88-679: SceneOne was a general entertainment website and television channel operated by Flextech Television, now Living TV Group . The site was accessible via the public internet and within the walled garden of the Telewest and Cable and Wireless cable television platforms (now Virgin Television ). Listings from the site were also available via Orange 's WAP mobile phone walled garden. The website started in February 1999, and following an announcement in March 2002,
176-492: A 39% stake in the venture). IFE had recently purchased much of the assets of the then-recently defunct TVS Entertainment , including most of TVS' library of shows (which would form large parts of the Family Channel's schedule) and The Maidstone Studios , which became the main operational base for The Family Channel; this was a boon to Flextech, as the facility handled the channel's uplink, playout and management operations. In
264-650: A boxed "UK" followed by the name (e.g. "Gold") in the Gill Sans font, which had also been adopted by the BBC . The new network-wide ident theme would involve the splitting of the screen for different purposes. UK Gold's new idents depicted objects such as apples or leaves falling through the top half of the screen, with only the gold coloured ones reaching the bottom half of the screen. These idents were briefly adopted for UK Gold 2 when it launched in 1998. The theme changed again, this time with idents featuring fireworks making shapes in
352-596: A contemporary stamp on the channel." Commissioning editor Sarah Fraser commented that "there's never been a better time to invest in homegrown comedy. Comedians are selling out arena tours, being cast in the West End and on the big screen here and in the US." The first programme announced as part of the investment was a reboot of the BBC sitcom, Yes, Prime Minister , to be based on the 2010 stage production and written by original writers Sir Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn . The reboot
440-459: A day on cable. In February 1998, the channel merged with CNBC Europe , upon which the channel became known officially as "CNBC Europe – A Service of NBC and Dow Jones". Flextech left all of its interests in the channel and then decided to focus on entertainment rather than news. Ftn (or Flextech Television Network) was the only wholly owned channel, it was closed down by the new VMT. The channel rebranded as Virgin1 on 1 October 2007. Living
528-461: A form-up of the first logo against a blue background. A rebranding in 1994 saw UK Gold adopt idents based on the forging of gold bars, with the station's logo appearing to have been stamped into gold. Variations on this theme were used until 1997, when the channel received a revamp as part of the formation of the UKTV network. The new network's corporate identity saw all its channels logos simplified to
616-436: A full 24-hour schedule to match its parent network. On 8 March 2004, to coincide with its sister channel's rebranding, the channel rebranded to UKTV Gold with its timeshift becoming UKTV Gold +1. At approximately the same time, Granada -run archive channel Granada Plus closed to make way for ITV3 . The channels had always been the main rivals to Gold due to the direct mix of archive BBC and ITV programming. ITV3 currently has
704-404: A halt by the appearance of a golden light accompanied by the channel's ident jingle. This new identity also featured a series of shifting yellow, orange and red blocks which suggested a gold bar at the centre of the screen. On 4 April 2007, UKTV Gold unveiled a new on-air identity centred around a branded golden space hopper , playing to contemporary trends toward 1970s nostalgia, and emphasising
792-462: A higher viewer share, often put down to the fact that the terrestrial platform Freeview shows ITV3 but not Gold. In late 2004, to show films produced in Hollywood in a marathon, UKTV Gold temporarily changed its name to "USTV Gold". Gold began transmitting in widescreen on 31 January 2008, although some programmes made in 16:9 format were screened in the compromise 14:9 semi- letterboxed ratio for
880-400: A merger between Telewest and Flextech, By 17 December 1999, the merger was agreed upon which created a £10.5bn media giant; Telewest shareholders owned 80% of the new group and Flextech shareholders owned 20%. The two companies fully merged on 19 April 2000. Flextech continued to expand under Telewest ownership, with UKTV continuing to expand its network of channels with the BBC , plus
968-471: A minimum total value of 6 million pounds over three years. In 1995, the company raised £92 million after two new American companies invested in the company, US West (9%) and Hallmark (10%); the additional funds allowed Flextech to buy the remaining shares in The Children's Channel, gaining full control of the network. Talks were held with BSkyB in the spring of 1996 over a potential merger of
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#17330851345241056-563: A new venture which saw a shopping channel come into operation in Autumn 2000. In 2003, Flextech restructured its marketing department with creative solutions put together by central in-house marketers who worked agencies including Banc and Karmarama. The new marketing strategy was also used as a forerunner for the company's newest channel, Ftn , which launched in January 2003 on the Freeview platform. This
