CNN International to launch on Freeview after Nuts TV axed

by Jacquie Bowser, Brand Republic 29-Oct-08, 09:00

LONDON - Nuts TV, IPC Media's spin-off of its men's weekly magazine, will stop broadcasting on Freeview in January 2009, and will be replaced with European news channel CNN International.

Nuts TV, which was launched by Turner Broadcasting in September last year, will continue to run online.

It has been broadcasting on Freeview channel 42 and was launched on Sky in January. Its Sky slot has also been axed.

Dee Forbes, TBS senior vice-president and general manager, said: "In an increasingly crowded TV market for this demographic, it's vital that TBS and IPC play to our respective strengths.

"And for Nuts TV the future is in the fast-growing world of online. Having already attracted large communities within its social networking sites, it makes sense for Nuts TV to continue in this vein."

The Nuts broadband channel will feature archived and current material from Nuts TV, such as 'Babe Search', as well as new video-on-demand content created by the IPC Ignite team.

The launch of the CNN International European news channel on Freeview will mark CNN's UK debut on digital terrestrial television.

CNN International will be available seven days a week in a primetime evening block, offering world, business and sports news, as well as comment, interviews and feature programming.

Nick Wrenn, London-based managing editor of CNN International for the EMEA region, said: "This move to Freeview is an opportunity to introduce CNN's European primetime programming to a new UK audience, at a time when international awareness and understanding of the global news environment has never been so critical."

Media giant Time Warner owns both CNN and IPC Media.