By Leigh Andrews
The event kicked off with the words “Studio Universal welcomes you to its home, DStv channel 119, on Friday, 30 September at 19:00.” It will be available on both DStv Premium and Compact bouquets. Representatives from DStv as well as Universal Network’s ‘head honchos’ from the UK were in attendance. Multichoice’s general manager of content, Aletta Alberts, welcomed her fellow ‘movie buffs’, stating that the channel will become one of their firm favourites, like Universal Channel. She said that adding a channel is an exciting thing, but as this is a movie channel packaged by a big Hollywood studio brand, it is even more exciting. She added that genres of movies and sport are the mainstay of pay TV, so movies will stay important, both on the linear channels and through the Box Office offering. She stated that people are consuming and watching more of these channels, despite the new platforms now available. Alberts concluded that DStv has been working with the Universal group for the last 15 years, and this is the fourth of its channels to be launched on the platform.
Alberts then handed over to Colin McCleod, MD of Universal Networks International’s EMEA emerging markets. Universal Channel has been working with the DStv team for the past two years to develop the channel, and McCleod applauded DStv as “the most professional platform we work with, around the world”. Before the team ‘revealed what was being kept under their coats’ in terms of the channel’s strategy, attendees were out through their paces to find out how clued up we were on popular movies by answering a simple quiz.
Universal Networks is backed by the biggest names in entertainment, delivering on its mission for growth. The eight channels comprising the network include Universal Channel, E!, 13th Street Universal, Style, SyFy Universal, Golf Channel, Diva Universal, and Studio Universal.
The Fast and the Furious will be the first movie to screen when the channel launches, followed by favourites such as
Miami Vice, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, Norbit, The Bourne Identity and
The Bourne Supremacy.
Universal Studios is one of the oldest functioning American studios, celebrating its 100
th year in 2012. Universal Networks International therefore knows the industry inside out. Movies screened on the channel will not be limited to the brand but from across all Hollywood studios, including classics such as
ET and
Jurassic Park. Universal Networks International is one of the top international channels delivering content into 47 countries across Africa. It is part of the Universal Network International’s DNA, with McCleod adding that Africa is a market they know will “get this right”. They have experience in building movie channels complementary to what he calls a ‘dynamic platform’. Based on focus groups, the team has found that Universal’s viewers value its quality, big budget movies, and have confidence that they will always deliver blockbusters, rollercoaster entertainment and escapism.
The station logo was explained to give a sense of what the channel is about. It is described as warm and friendly, with a cinematic studio look. We were then shown teasers to highlight the channel’s tagline of ‘bringing Hollywood into your home’. Viewers know what to expect from the programming as there are themed nights, such as action weekends, Friday comedy night, crime and thriller Tuesdays, and big blockbuster Wednesdays. Family movies will also be screened during the holiday season. As a TV channel, there will also be something to talk about each month, with certain stunts resonating with certain movie releases, such as music-themed movies in November, when the remake of
Footloose will be released.
The channel is also hosting a competition in line with the release of
The Fast and the Furious 5, where one viewer can win a Dodge Caliber Mopar by answering a multiple choice question over the month of October – visit the DStv website on
www.dstv.co.za from 1 October for more.
The afternoon ended with a question and answer session, where McCleod clarified that while the channel’s focus will be on movies, it will also bring short-form content from behind the scenes to complement the offering. As Hollywood keeps producing, Universal’s movie library gets bigger, so it will keep the channel fresh as the market develops. The movies shown will also be packaged in different ways in order to be relevant to certain branded themes, and movies will be aired on the channel over a certain time period and they will then be rested. Alberts added that we all have our favourites and the frustration of repeated content is being dealt with – there are great developments in the pipeline, and Studio Universal is the first of these, with more information to be made available over the next few months.
This was followed by a screening of
The Fast and the Furious 5 in the Killarney mall movie theatre. I’ll definitely be tuning in this Friday, 30 September at 19:00.