1144-492: A policy change saw the channel showing science fiction and horror and later became known for showing crime documentaries by day and adult programming at night. Over the later years, Bravo decreased the adult content shown and increased sports - most notably Serie A Italian football - and imported shows such as Alias and sports coverage. Bravo also aired World Championship Wrestling 's flagship show Nitro during WCW's final year in business (2000–2001). Its target audience
1232-544: A range of content from Sky's basic and premium channels, including the VMtv channels. Virgin Media also gained access to red button interactive sports coverage and the opportunity to deliver selected standard definition programming over the internet. Sky would assume responsibility for selling advertising for the newly acquired VMtv channels from January 2011. Completion of the agreements was conditional on obtaining merger control clearance in
1320-455: A short while, before the 16:9 format became standard later in the year. The channel has been criticised by some, particularly in recent years, for featuring many recent programmes as opposed to 'classics' as was the original concept, with some shows appearing on the channel mere months or weeks after their first television broadcast. In 2008, UKTV began a process of rebranding and expanding its channels, removing "UKTV" from their name, following
1408-570: A stake in The Children's Channel , when it bought a 25% holding in Starstream Ltd. (TCC's parent company) from BT . By 1992, Flextech was a media-only group, having built up stakes in local cable operators by way of selling off its non-core assets. During the summer of 1993, Flextech entered into an agreement with International Family Entertainment (IFE), to launch a UK version of IFE's flagship property, The Family Channel (Flextech holding
1496-505: A television version of BBC Radio 1 was reused for the UK Play channel, which launched in October 1998; the dedicated BBC Sport channel never materialised. UK Gold was relaunched as part of the new branding, whilst UK Living remained a separate network, due to the similarities of some of its programming with that of UK Style; prior to UKTV's launch, it was rebranded as Living to avoid confusion with
1584-638: A website was launched called Trouble Homegrown that showcased British videos. Virgin Central was a TV channel launched on the Virgin Media platform on 20 February 2007. It was based on the video on demand system. The service was launched on the Virgin Media platform on 20 February 2007. Viewers pressed the red button on their remote controls and were presented with a list of television series, episodes of which they could have watched at any time they like during
1672-632: A whole was dissolved as a company on 23 April 2014. Living TV Group directly operated a number of linear television channels. Most of the channels were formed in the Flextech years. Additionally, Living TV Group operated a high-definition channel and a number of time-shifted channels. All channels were available on satellite and cable television services. Channel One , was also available on Freeview . As Flextech, Living TV Group used to be interested in different markets from its current demographics which focus on an older age group. But in an attempt to streamline
1760-464: Is also available on Virgin and Sky. Some media sources have claimed that the channel was intended to be Virgin Media's attempt to create a rival to Sky1 with the advantage of having a wider reach of viewers. The channel closed on 1 February 2011. European Business News was a pan-European business news channel, which operated in partnership with Dow Jones . It broadcast between 06:00 and 12:00 on satellite, timesharing with Bravo , and 24 hours
1848-500: The FIA GT Championship to its portfolio of sports events. The channel also carried a limited amount of Serie A matches. The channel closed on 1 January 2011. Challenge launched as The Family Channel on 1 September 1993 as a family orientated channel but relaunched as Challenge TV on 3 February 1997. The channel relies heavily on game shows taken from a variety of sources, although most are repeats of programmes acquired from
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#17330851345241936-643: The Office of Fair Trading announced that they would review BSkyB's acquisition of the Virgin Media Television business to judge whether it posed any competition concerns in the UK. The OFT planned to investigate the deal to see whether it could constitute a qualifying merger under the Enterprise Act 2002 . The watchdog invited interested parties from the industry to comment on the sale, including its potential impact on
