With a proposal that unites sports, games, and pop culture in a single ecosystem, Rede Ronaldo emerges as the evolution of the former Ronaldo TV and consolidates a new moment for the Phenomenon’s brand in the digital environment. Under the management of Buiu Frenesi and Ronaldo, the project broadens horizons by transforming the channel into a network of segmented content — from the gaming universe to the future children’s channel Rede Ronaldo Kids — guided by a simple and powerful purpose: to create connections, open opportunities for new talents, and bring lightness to the audience amidst the accelerated consumption of sports streaming.
The Ronaldo Network unites sports, games, and pop culture — three universal passions. How did this idea of creating a hub that blends all these worlds under Ronaldo’s name come about?
Well, first of all: Ronaldo’s old network was Ronaldo TV, where he did live streams of games and gameplay to connect with fans. During the pandemic, he felt it was important for people to see him playing and interacting.
When management passed to me and Ronald, we wanted to give it a new branding. “Rede” (Network) refers to connections: a network of goals, a communication network, a network of people… So, we thought about transforming that into a broader ecosystem.
Since Ronaldo is very involved in football, but also enjoys other areas — finance, general sports, tennis, golf, games — we created a network of channels. Today we already have the games channel, and we are preparing the children’s channel, the Ronaldo Kids Network. The idea is not to have everything mixed together in one place. That’s why we made this change: to organize the ecosystem and expand the possibilities.
Ronaldo revolutionized football on the field. Now, his brand is helping to transform how people consume sports online. What is the main purpose behind the Ronaldo Network?
Without a doubt, he was one of the greatest players in history, in Brazil and in the world. His expertise on the field, his positioning, his game reading… that was always very strong. Ronald always tells me that our goal is to create connections and transform lives: to open doors for new talents, new cameras, people from the community, people who don’t yet have opportunities in the market.
The idea is to help people, deliver good content, good broadcasts, and bring lightness to those who are at home. We want to improve the audience’s mood, bring happiness, and also generate financial opportunities for those who work with us — freelancers, producers, newcomers to the market.
Live streaming on YouTube and Twitch puts the audience inside the game in a different way. How do you envision this interactive experience to connect fans and content creators?
What we aim to deliver in our experiences is always quality: good games, good teams, good broadcasts. And, above all, joy. We don’t want to be a channel for arguments or gossip. Our experience is about comfort and ease — whether on TV, in the car, or on your phone.
We know that a channel like this takes longer to grow, but our main goal is to bring joy, because that’s what’s missing. Joy and love.
Ronaldo Fenômeno is an iconic figure. How does he participate in the Ronaldo Network today—in a more creative, strategic, or inspirational way?
He is our founder. The management is mine and Ronald’s, and Ronaldo appears as an advisory figure. He gets involved in projects at the right time, with his image and the weight that only he has. The most important access, of course, comes from him—but he functions as that symbol, you know? Almost like a “Statue of Liberty”: he appears when needed, at the exact moment.
This mix reflects the new generation of fans. How does Rede Ronaldo choose what goes on air and find the balance between football, esports, and entertainment?
In reality, we don’t need to choose—we’ve already achieved a balance. People who like soccer usually like video games. People who play video games tend to like tennis. It’s a connected world.
The new generation loves football, loves games, loves sports entertainment and esports. Our job is precisely to unite this legacy: to offer content that makes sense for the number 1 fan (the football fan). And, within this ecosystem, to bring in the number 2 fan (tennis, games, etc.). All with great care, affection, quality and the goal of bringing happiness.
Sports streaming is a competitive market. How does Rede Ronaldo position itself in this landscape—both in terms of monetization and content differentiation?
The answer lies in delivering a lot of varied daily content. In streaming, everything is very fast-paced, so we need to keep the audience engaged as much as possible—generating 100% of our audience from our own fans. Competition is normal; it exists everywhere. Our job is to be different.
I always tell Ronald: less is more. It’s just about providing plenty of information, plenty of content, lots of game broadcasts. We’ve even had people stay on our All Fifa Online channel for 10 hours straight. That’s what we’re aiming for: a real connection with the audience.
Who is the target audience of Rede Ronaldo? Do you see the project more as an entertainment channel or as a community that lives the passion for sports and digital culture?
That’s a difficult but good question. It would be hypocritical to say it’s only one of the two. In fact, it’s both: Ronaldo’s huge football fanbase and sports lovers in general.
Today people are connected to everything, so it’s necessary to deliver “a little bit of everything,” but always well done. I’m very inspired by Rede Globo—we have a lot of respect for them, as well as for SBT and Band. We base ourselves on quality, care for the audience, and responsibility with the content: no controversies, nothing out of place. Therefore, yes: it’s the strength of the community and the strength of sports lovers together.
What are the next steps for the Ronaldo Network? Can we expect new formats, international partnerships, or even expansion into other sports?
The next steps are Glenda’s channel, with a thrilling documentary featuring several soccer players, and Andreoli’s project, our new partner. He will be in charge of content focused on tennis, talking to sports enthusiasts—from gamers who play tennis to athletes and businesspeople who practice the sport. All of this will take place on the court, in incredible conversations. That’s the essence of the Ronaldo Network: making people happy. Nothing more.
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