UPC Channel Changes

patrickmooney

I'm very interested to see how UPC handle the Oct Channel channels which are on the Cards. UPC don't have a great rep for updating channel names when they rebrand, take for example Cartoon Too is still toonami, MTV ONE is still MTV etc.

Please add to this list, but Oct/Nov means:

• Virgin 1 is launched - replaces FTN
• ABC1 is shut down
• UKTV G2 is relaunched as DAVE
• Believe UKTV Bright Ideas is closing
• Discovery Civilizations becomes Discovery Knowledge

SPDUB

patrickmooney wrote:

I'm very interested to see how UPC handle the Oct Channel channels which are on the Cards. UPC don't have a great rep for updating channel names when they rebrand, take for example Cartoon Too is still toonami, MTV ONE is still MTV etc.

Please add to this list, but Oct/Nov means:

• Virgin 1 is launched - replaces FTN
• ABC1 is shut down
• UKTV G2 is relaunched as DAVE
• Believe UKTV Bright Ideas is closing

I though that Virgin1 launch is only for the Uk

Mossy Monk

patrickmooney wrote:

• UKTV G2 is relaunched as DAVE

What kind of channel will DAVE be?

Mossy Monk

Virgin 1 is direct replacement for ftn. ftn will be gone completely.

CO19

DAVE...sounds gas , I wonder will NTL bring in new channels to replace the ones that are supposed to be closing ? I would very much doubt it knowing NTL.

DingDong

CO19 wrote:

DAVE...sounds gas , I wonder will NTL bring in new channels to replace the ones that are supposed to be closing ? I would very much doubt it knowing NTL.

Made me smile too strange name for a channel

Zapp Brannigan

Will DAVE just be a new name, cos UKTV G2 is one of my fav channels! QI, Nevermind the Buzzcocks, et al.

mike65

http://uktv.co.uk/g2/item/aid/593618

UKTV is strengthening its channel line up by evolving UKTV G2 into Dave, a comedy and factual entertainment channel. Launching on 15th October, the channel is aimed at a young male audience and will be available on all platforms including Freeview (DTT).

'Everyone knows a bloke called Dave'
The core aim of the name change is to create viewer affinity among a key target audience of ABC1 men aged 16-34 years. Based on the idea that ‘everyone knows a bloke called Dave’, research has shown the channel offers UKTV the opportunity to create a very strong brand personality.

Dave Channel Head, Steven North explains, “With a schedule for which most broadcasters would give their eye teeth, UKTV G2 is an incredibly successful channel with 10 million viewers in pay homes each month, but with relatively low brand awareness. Changing the channel name to Dave enables us to create a strong and noisy personality for the channel that immediately aligns us with our core 16-34 male audience.”

Sounds like same old to me for the most part.

Mike.

icdg

SPDUB wrote:

I though that Virgin1 launch is only for the Uk

May well be, have heard nothing. However Virgin Media Television's (nee Flextech) history is to buy Irish rights along with UK ones so a good chance it will be available here. The key to check is if the channel remains available on DSat here it *should* in theory stay on cable here too.

UKTVG2 - Dave, well it will keep its title of The Channel With The Silliest Name On Television, though at least CAs will be able to pronounce it now. Since this is staying part of UKTV I imagine it will stay on NTL, just like the last time it rebranded. Incidently, this is the fifth name this channel has had (UK Gold Classics, UK Gold 2, UKG2, UKTVG2).

Mossy Monk

Will DAVE be widescreen?

byte

Mossy Monk wrote:

Will DAVE be widescreen?

If only it would be, though I have my doubts.

I see no real reason why UKTV don't do widescreen, considering a lot of their programming is already in that format.

patrickmooney

Just added Discovery Knowledge to my list above.

flogen

Dave's a terrible name for a channel - kind of odd to drop the UKTV label which I thought was one of the stronger of the digital brands.

Interesting to see Virgin move into content - obviously encouraged by Sky playing hardball with their content.

bazzer

Is this a mis-timed April Fools joke? Dave?

Paddy Power should be taking bets on seeing how long this stupidity will last.

FFS....

icdg

flogen wrote:

Dave's a terrible name for a channel - kind of odd to drop the UKTV label which I thought was one of the stronger of the digital brands.

Interesting to see Virgin move into content - obviously encouraged by Sky playing hardball with their content.

