Bubble bursts for Bubble Hits!

Have not seen this reported here, so apologies if it has.

Bubble Hits Ireland and it's counterpart UK/European channel has gone bust. It really was one of the better music channels on UPC Digital and Sky. Currently showing black on UPC and removed from SKY EPG. The following is from today's herald.

----

THE plug has been pulled on Irish music station Bubble Hits after its funding fell through.

It really was a case of unlucky Friday the 13th for the station's chiefs, who were forced to stop broadcasting the station at 1pm yesterday.

Entrepreneur James Hyland (25), who set up the station with Lee Walsh (25) three years ago admitted to the Herald he was "deeply disappointed" with the collapse of the project.

And despite last-ditch efforts to save the station, he said that they just didn't get the financial support that they had hoped for in recent months.

"Of course it is disappointing but you have to move on," he said.

"There was basically no advertising revenue anymore and this is something that it going to hit right across the board, including RTE and TV3 -- the money just isn't there.

"It wasn't a decision that we took lightly as there's now no TV platform for Irish bands to launch themselves now the station is gone.

"We were getting the support from the viewers alright but the advertising agencies weren't behind us. Obviously we would have liked to have kept it on air but it just wasn't possible anymore."

He now plans to concentrate on his other projects, including his new band with model Michele McGrath.

"We run a company called Creative Sounds which makes radio and TV ads and I'm also working with my new band."

"We went over to Sweden recently to record three new singles and the guys just sound great. We're looking at launching them in about three or four weeks."

Can't say I ever watched it full and properly as it never appeared on Virgin Media, but it was the default music channel on at our Gym and it was quite good, just wall to wall music with no crap, prior to that they used to show B4, which started getting to RnB for my liking.

What a shame. They had this channel on the cruise I was on and they played a good selection of music (and only music) with only a small DOG on screen. I wonder how many music channels would be in this situation if they didn't have all those endless text-in games/dating things that we so regularly moan about!

I thought the DOG was quite large actually, but well designed an unobtrusive. The lack of interruption certainly way nice. Ironic that we have an almost complete lack of funding to thank for that, when the better performing channels are full of distracting crap that puts me off watching!

Giving Chorus NTL's slowness at removing Sports Exchange, that black screen might me around for a while...

Brits Hits on 385 on the SKY EPG is no longer showing erm Brits Hits but is going ala Friendly TV style with Psyhic TV and the like and last night they were showing one of the 900 phone in bird channels from midnight. Who would think of getting that in the music section!