UKTV expands Dave reach with time-shift Freeview channel

by Arif Durrani, mediaweek.co.uk 14-Jan-09, 16:05

LONDON - UKTV, the pay-TV joint venture between BBC Worldwide and Virgin Media, is to extend the reach of male-focused channel Dave, with the launch of Dave+1 on Freeview next week.

UKTV will launch Dave+1, having acquired a slot on the digital TV platform from 2pm on 22 January, which will subsequently air daily between 8am and 4am.

The time-shift channel is already available on Sky and Virgin Media and becomes available for free on Freeview as a result of improvements in compression technology on the two Freeview multiplexes licensed by transmission outfit Arqiva.

Julia Jordan, executive director of business and operations at UKTV, said: "Dave is a key part of our highly successful entertainment portfolio that has recently been rebranded and repositioned to provide even clearer propositions to viewers and advertisers.

"Adding Dave+1 to Freeview will further extend the valuable 16 to 44 male reach of the channel and will also continue to provide a strong platform to promote our line-up of channels that are available on platforms, such as Sky and Virgin Media."

Since the former UKTV G2 channel relaunched as Dave in October 2007, it has grown from the 29th biggest channel in multichannel homes in terms of audience share, to the 10th today, attracting eight million viewers.

Christian Drobnyk, UKTV director of entertainment, said: "By rebranding Dave and making it available in Freeview homes, we catapulted it up the channel ratings table to become a permanent top 10 fixture. Launching the +1 service on Freeview is all about capitalising on this success to bolster the Dave franchise further."

Sitting alongside reruns of BBC stalwarts such as Top Gear, QI and Have I Got News For You, Dave also hosts original content such as Liberty Bell's Batteries Not Included (with John Cleese and Dom Joly) and Tiger Aspects' Argumental (hosted by John Sergeant, with Marcus Brigstocke and Rufus Hound as team captains).