Challenge TV launched on Freeview!

Challenge Prize Time, (and subsequently The Games Room which appeared in 1999) used to take up that much time between the programmes on Challenge, mostly filler competitions and ad-breaks, but it worked well, it was like ITV Play at it's peak, if anything.

Back then they had In Vision continuity, sort of like CBBC wraps around the programme. The sections would typically add 15 minutes to an hour.

I found it annoying, personally.

They did. Apparently.

According to a forum post on The Mausoleum Club forum:



A handful of production rights were sold when TVS lost its licence, such as Art Attack and the Ruth Rendall Mysteries.
Everything else sits gathering dust in an archive somewhere because all the paperwork for the material was, depending on the sources you read, either lost in the process during change of ownership or deliberately skipped after TVS lost the franchise.

Just dug out a random TV listings mag from 1997. This is the typical Challenge/Family late schedule from April 1997:

Weekdays:

17:00 Challenge Prize Time
17:05 Blockbusters
17:35 Challenge Prize Time
17:50 Family Fortunes
18:20 Challenge Prize Time
18:30 Catchphrase
18:55 Challenge Prize Time
19:05 Sale of the Century
19:30 Challenge Prize Time
19:40 Give Us a Clue
20:10 Challenge Prize Time
20:20 All Clued Up
20:50 Challenge Prize Time
21:00 Through The Keyhole
21:25 Challenge Prize Time
21:35 Busman's Holiday
22:00 Challenge Prize Time
22:05 Treasure Hunt
23:05 Challenge Prize Time
23:20 Love at First Sight
23:45 Challenge Prize Time
00:00 Sale of the Century
00:30 Family Late: Hart to Hart
01:30 Family Late: Moonlighting
02:30 Family Late: Christy
03:30 Family Late: All Together Now
04:00 Family Late: The Fall Guy
05:00 - 06:00 HSN Direct Shopping

Weekend:


17:00 Challenge Prize Time
17:05 Blockbusters
17:35 Challenge Prize Time
17:50 Spellbound
18:20 Challenge Prize Time
18:30 Family Catchphrase
18:55 Challenge Prize Time
19:05 A Word In Your Ear
19:30 Challenge Prize Time
19:40 Second Guess
20:10 Challenge Prize Time
20:20 Concentration
20:50 Challenge Prize Time
21:00 Trivial Pursuit
21:25 Challenge Prize Time
21:35 3-2-1
22:35 Challenge Prize Time
22:50 Roll With It!
23:15 Challenge Prize Time
23:25 Simply Irresistible
23:50 Challenge Prize Time
00:00 Trivial Pursuit
00:30 Family Late: The Beiderbecke Connection
01:30 Family Late: The Father Dowling Mysteries
02:30 Family Late: Gentleman and Players
03:30 Family Late: Claymation
04:00 Family Late: Sweet Justice
05:00 - 06:00 HSN Direct Shopping

Im On about Flextech in 1996, why there did not buy the English TVS archive:

paperwork would not have been lost at this stage, as all that happened was TVS was sold to IFE, then then the went in to partnership with flextech to create the UK Family Channel ( IFE 61% :: Flechtech 39% )

in 96 flech brought everything uk bar the tapes, yet kept the broadcast rights for another 4-5 years?

The Mausoleum Club forum: has it a bit wrong in 1998 it was brought by fox who then sold it to Disney in 2001.

That promo at the start is truly horrid.

I really like it. Can you provide details of any Challenge promos you think are better?

Any promo that doesn't involve hosts singing and dancing. Literally any of them.

Tumble?

And... we're back on topic.

once again ( for the second times) the was no connection between 4pm and 4.30pm epsiodes of blockbusters

You are right. I think the second episode was one that has already been shown earlier in this run.

This never would have happened or at least gone unnoticed if they had live continuity.