2024-747: The Authority to carry out a full investigation within 10 days of the date of the Authority's decision. On 13 July 2010, British Sky Broadcasting and Virgin Media announced that Sky had completed the acquisition of Virgin Media Television (VMtv) following regulatory approval in the Republic of Ireland. VMtv was then renamed the Living TV Group. In completing the acquisition, Sky paid Virgin Media an initial £105 million. Up to an additional £55 million would be paid on UK regulatory clearance. On 20 July 2010,
2112-640: The Autumn, Flextech held 80% of UK Gold. Flextech 's main reason for increasing its stake in UK Gold was in participation of new talks with the BBC. The channel's success led to the launch of the UKTV network on 1 November 1997, owned by BBC Worldwide and Flextech , and consisting of three other channels: UK Arena , UK Horizons and UK Style , focusing on the arts, factual and lifestyle programmes respectively. The UKTV network would expand to include numerous more channels as
2200-502: The Challenge Jackpot gaming services, for £2 million in stock. NetPlay TV signed production and gaming agreements with Virgin Media Television for an initial period until 30 June 2013, and took over production of Challenge Jackpot, including its website and television channel. On 25 March 2010, NetPlay TV and Virgin Media Television agreed to the termination of the option agreement entered into on 7 April 2009 under which VMTV
2288-624: The Republic of Ireland. Virgin1 was also a part of the deal, but was rebranded as Channel One on 3 September 2010, as the Virgin name was not licensed to Sky. Virgin Media's stake in UKTV was not included in the deal. On 29 June 2010, the Competition Authority in Ireland cleared the proposed transaction. The parties proceeded after the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation did not direct
2376-456: The UKTV network that launched that year. On 1 February 2011, Living was rebranded as Sky Living . In a bid to appeal more universally and to more males, the pink colour scheme was dropped and replaced with a new silver scheme and new types of programming came to the channel whilst simultaneously not losing its female audience. Shows include the likes of the CSI , Close to Home and Boston Legal ,
2464-524: The acquisition by Sky of Virgin Media Television. The companies had, in parallel, agreed to enter into a number of agreements providing for the carriage of certain Sky standard and high-definition (HD) channels. Sky acquired VMtv for a total consideration of up to £160 million in cash, with £105 million paid on completion and the remainder paid following the regulatory process. The acquisition expanded Sky's portfolio of basic pay TV channels and eliminated
2552-615: The activity behind it is still going. The 2014 idents were kept in the rebranding to U&Gold, with the logo being changed to follow the other channels. This is a list of British comedy series that are shown throughout the year on the British channel U&GOLD. Although the shows may vary on the scheldues, some of these series can also be found on Gold On Demand. Programming of classic general entertainment and movies now unused or superseded on 7 October 2008. Some programmes that were shown on UKTV G2 moved to other channels sometime later when it
2640-483: The air, was launched in April 1999. The fireworks theme was carried on in a new set of idents, alongside another network-wide rebranding of the logo in 2001, adopting a bolder font and merging UK into a single composite character. A range of live-action idents showing everyday activities from unusual perspectives appeared in 2002. The 2003 to 2007 idents showed channel hopping viewers with their TV set "off stage" being brought to
2728-433: The arts, plus three other channels including BBC Sport , BBC Catch-Up , for repeats of popular programmes within days of their original transmission, and a TV version of BBC Radio 1 . Initially, it was assumed that the new channels would be BBC-branded, but Flextech wanted the channels to carry advertisements. The BBC argued that BBC-branded services in the UK should not carry advertising and thought that this would undermine
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2816-536: The autumn, Flextech had acquired Cox and Pearson's stakes, giving Flextech an 80% stake in UK Gold. Also during 1996, talks began between Flextech and the BBC about a partnership to launch a new range of entertainment channels featuring programmes from the BBC's programme library. The deal was signed in March 1997 when the BBC and Flextech unveiled their new venture, which included BBC Showcase , an entertainment channel; BBC Horizon , documentaries; BBC Style , lifestyle; BBC Learning , for schools, and BBC Arena , for
2904-497: The autumn, talks were held with the US-based cable/media company Tele-Communications Inc. Under the original terms of the proposed deal, Flextech would have acquired TCI's European programming business (United Artists European Holdings, having been inherited by TCI via the purchase of United Artists Theaters ' cable television business) in exchange for shares in TCI. By January 1994, the deal
