abstract
| - True Movies is a United Kingdom based film channel broadcasting movies based on real life stories. It is the first channel from Moving Movies, majority owned by Chart Show Channels. True Movies launched on April 29, 2005 and has quickly become one the biggest movie channels broadcasting in the UK. The channel transmits 24 hours a day free-to-air - it does not require any subscription to view the service. It is carried via the Sky Digital platform from Eurobird 1 satellite on EPG channel 323 for viewers in the United Kingdom and Ireland, though does not necessarily require Sky Digital to receive the channel. (Prior to February 28, 2006, True Movies was on channel 333.) The channel's origins can be traced back to TWC Re:Loaded - an experimental channel trying out new formats - found on channel number 428 of the EPG sports section. On January 24, 2005, TWC Re:Loaded stated that the channel would be re-formatted as potential partners looked to re-programme and develop the slot. Nightly movies aired on TWC Re:Loaded commencing on March 1, 2005, before the channel moved over to channel number 333 of the EPG movies section on March 21, 2005, being renamed as Movies 333 in the process. By April 25, 2005, the channel was then renamed as True Movies but only showed preview programming; promoting the start of the True Movies service on April 29, 2005, where upon it became a 24-hour channel. It is thought the short lived Movies 333 channel was used to obtain the desirable and easy to remember 333 channel number ahead of other potential broadcasters. At that time, two other new movie channels called Matinee Movies and Bad Movies, both owned by sit-up Ltd, were set to launch on April 25, 2005 - several days before the debut of True Movies. In July 2005, the channel received a daily viewership figure of 0.5%, higher than rival film channel Film4, which is owned by Channel 4 in the UK. The channel regularly tops ratings of the premium Sky Movies channels. The majority of the Sky Movies channels and TCM (Turner Classic Movies), all of which are either premium or basic Sky Digital package-encrypted channels. The station's ident shows clouds on a blue background, with the name of the station above the clouds. The station theme was shared with Movies 333. A sister channel, True Movies 2, was launched on March 20, 2006, initially broadcasting for two hours in the early morning, from 4am to 6am. This service was later extended to 24 hours a day.
|