Film24 launches on Sky

by Paul McNally, Brand Republic 20-Jul-07, 10:00

LONDON - A new channel that pledges to be the antidote to 'formulaic and totally unrepresentative' TV movie channels has launched on Sky called Film24.

Film24 began broadcasting earlier this week, with a schedule combining new and classic films and behind-the-scenes programmes looking at wider issues in the film industry.

It occupies Sky channel 158, which was previously the home of the Bonanza channel. The channel assumed control of the Sky slot in May following the acquisition of all of Bonanza's assets from Optimistic Entertainment by Film24's major shareholder, Caparo Ventures.

For the past two months, the channel has still been called Bonanza and included a mix of movies, comedy and drama. The Bonanza content has now been removed and replaced with exclusive Film24 programming, which includes shows such as 'Die Hard 4.0: Meet The Stars', 'Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer: Meet The Stars' and 'Shrek The Third: Exclusive'.

Film24 produces programmes and features about the film industry and behind-the-scenes features from the films themselves. Announcing the launch, the channel's chief executive Nicky Davis said it aimed to bring more excitement to the tried-and-tested TV movie channel format.

"Movies are all about intense excitement, amazing production values, talent and emotional stimulation and yet, to date, programming about film has been formulaic and totally unrepresentative of this wonderful industry," Davis said.

"Film24 sets out to change that. What other channels and programs have done for music, sport and motoring, we aim to do for film."

The channel said it aimed to be "informative and unbiased", helping consumers who are presented with a "confusing array of choice", with 400-plus films released in cinemas each year and thousands of DVD releases.