2992-561: The bidders had pulled out except for BSkyB , but they later pulled out of the deal over a number of fears, including the Competition Commission investigating the sale. Media analysis at the time did not believe the sale was genuine, although five other bidders including RTL and ITV did state an interest. Simon Duffy, NTL's chief executive, stated "Flextech remains a key focus". Shortly afterwards, Flextech appointed Jonathan Webb to replace Lisa Opie as managing director; Jonathan Webb
3080-496: The business that was at the time suffering from falling ratings across these channels, they were closed, and after the sale of Living TV Group to Sky, more channels were disposed of. Bravo was launched in 1985 as one of the earliest cable-only channels. The channel also had a one-hour timeshift named Bravo +1 . Initially Bravo aired black and white B-movies from the 1950s and 1960s and vintage TV series such as Knight Rider and MacGyver , and original productions. In 1996,
3168-519: The carriage fees it previously paid for distributing VMtv channels on its TV services. New carriage agreements secured wholesale distribution of Sky's basic channel line-up, including Sky1 and Sky Arts, and the VMtv channels, on Virgin Media's cable TV service. For an incremental wholesale fee, Virgin Media, for the first time, had the option of carrying any of Sky's basic HD channels, Sky Sports HD 1 and Sky Sports HD 2, and all Sky Movies HD channels. Virgin Media made available through its on-demand TV service
3256-456: The channel added to BSkyB 's basic subscription package in 1993, and the launch of the channel on cable services. In 1993, Flextech gained its first stake in the station after acquiring Tele-Communications Inc .'s TV interests in Europe. In 1996, it started discussions about increasing its stake, to gain full control. At that point, Flextech held 27% with Cox (38%), BBC (20%) and Pearson (15%). By
3344-490: The channel closed under the "Classics" format and on 2 April 1999 was relaunched as UK Gold 2, becoming a secondary timeshift service that broadcast UK Gold's daytime schedule in the evening. Initially, the channel broadcast on weekends only, but expanded to a full 7-day-a-week schedule in June. On 30 June 2002, UKTV announced the launch of a one-hour timeshift service of the network, entitled UK Gold +1. The channel launched on Sky
3432-440: The channel in 1990. TCC closed down silently on 3 April 1998 for unknown reasons, although ratings had fallen dramatically following the launch of rival children's channels. Its slot on the various platforms was taken by TV Travel Shop, although Cable & Wireless continued to briefly run the channel's Nordic feed for several months. Despite the channel's closure, the website continued to be available as late as 2005, however most of
3520-523: The channel still continues to broadcast Christmas comedy. The channel was formed as a joint venture between the BBC , through commercial arm BBC Enterprises , American company Cox Enterprises and outgoing ITV London weekday franchisee Thames Television , known as European Channel Management. The channel, named "UK Gold", was to show repeats of the 'classic' archive programming from the two broadcasters. The channel launched on 1 November 1992 at 7pm with Just Good Friends . The first commercial shown on
3608-530: The channel was broadening its audience reach to other key demographics such as men aged 18–45. On 6 August 2018, Sky Living was rebranded as Sky Witness and was divested from Living TV Group, leaving only Challenge on the Living TV Group and bringing an end to the Living brand after nearly 25 years. LIVINGit and LIVINGit +1 was the sister channel of Living which was launched on 13 December 2004 as LIVINGtv2. The channel mainly showed highlights of programming from
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3696-515: The channel was for Lucozade , and all commercials shown in the first three breaks on the channel's launch night either had the word gold or golden in either the name of the brand advertised or mentioned in the commercial itself. The rights to the BBC programmes previously were held by the BSB entertainment channel Galaxy , prior to the merger with Sky Television to form BSkyB in November 1990. The channel
3784-648: The channel; alternatively, viewers may participate on the channel's website. Challenge Jackpot was not available in Northern Ireland due to "regulatory and legal restrictions". Games were overseen by Ofcom and, because Two Way's gaming division was based there, the Alderney Gambling Control Commission . The channel closed on 1 January 2011. Channel One , a general entertainment channel from Living TV Group, launched on 1 October 2007 as Virgin1 and replaced Ftn on all platforms. Channel One +1
3872-524: The companies agreed "a content provider" had no place within the merged operation. A lot of interest was generated by the sale; potential suitors included RTL , Hallmark Channel, ITV , Time Warner and Viacom . However, it became clear the BBC had the right to veto any change in ownership of Flextech's stake in the UKTV joint venture, which led to further speculation that Flextech's assets may end up being split. NTL also complicated matters by stating it would be reluctant to see any of Flextech's channels in
