RTP1 is the main
television channel of
Rádio e Televisão de Portugal, the
Portuguese public broadcasting corporation. Portugal's first channel, RTP1 was launched in 1957 as RTP. For a brief period it was known and marketed as
Canal 1 (Channel 1); it is still commonly called this. It is one of the most watched television networks in the country. The channel became a 24-hour service in 2002, although it now leases its
graveyard slot (3:56am to 5:59am) to the infomercial producer and direct-response marketer, A Loja Em Casa (in turn owned by
El Corte Inglés). Up until that point, RTP1 closed down with
the national anthem, but this practice stopped not too long before infomercials filled the overnight slots.