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Sony Movie Channel to launch on Freeview in 2017


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Old 13-12-2016, 15:04
hyperstarsponge
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http://www.a516digital.com/2016/12/s...ch-on.html?m=1

Sony Pictures Television has announced it's effectively merging MovieMix with the Sony Movie Channel in the new year.

It will mark the culmination of a four year exercise to turn a former teleshopping channel slot into a Sony branded TV channel on Freeview, without falling foul of rules which would have sent the channel to the bottom of the Freeview channel list.

MovieMix is available on Freeview, and since earlier this year on Virgin Media. Sony Movie Channel is distributed on Sky and is also available as a premium channel on web streaming service TVPlayer.

From the 10th January 2017, the channels will effectively merge, but with the Movie Mix name being dumped in favour of the Sony brand. MovieMix's separate Freeview broadcasting licence has already been removed from the Ofcom database ahead of the changes. Of the two channels, despite not being on Sky, MovieMix has enjoyed the highest audience reach, according to BARB figures covering July-September 2016.

The merger of the two channels has been expected for a while. Both channels already frequently broadcast the same movies, albeit in different timeslots over the course of several weeks. The change to the Freeview service follows the proposed relaxation of restrictions that has stopped Freeview channels suddenly turning into a different service while retaining their channel slot.

MovieMix first appeared on Freeview at the end of 2012, in what was initially simply a new name for teleshopping and gameshow channel The Big Deal. At first it showed a classic movie in the middle of the night, with normal output at other times. Then in 2013, it began to simulcast More>Movies, a former Sony Pictures Television channel. During subsequent years, Movie Mix's broadcast licence was transferred from Big Deal owner Square 1 Management to Sony Pictures Television in several stages. The gradual change enabled Movie Mix to keep Freeview channel 32, as the existing Freeview channel allocation rules allowed gradual, evolutionary changes to channels without risking demotion down the channel list.

While the new look Sony Movies Channel will be distributed on Sky, Freeview (and by default on YouView-based platforms) as well as Virgin Media, there's no mention of Freesat, which currently doesn't carry either channel.
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Old 14-12-2016, 00:20
SonOfPurple
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Entirely sensible move - why have two separate channels showing the same films on different platforms when you can combine them into one strong channel? I have both Freeview and FSFS but make most of my channel selection from the Sky guide on the satellite box,as it lists channels including those on both platforms, so I'll often forget to check Movie Mix and miss out on what's there...
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Old 16-12-2016, 19:26
TelevisionUser
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This is welcome news but it came as a surprise since Sony put their entertainment TV channel behind BT TV and TalkTalk Youview paywalls.
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Old 16-12-2016, 20:05
Daveww
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Hopefully Sony entertainment will come aswell.
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Old 16-12-2016, 20:25
TelevisionUser
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Hopefully Sony entertainment will come aswell.
Unlikely as it's already a pay TV channel on BT Youview and TalkTalk Youview which brings in £££ for Sony.
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Old 29-12-2016, 16:08
pinballmad
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movie mix has now started a trailer for the sony movie channel launching on 10 January
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Old 29-12-2016, 19:37
walmesdan
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Unlikely as it's already a pay TV channel on BT Youview and TalkTalk Youview which brings in £££ for Sony.

Isn't Sony Movie channel on BT / Talk Talk Youview as well?..
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Old 29-12-2016, 20:59
ally8971
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Home was a pay channel and BT removed it when it went FTA on Freeview on channel 25. I guess the same will happen with the Sony channel when it launches.
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Old 29-12-2016, 21:00
pinballmad
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Isn't Sony Movie channel on BT / Talk Talk Youview as well?..
Sony movie channel only on sky 323 and on tv player on subscription basic
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Old 04-01-2017, 12:01
hartcliffe
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starts January 10th according to what's on TV guide channel 32
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Old 04-01-2017, 13:36
YouView
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starts January 10th according to what's on TV guide channel 32
We already knew that, it says so in the first post on this thread.
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Old 04-01-2017, 14:25
DazzaS
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Sony movie channel only on sky 323 and on tv player on subscription basic
sony seemed to be workign hard to make their movie channel on freeview, interesting move they made to move it away from a paywall.
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Old 04-01-2017, 14:38
pinballmad
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there is a sony channel on bt tv, it shows films as well, over christmas they practically showed nothing but films such as jumani (enjoyed robin williams in that) but it is a sperate channel to the actual sony movie channel itself.
Sony entertainment on talk talks how same movie as movie mix at different time no doubt it show the same with name change not to get confuse with movie channel I can get both on tvplayer
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