No longer a Virgin – it’s Channel One from now on…
5 August 2010 tbs.pm/1204
The question of what Virgin One was going to be rebranded as after BSkyB bought Virgin Media’s TV stations is one which I’m sure has barely been off the lips of the average Transdiffusion reader, just as it has been for many sat around pub tables, pints in hand, fists waving whilst the landlord tries to keep control of the situation…
Oh, okay, enough sarcasm. But it was a vaguely interesting question as it would give a hint about what Sky would do branding wise with its new toys, which also include Bravo and Living.
Most bets seemed to be on the obvious Sky 4 – obvious because for many years Sky has always included “Sky” in its channel names. However the success of brands like Dave have called into question the old theory that having a “portfolio of channels” under one brand name (even if they’re extremely clumsy like UKTV G2) is a good idea.
And so we now have the answer – and the UK will soon have a rather blandly named “Channel One” once more (the original Channel One being a local news channel in London.) Thrilling eh?
But hey, it’s not a Sky4 and interesting the “new” channel will even be broadcasing the remake of V, which also seems to cut across Sky’s strategy of keeping all the best stuff under its paywall (does anyone even watch Sky 3?)
Mind you the portfolio of channels idea was never an argument that stood up to scrutiny in any area of business – my local bus company for example proudly runs under the bizairre brand of “Go-ahead London London General” with the joyous tagline of “A Go-Ahead Company” just in case you didn’t get it. But as a bus user, why should I care? I don’t use Go-Ahead’s operations in the North East – I don’t relate to their bus routes running around my old hang-out of Durham in any way just because I use their buses in South West London. And nor too do I relate in any way to Sky Sports 1 just because I occassionally put Sky’s news channel on whilst I’m bored.
And maybe this will see some sort of change in Sky’s approach to channel branding. Or perhaps they just haven’t really worked out what to do with their recent purchases…
You Say
3 responses to this article
paul brammall wrote 13 September 2010 at 10:52 am
hi there why has virgin 1 changed to channel one and is virgin going out of business
Andrew Bowden wrote 13 September 2010 at 2:41 pm
Virgin Media have sold their TV channels to Sky – hence the name change. That’s all!
nobody in particular wrote 2 February 2011 at 1:48 pm
the loss of virgin tv now channel 1 (also now owned by the murdock empire)
typical of the murdoch empire – if you dont like the competition, buy it out and shut it down.
i was an early viewer on cable at the start of it all and found it was at reasonable costs – then sky came along and bought out the competition (film channels etc) and rebranded them as sky movies etc. i then ditched the whole cable thing because of murdock and rising costs
then freeview came along and i watched that and then freesat came along and i watched that
now virging tv has gone and now channel one has gone- the nice murdock business wants it all
doesn’t look like its enough for the murdock empire get control of the airwaves and broadacst on it – murdock wants us to pay for all our tv entertainment, plus watch the murdock enforced approved adverts
ha ha i have news for them
they will never ever get any more of my cash and if everybody took the same view
bring it on i say and lets see if they are still around in another 5 years
the murcock empire will crash and burn in the end