3960-408: The contract dispute between Virgin Media and BSkyB , before being removed on 11 December 2007 to make way for a Music On-Demand channel. On 7 April 2009, it was announced that Virgin Media Television had agreed to buy options to acquire 9.9 per cent of NetPlay TV Plc's shares at a strike price of 18 pence per share. NetPlay acquired the business assets of Two Way Gaming Ltd, the provider of
4048-552: The enlarged Flextech. Within days of the deal, Flextech brought a 20% stake in HTV for £27 million. Within a year, the stake was transferred to Scottish Television as part of its deal to acquire a 20% stake in STV. As part of the deal, Flextech agreed to license the rights to over 125 hours of the drama and documentary output from STV's library, as well as a production output agreement to commission television programmes from STV with
4136-406: The features that were originally available when the channel was still broadcast were removed. Trouble launched on 3 February 1997 and fully replaced The Children's Channel from 4 April 1998. Trouble had a key demographic of young adults and teenagers, aged between 15 and 24. The channel showed a lot of American and Australian imports, with only a small margin of programmes being British, although
4224-514: The first few years, idents on UK Gold featured an animated golden retriever mascot named "Goldie" posing with the UK Gold logo. Goldie was never name-checked as such on air, possibly owing to the death of the Blue Peter dog Goldie some weeks before launch, although the late-night music video slot Dog House was originally listed as Goldie's Video Bites in initial pre-launch listings. The Goldie idents were kept until 1993, when they were replaced with
4312-472: The following month on 1 August. It initially only broadcast during the evening from 7:00pm–7:00am, much like UK Gold 2 but on 12 November 2003, the channel gained a full 24-hour slot. On 29 October 2003, UKTV announced that UK Gold 2 would be relaunched as UK G on 12 November, being reinvented as a younger-oriented edgier youth network aimed towards a 16-34-year-old demographic. The channel rebranded as such on that day, and alongside that UK Gold +1 expanded to
4400-403: The hands of terrestrial broadcasters such as ITV or Five; the underlying fear was that a terrestrial broadcaster could use Flextech to bolster the digital terrestrial platform and its appeal to viewers. Commercial terrestrial players had found that the popularity of Freeview worked to their advantage, as viewers have fewer channels to choose from than on pay-TV platforms. By September, nearly all
4488-426: The idents focussed on the slogan of ‘Stick Something Funny On’. In May 2012, the dots were removed from the logo, now falling inline with how the channel is called. In July 2014, Gold rebranded after two years in its second identity. The logo is a ribbon with the letters "GOLD". The new idents have funny and wacky stuff happening (such as dancing legs). At the end of the idents, the ribbon comes out saying "GOLD", while
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#17330851345244576-507: The latter half of 2012. UKTV executive Jane Rogers stated to Broadcast that the commissions would be high-quality, as "they would need to sit confidently alongside classics such as Only Fools And Horses and The Vicar of Dibley ". She also added: "Gold is well entrenched in the UK's psyche as the home of national treasure comedies, so we cannot afford to look cheap next to those programmes. It's important that anything we order continues that love and feel, but we don't want to look back; we want
4664-544: The main channel, along with extended coverage of its reality programmes, such as I'm Famous and Frightened Extra! and Most Haunted Live! . However, the channel gained the American reality TV show, The Amazing Race . The channel also showed more lifestyle and health-related programming such as, Baby ER , Birth Stories , Downsize Me and Wedding SOS . There was also a programming slot called Baby Zone, in which programmes related to pregnancy and birth were shown. The channel
4752-408: The next programme. The Gold logo features in the centre, with the channel slogan usually appearing alongside in the sequence. Programmes are announced by sole channel continuity announcer David Flynn, who has had the position since June 2009. In 2010, the logo was changed slightly, with an updated ident package. These followed a similar style to the previous set, but instead of the previous backronym,
4840-650: The other UKTV channels. That year also saw The Family Channel relaunched in its current form as the game show-focused Challenge TV . Flextech agreed to acquire Minotaur International for around $ 6.5 million in 1999; Minotaur International was responsible for international sales of most programmes commissioned by Flextech. In 2007, Target Entertainment Group acquired Minotaur International and formed strategic alliances with Virgin Media Television to act as their preferred distribution partner. In 1998, chief executive Roger Luard died, and Adam Singer became chief executive. In early December 1999, talks were convened about