Indeed it was the desire to upgrade and strenghten the UKTV brand that led to UKTVG2 having such a silly name in the first place.

Virgin Media has been in content since the day it was formed. Virgin Media Television is a rebranded Flextech, which had been owned by Telewest since 2000, with NTL inheriting the stake upon its merger with Telewest. The only difference now is that they're using the Virgin brand on a TV channel.

An odd fact about the now rebranded Flextech is that it had originally been an oil services company!!!

patrickmooney

Updating my list to include Jetix and Men and Motors! This is turning into in a rag list.

Upcoming changes:

• Virgin 1 is launched - replaces FTN (Oct 1st)
• UKTV G2 is relaunched as DAVE (Oct)
• Believe UKTV Bright Ideas is closing (Oct)
• Discovery Civilizations becomes Discovery Knowledge (Nov?)

Previous changes which have not been rectified.

• ABC1 is shut down, continues to show in EPG.
• Jetix ceases to broadcast whilst still available on Sky, still in EPG
• Men and Motors - ceased broadcasting months ago, still in EPG
• MTV relaunched as MTV ONE, EPG incorrect.
• Toonami replaced with Cartoon TOO, EPG still says Toonami.

Irishdudedave

Well its the 1st Oct now and still no sign of Virgin 1 on chorus cable in cork. How about Ntl areas where I presume FTN was available, any change?

patrickmooney

Here on NTL, FTN has gone blank. The EPG states, VIRGIN 1 starts at 9pm or something similar.

paulm17781

patrickmooney wrote:

Here on NTL, FTN has gone blank. The EPG states, VIRGIN 1 starts at 9pm or something similar.

Well that's good. I was afraid we were going to lose FTN and not get Virgin 1.

patrickmooney

Well I'm not too sure. In the UK they are getting an image re the channel launch. For us, it was simply black. Can anyone confirm whats on epg129 at the moment?

DJ Hafez

Virgin 1 isn't on Chorus at all. Any chance they will be getting it?

who is this

Well UPC in Dublin (or maybe all ex-NTL?) have been pretty swift with this rename (thus confirming carriage). The guide slot has already been changed to Virgin 1. Right now though, its just some countdown to launch.

AFAIK that's the first time they've ever bothered to do it on the actual day.

It's funny seeing them do this one instantaneously (since they did it in the gap between FTN ending broadcast and Virgin 1 starting) yet MTV One, remains MTV (along with many others)

patrickmooney

Yes, they have been on the ball with this launch. Perhaps they've made other changes. Oh to have access to their software to update the outdated EPG entries! I'd do it for free.
But, this has to be one of the first times we get to see a channel launch in line with the UK.

mike65

I saw the Virgin 1 first week line up, meh!

Mike.

patrickmooney

Yes, no major new content. Getting slammed somewhat. But in time, the goal is for it to stand up against SkyOne as that was removed from VirginMedia. I've heard this before. Wasn't LivingTV positioning itself to overtake SkyOne.

BendiBus

Virgin1 doesn't appear to be in widescreen? Or is it just the programme that's on right now? Dog the Bounty Hunter :rolleyes:

patrickmooney

No, it's not in widescreen. Really it's FTN rebranded. But you'd think they would try to launch in 16:9.

Mossy Monk

Really is pathetic is this is meant to be a competitor to Sky One.

paulm17781

Mossy Monk wrote:

Really is pathetic is this is meant to be a competitor to Sky One.

I remember Sky One's launch, the first thing it had was the Dolly Parton show. While it is a disappointing launch, it may get better in time.

Dodge

Mossy Monk wrote:

Really is pathetic is this is meant to be a competitor to Sky One.

Nope, its a replacement for Sky One on the Virgin platform. I think most of its budget is on high profile new US series (Sarah Connors Chronicles, The Riches) and we'll have to wait for them

Its certainly better then ftn, if not that inspiring...

Rosser

Sky 1 is hardly the BBC, it's been showing The Simpsons and Star Trek TNG on a constant loop for the last 20 years and their original contents usually consists of Ross Kemp so I don't think Virgin 1 is actually that bad for it's first day.

At least some credit too to UPC for having it.

Anti

checked last night, abc1 is gone, and ftn is virgin 1. So 1 crap chan gone, and replaced with a equaly crap chan....

Well played upc.

Dodge

Anti wrote:

Well played upc.

