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UKTV Rebrand and new channel

Feb 2010 - Back to 'Gold' again (June 2008)

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BE
benjy
Jonny posted:
kernow posted:
With the rebrand of UKTV Gold to G.O.L.D, the programming was changed to focus on comedy (with the dropping of dramas and soaps, for example).

With tomorrow's rebrand of UKTV Documentary to Eden, there doing a similar thing, with the new channel focusing on Earth, Wildlife & Travel.

I think that by focusing on a narrower range of programming, they're making a big mistake, as the channels will appeal to fewer viewers.

Didn't all the non-comedy stuff from UK Gold shift to the 'general entertainment' channel Watch? I imagine all the non-earth-wildlife-travel programmes from Docs will move across to either Blighty, Dave or History.


Exactly, there's still room for all of the programming across the portfolio of channels. I feel it's a much better way of distinguishing the genres - beforehand most of the UKTV channels lacked definition, such that Documentary, People, G2 etc could easily have shown the same programmes. Now each channel is becoming much more defined, so it's easier to find the kind of programming you want to watch. When you have such a vast amount of channels like UKTV they need to be clearly defined, otherwise it just ends up being a confusing mix of similar-ish channels.
ST
Stuart
benjy posted:
Exactly, there's still room for all of the programming across the portfolio of channels. I feel it's a much better way of distinguishing the genres - beforehand most of the UKTV channels lacked definition, such that Documentary, People, G2 etc could easily have shown the same programmes. Now each channel is becoming much more defined, so it's easier to find the kind of programming you want to watch. When you have such a vast amount of channels like UKTV they need to be clearly defined, otherwise it just ends up being a confusing mix of similar-ish channels.

Perhaps you'e watching different channels to the ones I can see. UKTV's channels are no better defined now in terms of what programmes they show than they were before.

Many of the programmes are available on more than one channel. 'The Bill' appears on Alibi, and also on Watch, as does 'Waking The Dead'. UKTV History still shows drama programmes that would be equally well placed on Watch.

In the launch blurb for Eden, UKTV's marketing gurus explained that the programming wouldn't initially alter from that shown on UKTV Documentary.

This rebranding exercise seems to be nothing more than a publicity stunt. The same programmes are recycled over the same collection of channels, just under a different name (for now).
BE
benjy
Stuart posted:
benjy posted:
Exactly, there's still room for all of the programming across the portfolio of channels. I feel it's a much better way of distinguishing the genres - beforehand most of the UKTV channels lacked definition, such that Documentary, People, G2 etc could easily have shown the same programmes. Now each channel is becoming much more defined, so it's easier to find the kind of programming you want to watch. When you have such a vast amount of channels like UKTV they need to be clearly defined, otherwise it just ends up being a confusing mix of similar-ish channels.

Perhaps you'e watching different channels to the ones I can see. UKTV's channels are no better defined now in terms of what programmes they show than they were before.

Many of the programmes are available on more than one channel. 'The Bill' appears on Alibi, and also on Watch, as does 'Waking The Dead'. UKTV History still shows drama programmes that would be equally well placed on Watch.

In the launch blurb for Eden, UKTV's marketing gurus explained that the programming wouldn't initially alter from that shown on UKTV Documentary.

This rebranding exercise seems to be nothing more than a publicity stunt. The same programmes are recycled over the same collection of channels, just under a different name (for now).


Well, hopefully they will carry through and narrow down their range of programming to suit their new names...which would make sense. In fact I don't actually watch any of the UKTV channels apart from Dave - I'm just going on what I believed to be the case with the rebrand (and what Kernow was saying).

Watch is a general channel so it can get away with showing pretty much anything. And G.O.L.D. just shows comedy now, right?
MA
Matt Founding member
Here's an ident from the newly launched Eden if anyone's interested...

http://www.oxbowdigital.com/eden/
GW
Gareth Williams
Matt posted:
Here's an ident from the newly launched Eden if anyone's interested...

http://www.oxbowdigital.com/eden/


Is it just me or does this ident remind me of the current BBC One idents?
MA
Matt Founding member
Gareth Williams posted:
Matt posted:
Here's an ident from the newly launched Eden if anyone's interested...

http://www.oxbowdigital.com/eden/


Is it just me or does this ident remind me of the current BBC One idents?


Yeah - the lens flare is far too similar to BBC One isn't it?
You'd have thought the channel would have been part owned by the beeb or something! Wink

It's a bit of a shame that it's a copycat, and i'm not a fan of the close font kerning either. But then I'm a member of the "What was wrong with calling them all UKTV" camp, so I would say that...
NE
Neil__
I'm somewhat disappointed that they haven't used the 'You are here' arrow from the promo.
RO
rob Founding member
Blighty to launch on 17th February...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/jan/26/uktv-people-rebrand-blighty
MA
Matt Founding member
rob posted:


Even though the flag is horrible (unless the colours are gradients and fluctuate individually like the current lines on remaining UKTV channels), I am glad to see the UKTV font still lives on (I think)
CW
Charlie Wells Moderator
Matt posted:
rob posted:


Even though the flag is horrible (unless the colours are gradients and fluctuate individually like the current lines on remaining UKTV channels), I am glad to see the UKTV font still lives on (I think)


The new website currently redirects to: http://uktv.co.uk/holdingpage/blighty/index.cfm
It looks like the circle version of the flag on the website has gradients.
AG
AxG
Matt posted:

I am glad to see the UKTV font still lives on (I think)

Unfortunately not
MA
Matt Founding member
AxG posted:
Matt posted:

I am glad to see the UKTV font still lives on (I think)

Unfortunately not


Oh...
Then I love the new Blighty font!

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