4928-617: The pay-TV market. On 14 September 2010, the OFT decided not to refer BSkyB's takeover of Virgin Media's TV channels to the Competition Commission . Following the sale, BSkyB chose to integrate the Living TV Group into its own operations. This resulted in the closure of Bravo, Bravo 2 and Challenge Jackpot on 1 January 2011 and Channel One on 1 February 2011. On 1 February 2011, Living, Livingit and Living Loves were rebranded as Sky Living , Sky Livingit and Sky Living Loves , while Challenge
5016-451: The platform in March 2016. Gold and Home were not available to watch on Freeview boxes and televisions due to them being encrypted as subscription channels on Top Up TV. An HD version of Gold was launched on 2 October 2017 exclusively to Sky , replacing Eden HD on the platform. Gold HD was added to Virgin Media on 25 September 2018, replacing Gold in standard definition. It was added to BT TV on 11 March 2019, along with Vice HD . For
5104-538: The rationale of the license fee in the UK. A compromise was reached when the BBC launched BBC Showcase and BBC Learning (later renamed BBC Choice and BBC Knowledge shortly before launch) on its own, with the remainder of the deal passing to BBC Worldwide . Eventually, the concept of the BBC/Flextech channels led the launch of UKTV in November 1997, with BBC Horizon becoming UK Horizons , BBC Style becoming UK Style and BBC Arena becoming UK Arena . The concept of
5192-457: The rebranding of UKTV Drama as Alibi , and the launch of a new channel, Watch . In Spring 2010, the channel dropped the acronym and is now known simply as "Gold", with its timeshift known as "Gold +1". In October 2011, Virgin Media , owner of half of Gold and the rest of the UKTV network, sold their share to Scripps Networks Interactive , with the remaining half still retained by the BBC's commercial arm, BBC Worldwide . In February 2012, it
5280-464: The rebranding of UKTV G2 as Dave in October 2007. On 7 October 2008, UKTV Gold became "G.O.L.D." (with its timeshift becoming G.O.L.D. +1), exclusively showing comedy, both old and new. This is reflected by its new slogan, which now represents Gold as a backronym —"Go On Laugh Daily". Unlike the complete name change for Dave, the Gold name was retained as having a resonance with viewers. The same day also saw
5368-501: The sale of its content operation, issuing a sales memorandum for its Virgin Media Television unit and its ad sales division, IDS. It excluded its 50% stake in UKTV from the sale. Virgin Media sold its stake in UKTV , by then a portfolio of 10 pay-TV channels including Gold , Dave , Home , Watch , Yesterday and Good Food , in August 2011 to US-owned broadcaster Scripps Networks for £339 million (about $ 504 million). Scripps
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#17330851345245456-455: The site was shut on 4 April due to a lack of revenue. The site's coverage spanned cinema, TV, radio, music, concerts, theatre, comedy, online, books and videos. The television channel was announced in 1999, launched in June 2000 and closed in March 2001. It was accessible to subscribers of Telewest cable television. There was speculation that the closure was due to low viewing figures and the failure to gain carriage on Sky Digital , although this
5544-509: The station's re-run content. Twelve new live action idents featured the branded space hopper, either with people on them bouncing around normally serious scenes, or let loose to bounce around the natural environment, aired from 5 April 2007 to 7 October 2008. On 7 October 2008, following the rebranding, Gold's 2008 presentation debuted, featuring cartoon objects making a giant chain, in Heath Robinson fashion, which triggers an event to herald
5632-537: The terrestrial channels' archives. The channel continues to broadcast, and remains the only Flextech-owned network to continue operating as is. Challenge Jackpot launched on 1 July 2008 as a 24-hour interactive gaming channel, run in collaboration with Two Way Media. It was available on Virgin Media cable and Sky but was also available on Freeview via Virgin 1 and Bravo 2 simulcasts overnight. On cable, an interactive application developed by Two Way Media that enables viewers to play along with live programming on
5720-585: The two companies' pay-TV channels, with the aimed of a wholesale consolidation of the subscription market, which would have saved costs and created a dominant supplier of programmes in the UK subscription market and Europe. The deal ultimately came to nothing, but two years later, both companies agreed to allow Flextech's television channels to be broadcast on Sky's new digital platform. Elsewhere that year, it started discussions about increasing its stake in UK Gold to gain full control. At that point, Flextech held 27% with Cox (38%), BBC (20%) and Pearson (15%). By
5808-474: The week. The programmes were all free to watch and did not have any adverts in them. The viewer could also have used their remote control to pause, fast forward , rewind and stop the programme at any time. The Virgin Central channel was removed on 11 March 2010, fully moving over to the On-Demand section of the Virgin Media menu. A duplicate channel - Virgin Central 2, replaced Sky One on 1 March 2007 following