Nothing to do with them :rolleyes:

abc1 stopped broadcasting. Virgin1 has replaced ftn everywhere

CRAIG07

hey in on chorus digital im limerick city and abc1 still shows ''Channel has ceased broadcasting'' any ideas if and when will i be getting it ? im not on MMDS:rolleyes:

Mossy Monk

abc1 has nothing to do with Virgin 1. Virgin 1 is a direct replacement for a channel called ftn.

CO19

So does anyone know what NTL are going to bring in to replace all the channels that have gone off their line up ?

Freddie59

Mossy Monk wrote:

Really is pathetic is this is meant to be a competitor to Sky One.

Remember - the same was said about Sky One (Sky Channel) when IT launched.....is this meant to be a competitor for ITV......

patrickmooney

I finally see that men and motors has finally been removed completely! No sign of those two new Irish digital radio channels which were launched last week though.

icdg

Jetix UK is also gone now from 610 - its got the old M&M "this channel is no longer available" treatment.

CO19

Why do they do that with channels they no longer provide-instead of just taking them off their system immediately because they can't advertise that they have that channel anymore,just doesn't make sense but then again it is NTL afterall :rolleyes:

Irishdudedave

Just noticed a few new channels on the chorus cable lineup in cork...
We now have MTV Hits, Nick Jr and Discovery Civilisations is working now too...

mike65

My box updated yesterdy on a soft reboot, oddly ABC1 one is still listed.

Mike.

katieboo

I also noticed that the Biography Channel was on past nine o'clock last night. it usually stops broadcastin on my Chorus MMDS at nine. Don't have Discovery Civilisation though.

CO19

After 3 weeks of waiting on a reply from NTL over the amount of channels they've dropped from their line up and asking what are they going to be bringing in to make up for it they said that they are launching several new channels to replace them but that'll be done sometime in the near future :rolleyes: and they don't know what the names of them are or when exactly they'll be launched.That's just brilliant they don't know when they'll be launching them OR the names of them either.

Rosser

CO19 wrote:

After 3 weeks of waiting on a reply from NTL over the amount of channels they've and they don't know what the names of them are or when exactly they'll be launched.That's just brilliant they don't know when they'll be launching them OR the names of them either.

My God, did they actually say 'we don't know the names'?!?!

CO19

Yeah they just said there is new ones on the way but as of yet they don't know what they are,what a company :rolleyes:

Rosser

A little bit of 'spin' would do wonders for them! 'We have some exciting channels about to launch soon but we can't go public just yet but they'll be well worth the wait' - job done!

CO19

Indeed it would but i don't think anyone believes anything they come out with anymore they've said similar stuff like that before but nothing has come of it so there'd be no point and they probably know this too .New channels more like 1 channel and it'll probably be in 6 months time,I hope I'm wrong but I'm more than likely not.

channelsurfer

as for exciting new channels its more like"actually we dropped men and motors etc cos we didnt want to pay any money for them, now we are scraping the barrell to see what channels we can get for minimum amount of money and put em on"

patrickmooney

Okay more changes today, Dave was lunched and the EPG is correct.

Upcoming changes:

* Believe UKTV Bright Ideas is closing (Oct)
* Discovery Civilizations becomes Discovery Knowledge (Nov?)

Previous changes which have been implemented/fixed/updated:

* UKTV G2 is relaunched as DAVE (Oct 15). EPG updated immediately.
* Virgin 1 is launched - replaces FTN. EPG updated with new name. (Oct 1st)
* Jetix ceases to broadcast whilst still available on Sky. Removed from EPG.
* Men and Motors - ceased broadcasting months ago. Removed from EPG.

Previous changes which have not been rectified:

* ABC1 is shut down, continues to show in EPG.
* MTV relaunched as MTV ONE, TWO, EPG incorrect.
* Toonami replaced with Cartoon TOO, EPG still says Toonami.

zilog_jones

Irishdudedave wrote: »

Just noticed a few new channels on the chorus cable lineup in cork...
We now have MTV Hits, Nick Jr and Discovery Civilisations is working now too...

Same here in Limerick, though dunno about Discovery Civilisations. MTV Hits is on the EPG but it says I'm not subscribed, like a few other channels that I assumed were on the basic package (the UKTV channels, Cartoon Network, etc.). Are they on some other package or are they just broken in Limerick, like Nickelodeon (doesn't say I'm not subscribed, just a black picture)?