Challenge TV launched on Freeview!

Sky should shut the channel down as it is of no use, it does not show true classic programming. Indeed it seems it is not even worth of the Sky brand name.

Im still looking forward to the Second half of Series 10 ( 108 episodes)

Question is Challenge does broadcast classic show like Take you pick or you bet or Blockbusters and some of these are 20 years old....

It must be of some use as it is getting viewers, and I believe is doing better than Sky had expected. What exactly is 'true classic programming' anyway?

I do like Blockbusters but these are the same episodes that were repeated a few years ago, lets see some 1980s episodes and 1980s, or older, versions of other programmes, they could even buy the rights to some more obscure series that not many people remember which might become popular once repeated.

Edit: Ben, I believe it should be programmes that are not remembered as being recent, so about twenty five years ago or more. I know Challenge began with recent programming at the time but I believe the older the programmes it buys the rights to the better.

Take Your Pick might be 20 years old but Challenge only showed it 6 months ago so there isn't the same excitement as would be generated by a programme that has not been seen for 20 years or even 10 years. What exactly is the point in showing butchered episodes of In it to Win it from a couple of years ago? Who watches that nonsense?

BTW, you missed out the word 'Blockbusters' from your first sentence.

Here is what I do know from challenge:

* Bruce 70s Gem Game BBC said NO: Larrys version yes. ( No reply about jims version)
* Every second counts; its looks very dated: ( challenges words)
* Chain letters ( still have issues with the last 1997 series)
* TVS Catchphrase and All cluded up - Well blame Disney for that)
* Countdown - Ch4 SAID NO


Other reason for the programmes include, too dated, or tapes are not in great condition, I do wonder what's happened to Small talk.

Im surprised there never gone after Michael Barrymore's My Kind Of Music, 90's Call my bluff, EVEN Better Full run of ITV dropped series Shafted!

Who ever said Challenge was a "classic gameshow" channel? There has been no official reference to "classic" for years. It is simply a "gameshow channel". Whether these shows are from the last five years or the last 25 years, they're still gameshows so have as much right to be on the channel as each other.

People remember Challenge airing series' from the 70s/80s about 10+ years ago - but that was ten years ago. These shows weren't as "classic" then as they are today, simply because we've moved on another decade. The quality may have been fine back then, but these days some old shows look just too dated. Even some series' Challenge do air at the moment look bad.

To be honest, I don't like the majority of shows on the channel but I would never say "they might as well close it down". Millionaire bores me rigid, same with Bullseye, Chain Letters, In It to Win It, etc, but there are clearly a vast amount of viewers who DO like these shows. You only have to look at this topic to see that.

Challenge are trying to find a place somewhere in the middle. Including "classic" shows but also picking up a lot of more recent series', as we'll hopefully see in the coming months. What's a classic to one person will be a complete turn-off to another. If the channel was full of series' from decades gone by then it'd be putting itself into an extremely niche corner and one that advertisers won't want to know about. Just look back to the adverts in the "good old days" of Challenge: full of injury lawyers, loan companies, insurance companies every single break. Yes there are still some of those there today but there far, FAR more of the mainstream, or terrestrial if you like, adverts than in those days.



It's all hush-hush at the moment...

Challenge HAS double its numbers since going on to Freeview: I see that TNA has also gone up aswell, so its doing very well. I understand the channel needs whole range of series, its just same of us would like a few other bits n bobs.

Challenge w/e 28 Aug 2011

1 CELEBRITY WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE (TUE 2100) 250000's
2 IN IT TO WIN IT (TUE 2000) 220000's
3 TNA PRESENTS IMPACT WRESTLING (TUE 2200) 209000's
4 CELEBRITY WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE (FRI 2101) 197000's
5 TNA PRESENTS IMPACT WRESTLING (SUN 2100) 194000's
6 CATCHPHRASE (SUN 1800) 181000's
7 CELEBRITY WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE (THU 2100) 180000's
8 CATCHPHRASE (SUN 1830) 168000's
9 BULLSEYE (THU 2300) 161000's
10 CELEBRITY WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE (WED 2101) 160000's

How dare you say this!!

There are other channels on Freeview which deserve to go but this channel is not one of them!!!

Challenge? A game show channel? It hasn't been since it was added to Freeview - no way does TNA count as gameshow. Neither does World's Strongest Man. These shows came from Bravo, of course. Challenge could do with a name change. It's a good channel, but it's name is no longer suitable. There's a very good excuse for My Kind of Music - Barrymore's name is mud, ever since that guy drowned in his pool. The only thing he's done since is Celebrity Big Brother, it didn't revive his career. This is likely also why Strike It Lucky/Rich isn't shown.

I'm not really in to brands 'meaning' things. It all comes across as marketing BS to me, but 'Challenge' or 'Challenge TV' has never been a name that means gameshow to me anyway. The name fits as well as Bravo, Dave, Sky1 or any other meaningless channel name. If you really wanted to writing the marketing stuff, I am sure you could quite easily come up with some nonsense about the Word Strongest Men 'challenging' themselves, you could do the same for the wrestling too. The name is fine, although it may be nice to go back to using 'Challenge TV' on air again as that is what everyone seems to call the channel including the CAs sometimes.

They also still have the domain name... www.challengetv.co.uk



I am not sure people outside of the tabloid reading masses have an opinion on Michael Barrymore's personal life either way. Challenge have shown Strike it Rich regularly over the past few years. I'm not sure they have ever gone with Strike it Lucky but that may just be because they seem to have a habit of buying the most recent series of each programme rather than starting at the beginning.

Strike it Rich was made by Thames while Strike it Rich was made by LWT & Fremantle, and Thames wouldn't let them use the original name. There would be two sets of rights for Challenge to negotiate.