETBK Sat was used instead as an interim service.

• 2007

  Initial ETB 4 proposal announced

  [1]ETB 4en.wikipedia.org

  Euskal Irrati Telebista announced a planned fourth channel intended to focus on information and culture.

A complementary regional television service within the Euskal Irrati Telebista portfolio, combining entertainment, fiction, sports, and repeat programming for audiences in the Basque Country.

• Regional television channel · 2014

  ETB 4

  ETB 4 was a regional television channel operated within the Euskal Irrati Telebista group. It broadcast in Basque and Spanish for audiences in the Basque Country and carried a mixed schedule of entertainment, fiction, sports, and repeat programming from ETB 1 and ETB 2. The service launched in 2014 after replacing ETBK Sat and later transitioned toward the ETB2 On identity.

• Interim satellite television service

  ETBK Sat

  ETBK Sat was the interim channel used after the original ETB 4 proposal was abandoned. Its schedule combined sports broadcasts with programming from ETB 1 and ETB 2 and content that had previously aired on ETB Sat. ETB 4 replaced the service in the Basque Country in 2014.

• 2026

  Transition from ETB 4 to ETB2 OnGeneration change

  Background

  Euskal Irrati Telebista announced a new identity and programming structure for the service.

  Action taken

  From March 18, the channel was scheduled to operate as ETB2 On, combining former ETB 4 content with ETB 2 material, including news programming.

  Aftermath

  The successor was also described as providing a fully Basque-language version through streaming platforms and the internet.

  Source

• 2014

  Launch of ETB 4Product launch

  Background

  ETBK Sat had been serving as an interim outlet after the original ETB 4 concept was postponed.

  Action taken

  Euskal Irrati Telebista launched ETB 4 on October 29 as the replacement for ETBK Sat in the Basque Country.

  Aftermath

  The new channel carried entertainment, fiction, sports, and repeat programming from ETB 1 and ETB 2.

  Source

• 2008

  Replace the original ETB 4 plan with ETBK SatStrategy

  Background

  The financial crisis made it impractical to proceed with the originally announced information- and culture-focused ETB 4 channel.

  Action taken

  Euskal Irrati Telebista abandoned the initial ETB 4 project and programmed ETBK Sat as an interim service using sports and existing ETB content.

  Aftermath

  The ETB 4 identity was eventually introduced in 2014, replacing ETBK Sat in the Basque Country.

  Source

1. 1ETB 4en.wikipedia.org
2. 2Euskal Irrati Telebista television websiteeitb.eus