5896-550: The world of entertainment and communications". As part of the rebrand, Flextech was also renamed as Richard Branson was keen to move into branded content, and insisted that the Flextech business was retained as a condition of NTL buying Virgin Mobile and licensing the name. On 8 February 2007, Flextech was renamed Virgin Media Television as part of a larger re-branding exercise covering the whole of NTL:Telewest, Virgin Mobile and Virgin.net. On 7 April 2009, Virgin Media formally began
5984-459: The years progressed. To coincide with the launch of Sky Digital , a sister network entitled UK Gold Classics was launched on 2 October 1998, becoming UKTV's first digital-exclusive network. The channel focused on older programs that aired on the main UK Gold within its launch, as the main channel was at the time focusing on more newer programmes. The channel only broadcast during the weekend, airing from 6:00pm–2:00am; Friday-Sunday. On 28 March 1999,
6072-440: Was added to Freeview, with the channels receiving a 25% boost to their programming budget. Fifty-two of the Living TV Group's 110 employees were made redundant as part of the process, including managing director Johnny Webb, Claudia Rosencrantz (director of television) and Daniela Neumann (director of programmes for Channel One, Bravo and Challenge). The integration process was completed at the end of January 2011. Living TV Group as
6160-688: Was announced that UKTV was to invest millions into producing its own original shows. According to the trade magazine, Broadcast, Gold "has secured a budget running into "double-digit millions" to create a raft of new comedy shows over the next two years". The article went on to say "the channel is looking to develop a mix of panel shows, sketch shows, sitcoms and comedy dramas". This move meant that Gold would follow its sister, Dave , which has resurrected Red Dwarf and produced numerous different panel and entertainment series, and BSkyB , who have invested £600m into original comedy for Sky One and Sky Atlantic . The first set of new series for Gold were broadcast in
6248-596: Was complete, which allowed TCI to acquire 60.4% of Flextech, while Flextech acquired 100% of Bravo , 25% of UK Gold , 31% of UK Living , and 25% of the Children's Channel, increasing Flextech's control over that network. The relationship between TCI and Flextech continued to grow; in February 1994, Flextech shareholders approved a deal in which Flextech absorbed the European programming interests of United Artists European Holdings. In return, UAEH's US parent, TCI, acquired 60% of
6336-477: Was denied by the general manager of SceneOne. The channel broadcast for 24 hours per day, and broadcast entertainment news and reviews on similar genres to the web site. Programmes included The Film Scene , The Gig Scene , and Knockin' Out . The SceneOne brand was also used for an entertainment shopping portal accessible via the Open.... interactive television service on Sky Digital satellite television . SceneOne
6424-548: Was followed by Living TV receiving a new on-screen look and an additional channel -- Living 2, which specialised in reality and entertainment television. During the spring of 2004, United Business Media and RTL, which both held shares in Five , held talks with Flextech about merging the advertising sales teams of Five and Flextech's channels together, but this deal ultimately did not proceed. In 2005, Telewest, in preparation for its long-awaited merger with NTL, put Flextech up for sale as
6512-498: Was granted options over 14.9m ordinary shares being 9.9 per cent of the share capital then in issue at a price of 18p per share (the "Option Agreement"). Under the revised agreement, NetPlay TV will take control of the current Challenge Jackpot database and terminate the Option Agreement in exchange for a fixed cash payment of £1.82m. The current database generated £2.9m of gross gaming margin from 12 May 2009 to 31 December 2009 and
6600-489: Was handled by former sister company Interactive Digital Sales (IDS) until 1 January 2011, when Sky Media took over. Flextech began life as an oil services group, previously floated as an energy investment company back in 1983. After Roger Luard became chief executive in 1986, the company shifted focus into the media industry. Its first media acquisition was in 1990 with a 20% stake in programme producer/distributor HIT Communications ; by October of that year, they had acquired
6688-430: Was initially broadcast on an analogue transponder from an SES satellite at 19.2°E which was less well suited for UK reception. As a result, the channel used to be notorious for being marred with interference, known as ' sparklies ', in large parts of the UK. Another initial drawback was the cutting of programming down to fit commercial time slots, and the intensive use of commercial breaks. Reception improved however with
6776-522: Was launched with Sky Multichannels in September 1993 as UK Living, formerly being affiliated with UK Gold before becoming Living TV, LIVINGtv and simply LIVING. It was the main channel from Living TV Group and usually had the highest ratings, recently better than that of Sky One , which strengthened its bid to become "the sixth channel". It originally launched on 1 September 1993 as UK Living , and changed its name to Living in 1997, to disassociate itself from
