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Granada Joint Venture With BSkyB

Granada Joint Venture With BSkyB

Granada has confirmed today it is to form a new joint venture company (Granada Sky Broadcasting Limited) which will launch eight channels in 1996 as part of the Sky Multi-Channels package.

In what will be a direct rival to UK Gold, Granada Gold Plus will offer classic programmes from the programming libraries from both Granada and LWT; this includes of course Coronation Street, which will be re-run from the first episode 35 years ago. Granada Gold Plus will however, also include new original programming. Granada confidently expect Granada Gold Plus “is set to build a huge following among Sky Multi-Channels’ viewers”. Other classic programmes in the libraries of Granada and LWT include Jeeves and Wooster, Dempsey and Makepeace, The Charmer and Doctor.

The seven other channels, which are expected to launch late 1996 are:

  • Health and Beauty
  • Home and Garden
  • Food and Wine
  • Granada Good Life
  • Granada Men and Motoring
  • Granada Talk TV
  • Granada TV Shopping Guide

Health and Beauty is billed as the “channel of glamour”; Food and Wine will be the gourmet channel, and Home and Garden will cover include lifestyles of the rich and famous “turned into easy tips”. Granada Good Life will be a magazine style channel covering lifestyle; Granada Talk TV, to be prduced by LWT’s journalists, will discuss issues of the day to celebrity interviews and gossip Granada Men and Motoring will be a late night channel. Granada and Sky are also developing a further channel featuring detectives and detection, past and present.

Charles Allen, Chief Executive of Granada Television, said, ‘Granada is the first UK terrestrial broadcaster to create its own national subscription- funded TV channels. Granada and LWT’s programme making and broadcasting expertise is unparalleled and ripe for growth.’There has been recent speculation that Carlton Communications is also to launch a vintage programme channel; this could include Soldier, Soldier, and Inspector Morse; Carlton would also be able to call on Central’s programme library. Michael Green, Chairman of Carlton, speaking last week at the announcement of Carlton’s financial results confirmed that “We intend to be a major owner and supplier.” (Newsline 06/12/95).

Granada: 0161 832 7211

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