Turner eyes rescue deal for TruTV

Interesting that article mentioning the "general entertainment" TNT- that was a VERY short lived channel. I think it was only around for about 6 months, and was only ever analogue only, appearing at the same time TNT Classic Movies was replaced by TCM on digital.

IIRC, The Cartoon Network/TNT Channel on analogue had always been free to air up until the time TNT Classic Movies shut down as well, I think it only went encrypted at the same time? On analogue satellite anyway. I think that might have been the point where Cartoon Network technically became UK Only rather than a pan-Europe feed (though I only remember them ever showing UK adverts- though they had several audio tracks).

This was the short lived TNT, it launched in September 1999 and was gone by Summer in 2000. Note it was never on any digital platforms, just analogue.

A closedown clip via yours truly:

I do wonder what was the point of it only being on air for 4 hours a night, they can barely really air any programmes in such a short timespan. And launching analogue only seemed a pointless move to when the switch to digital was already underway.

I seem to remember WCW did continue after they went to TCM, but I seem to remember it going out with no DOG (which it always had on TNT, even the classic movies version).

Seems like a good opportunity to bring the TBS brand here or make TruTV more comedy orientated rather than crime to bring it some success...

It's never been a pay channel, Sky won't be giving them anything

TruTv was born from the infamous COURTTV in 2008. CourtTv did what it says on the tin. It was basically famous court case presented live from the court with Lawyers analyzing the trials as they progressed. It was very popular channel throught the 80s and 90s with their coverage of very high profile cases. But its popularity waned. the court coverage was slowlyl rolled back and then was only a few hours a day and then removed from the channel entirely and shunted to HLN and then eventually dropped all together.


http://gizmodo.com/a-brief-history-of-court-tv-where-many-a-true-crime-ob-1708115679

A little bit of digging through the Broadcast article - especially that one quote mentioned by the boss of Turner Northern Europe in February 2015:

We want to move quite quickly with this channel, so I don’t think we’ll wait too long. By year two, we want to start looking at UK commissions.

It seems like Turner had huge ambitions for TruTV - through new reality content straight from the US in the hope that it would gain good ratings thanks to the virtues of Freeview carriage - and eventually leading to UK versions of the shows shown by TruTV.

Instead - thanks to poor ratings, TruTV looks largely saturated by crime dross and the UK commissions once mooted by McDonough haven't even popped up from behind the scenes. From that - it shows that Turner had pretty unrealistic expectations for their FTA channel and once things weren't working for them - the channel began to be filled with old crime documentaries - and with little new output.

This is the problem with most of these pay TV companies trying to nab space on Freeview - they're doing it without even having a clear consistent focus on what the channel is going to be. They're instead cast into the idea of high ratings rather than producing compelling content, and with a distinct lack of identity - it creates saturation within the lower end of the Freeview EPG spectrum. If your content is compelling enough with a strong, distinctive brand, then you will reap the rewards. Look at Drama, that was launched three years ago - and is now one of the most popular multichannels. Why? Because the content is compelling and decent enough to keep viewers engaged. There is a clear focus with the channel.

Turner came in with TruTV - with huge ambitions - good ratings, and a steady slate of new content, but it devolved into a glut of crime programming because Turner didn't get much in the way of ratings success, and as a result, they are possibly paying the price for it - depending on how their negotiations go on saving the channel. But I wouldn't put it past them.

The name doesn't help either. TruTV just screams reality programming and its position on the guide means most people just think its full of cheap nasty imported programming. All the best and most popular reality shows are on other channels, so they didn't have any good content to launch with. They bought Drag Race but started at Season 4 instead of the very beginning and were behind the US by 3 seasons. They did show Season 8 soon after the US showing and All Stars 2 weeks after it finished in the US, but if they were able to do it within 24 hours it would get a much higher audience for it. Improving the picture quality might help too. It's soft and compressed SD at the moment. It's embarrassing when the YouTube uploads the channel has are in 720p and look markedly better than their TV output.

While 544x576 is the prolefeed of Freeview channel resolution - I don't think they'd bother, as Arqiva and SDN have proved by cramming in as much streams as possible, and with PSB2 having clearance to drop down the resolution for some channels, most likely ITV and C4 offshoot channels.

I actually do wonder if they had been able to set up instead a shop window service for their older programming across TCM and Cartoon Network, as well as Adult Swim. That would be a decent contribution to Freeview rather than the same grim crime dross over and over.

http://helpforum.sky.com/t5/Entertainment/Launches-amp-Changes-to-Sky-Channels/m-p/2407614/highlight/true#M53400

TruTV+1 pulled off the Sky EPG. Temporary removal, apparently.

Oh goody. Coming off the back of news that Discovery are now in the process of planning a second Freeview channel - we now seem to know who's bought the embattled TruTV.

Today, True Crime+1 was pulled off the air and TruTV has now taken up its slot on EPG 186. This confirms that Sony Pictures Television now owns the channel.
With a combination of channels now showing a raft of crime programming on the Sony block surely there should be some change to the channel - I wouldn't mind for one of Sony's more reputable TV brands to replace the channel. Sony MAX? AXN? We'll find out soon enough. In the meantime, here's the source:
http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?p=85564701#post85564701

Will it expand from its crime programmes? or will it just merge with True Crime?

Can you get True Crime on Freeview or is it one of the channel that is linked to Local TV band? so very few people know about?

Edit Turns out YES it is on the Local band, so I dare say Sony want the better slot. So I can expect a full merge shorlty, but then will then free up space for a new channel Maybe Tru movies?

Shame Your tv never got it