OP12 was the name of the third channel of Belgium's VRT and featured evening broadcasts. The channel launched on 14 May 2012, and closed on 31 December 2014. The channel's name was derived from the digital channel number that the station was assigned on most digital television platforms.
History
In December 1997, the VRT's second channel was split into two distinct channels: Canvas, aimed at an intellectual audience, and Ketnet, a children's channel. Both channels were broadcast on the same frequency: Ketnet typically ran from 6am until 8pm, with Canvas broadcasting from 8pm until the early hours of the morning. This setup remained in place until early 2012, when the VRT decided to extend the broadcasting hours of Canvas, in order to broadcast more documentaries, archival content, current affairs and political coverage; as a result, on 1 May 2012, Canvas and Ketnet were split, with Ketnet moving to channel 12 on most television platforms. On 14 May 2012, OP12 began evening broadcasts: these were primarily aimed at young people and expatriates living in Flanders, with cultural events and sport also being broadcast. The aim of the third channel was also to further strengthen the public mission of the VRT. In its first year of broadcasting, the channel primarily broadcast sport and programmes aimed at young people; in the autumn of 2013 followed a more comprehensive range of programming, albeit consisting largely of repeats. The OP12 name was often used in combination with some of the famous brands of the VRT; for example, concerts would often be broadcast under the name "Studio Brussel op 12", and live sports broadcasts under the name "Sporza op 12". Due to financial cutbacks, the VRT announced that evening broadcasts on OP12 would cease on December 31, 2014. The channel remains in use for overspill; for example, during major sporting events, and when extra programming from Eén and Canvas is broadcast, under the respective titles Eén+ and Canvas+.
