Sony to launch Sony UK Channel

steveon

Sony to launch UK channel
Published: 20.06 UTC, March 8, 2011 by Julian Clover
Source
http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2011/03/08/sony-to-launch-uk-channel/

The first Sony-branded entertainment channel is to launch in the UK market on April 7.

Sony Entertainment Television debut on the Sky platform using channel 157. The slot, which previously housed the now defunct Movies 24, was acquired through Canis Media.

Sony Pictures Television will target women aged 25-54 with a mix of drama, entertainment, comedy and movies. The channel has the UK rights to critically-acclaimed drama Hawthorne, and programming including the award-winning series Huff and the marital comedy Til Death. A nightly movie slot will feature titles including The Da Vinci Code, All The King’s Men and Philadelphia.

“The UK is a pivotal market for us as we continue to grow our television business,” said Eddie Nelson, senior vice president, networks, EMEA. “Sony Entertainment Television has enjoyed success around the world bringing the best international hits to viewers and we intend to create that same success here, with content specifically chosen for the UK audience.”

Sony Entertainment Television will also have a “plus one” channel, located on channel 190.

Bullseye1

Will there be a HD version?

steveon

Doubt it as yet as they have taken over some1 elses epg slot for now...but a nice addition if even in SD me thinks.

FREETV

I presume that the channel will not be free to air but subscription based pay television only?

steveon

Well the article points directly to it being on the Sky platform so I would guess it is which is a shame as Freesat could do with pulling in some more big names..

Kristopherus

FREETV wrote: »

I presume that the channel will not be free to air but subscription based pay television only?

Film 24 is FTA at present, so maybe Sony Channel may be the same.

FREETV

Kristopherus wrote: »

Film 24 is FTA at present, so maybe Sony Channel may be the same.

I really hope so as apart from the CBS channels, the main BBC and ITV channels, 5, Channel 4, the rest are dire and we could do with that station and a few new movie channels also.

Cantona's Collars

Sony TV is set to take over the Film 24 EPG slot according to digitalspy.Film 24 is going off the air.
AXN is also going to broadcast on 28e,it's a very popular channel on the continent showing some decent programming.

munchkin_utd

zerks wrote: »

Sony TV is set to take over the Film 24 EPG slot according to digitalspy.Film 24 is going off the air.
AXN is also going to broadcast on 28e,it's a very popular channel on the continent showing some decent programming.

aigh
and is feckin dubbed, so renders it as a load of dung irrelevant of what the content originally was!

Slight tangent, but maybe relevant.
Is the dubbing of continental free to air channels, without the option of original english soundtrack, due to them not being allowed to broadcast the english version free to air (the dubbling into german/ french being seen as a quazi scrambling of the channels output)?
Some of the german pay channels have english as a language option, and a cable only sports channel even has the 6 nations only in English! But these are NOT free to air.

In the same vein, is that one of the reasons why UK broadcasters (with lots of non self produced output, i.e. everyone except bbc/ itv/ cbs) stick to the scrambled sky signal rather than allow their programming europe wide on freeview?
And with that in mind, if Sony own their own content, then they dont have anything to loose by going freeview do they? At least they have no premium to pay to a 3rd party for not being inside a scrambled transmission method.

Cantona's Collars

Most Europeans speak better English than the English themselves.:D