'No sport and news' programmes on new TV channel
The country’s newest national television station, Channel 6, will mix music, movies, drama and comedy with a range of home-grown shows when it goes live at the end of the month, it revealed today.
But sports fans, kids and news junkies will have to look elsewhere for their TV fix.
As station founder and director Michael Murphy said: “No sport, no news and no children’s – just pure entertainment.”
Aiming for a modest 3% share of the under 35 audience in the county’s towns and cities, Channel 6 bosses have lined up a string of ageing hits including The Sopranos, Dawson’s Creek and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
New award winning shows The American Office, hospital drama House and comedy My Name is Earl have also been secured.
Outlining the programming schedule, Mr Murphy revealed Channel 6 would go live to around 600,000 homes from March 30 on basic NTL and Chorus packages.
Talks are ongoing to have it listed on the Sky service beside other Irish stations.
Theme nights are also planned with young women targeted by chick-flicks and double bills of Sex and the City while men be offered a good dose of crime with CSI specials and hit comedy Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Some 25 staff will be taken on with Mr Murphy insisting the focus would-be on home-grown talent.
Half of the station’s €14m budget will go on local programming with about one-third of output home produced.
Movie review show, Screen 6, and fashion programme Catwalk 6 will be shown once a week.
Music will feature heavily with daytime show Popscene aimed at teens, late night alternative Dream Scene for older viewers and chart show Mus:Six taking a prime time slot.
Mr Murphy said: “We believe there is a huge appetite to see the likes of Damien Rice and others who get no support here.
“We are offering the Irish viewer an exciting mix of never before seen comedy, drama and movies mixed with newly minted home-produced programming in the most entertaining package to appear on Irish screens. This will open up the market, in a way that has not been experienced to date.”
The station is also developing a chat show, again aimed at under 35s, which could be on air in the autumn, however, Mr Murphy insisted it was not designed to rival RTÉ’s Tubridy Tonight.
“We would not go head to head with any other chat shows. We are about providing choice in the Irish market place. From a programming point of view it would be silly to go head to head. I think we can provide programming that is targeted and made by the under 35s.”
An intensive €2m advertising campaign will begin in the coming weeks.