6864-459: Was men in their late 20s to early 40s. The channel closed on 1 January 2011. Bravo 2 , formerly called Player, launched on 2 March 2006. It originally replaced the Player late night slot on Challenge. On 28 September 2006, Player relaunched as Bravo 2 and became a sister channel of Bravo . The channel's content consists of gambling and sports programmes. As Player, Bravo 2 added exclusive coverage of
6952-515: Was negotiating a deal to give BBC Worldwide the option of increasing its stake to a maximum of 60%, by using a combination of cash and an unspecified "package of digital rights" for UKTV. "The new agreement we are developing will bring benefits to UKTV's audiences in the way they can consume content and will help to sustain UKTV's track record of growth," said BBC Worldwide chief executive John Smith. On 4 June 2010, British Sky Broadcasting and Virgin Media announced that they had reached an agreement for
7040-505: Was rebranded as LIVING2 in 2007, and LIVINGit in 2009. On 1 February 2011, Livingit was rebranded as Sky Livingit. On 9 June 2015, Sky Livingit was rebranded as Real Lives. The channel closed on 1 October 2019. On 5 July 2010, Living Loves replaced Living +2 on Sky and Virgin Media. Running a daily schedule from 15:00 to 02:00, the channel gave viewers the opportunity to experience their favourite Living shows again or catch up on ones that they have missed. On 1 February 2011, Living Loves
7128-403: Was rebranded as Sky Living Loves. On 5 September 2011, the channel began broadcasting for 24 hours a day. The channel closed on 21 February 2012. SceneOne was a general entertainment website and television channel that was closed down under Flextech management after disappointing reach and a lack of revenue. The website was set up in February 1999, and following an announcement in March 2002,
7216-590: Was recently a brand for a 5-minute show dedicated to showbiz and latest on DVD / CD releases on Living . Living TV Group Living TV Group was a British television consortium originally called Flextech before becoming a subsidiary of British Sky Broadcasting , with Challenge still broadcasting. Living TV Group had several owned channels, available in the United Kingdom on terrestrial , satellite and cable television platforms and in Ireland on satellite and cable television. Living TV Group's advertising
7304-478: Was responsible for moving Challenge away from its staple of game shows and axing Bravo's "laddism" strategy. In November 2006, NTL:Telewest began rebranding itself as Virgin Media. The group acquired Virgin Mobile in July, but went further by licensing the "Virgin" name, as they believed "Virgin Media would shake up the market by bringing the Virgin traditions of value-for-money, brilliant customer service and innovation to
7392-454: Was seen as Virgin Media's replacement of Sky Sports News which had been removed from their platform on 1 March 2007 as their contract with BSkyB had ended. The channel ceased broadcasting on 23 June 2009, the same day that Setanta Sports was placed into administration. The Children's Channel launched in 1984 and joined the Astra satellite line-up in 1989, with Flextech acquiring a stake in
7480-418: Was shut on 4 April 2002. The site's coverage spanned cinema, TV, radio, music, concerts, theatre, comedy, online, books and videos. The television channel was announced in 1999 and launched in June 2000 but was closed in March 2001. Setanta Sports News was a joint venture channel from Virgin Media Television and Setanta Sports . Following many delays, the channel launched on 29 November 2007. The channel
7568-473: Was split into current flagship channel Gold and miscellaneous channel, W , with classic comedy based programming now airing on Gold, non-crime drama and entertainment programming airing on W, and quiz shows and more high-brow comedy airing on Dave . It shows repeats of classic programming from the BBC , ITV and other broadcasters. Every December, from 2015 until 2018, the channel was temporarily renamed Christmas Gold. This has since been discontinued, although
7656-433: Was subject to a revenue share agreement. Under the revised terms, all revenues arising from this database will be retained by NetPlay TV, with VMTV receiving fixed monthly payments that reflect the value of its airtime. Gold (British TV channel) U&Gold is a British premium television channel from the UKTV network that was launched in late 1992 as UK Gold before it was rebranded UKTV Gold in 2004. In 2008, it
7744-402: Was the second classic BBC sitcom to be resurrected by a UKTV network, following the two Dave-commissioned series of Red Dwarf . News about other new commissions for the channel were announced during the summer. The channel was removed from Digital Terrestrial in 2013, along with Home as part of the closure of Top Up TV and was replaced with Drama in July 2013. However, Home relaunched on
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