TWC Fight!

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TWC Fight!
Launched	March 15, 2004 (Pre-launch: Dec. 1, 2003)
Owned by	The Wrestling Channel Ltd.
Audience share	0.1% (July, 2006, Source:[1])
Formerly called	The Wrestling Channel (Until: 3 October, 2005) TWC (Until: 4th December, 2006)
Sister channel(s)	TWC Re:Loaded (Launched: Oct. 25, 2004 Ceased: March 21, 2005)
Website	twcfight.com
Availability
Satellite
Sky Digital	Channel 427
Cable
WightCable	Channel 37

TWC Fight! is a satellite television sport channel in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, available as a free-to-air service on Sky Digital. Launched as the world's first dedicated professional wrestling and channel in March 15, 2004, The Wrestling Channel solely transmitted many different wrestling programmes, from promotions around the globe, to related interviews and documentaries. The channel introduced combat sports and action films in late-2005 under the TWC name, before increasing their mixed martial arts content as TWC Fight! on December 4, 2006. Their head office is located in London, with the production based in Howth.

1 History
2 Programming
- 2.1 Line-up
3 Logos
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Pre-launch

Starting December 1, 2003, The Wrestling Channel aired preliminary television programming slots on Friendly TV to establish the potential audience reach and engage viewer reaction. ^[1] New shows aired daily, broadcasting for one-hour at 7AM, 4PM and 7PM on weekdays, with an additional two-hour slot for weekends at 9AM and 6PM. Programming included Classic Wrestling, Pro Wrestling NOAH, Ring of Honor and TNA Wrestling, the first airing of such shows in the country. Due to a positive response, the test phase was extended into 2004, leading to the official channel launch in March. Selected programming would be simultaneously broadcast on both channels for several months after their final launch.

[edit] Launch

After a week of testing and several hours of previews through the day, the world's first ever wrestling channel - The Wrestling Channel - launched in March 15, 2004. The first show programme transmitted was Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Xplosion at 9PM. A number of new programmes was introduced to the schedule, not found on Friendly TV broadcasts. These included New Japan Pro Wrestling, Pro-Pain-Pro Wrestling, RF Video Shoot Interviews, World of Sport and more, with further shows being added over the coming months. New programming transmitted nightly - something that the channel has adhered to as much as possible ever since.

Commencing July 9, 2004, the station produced their first own in-house weekly programme called The Bagpipe Report - the world's first weekly professional wrestling magazine show - that featured guests including A.J. Styles, Diamond Dallas Page and Jim Cornette. In the August 2004 newsletter, the channel stated that Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre had achieved very poor ratings and that the broadcasts would be stopped until a new licensing agreement could be reached.^[2] NWA Wildside was however added in its place, maintaining the number of programmes featured on the station.

[edit] TWC Re:Loaded

TWC Re:Loaded - their sister channel - launched in October 25, 2004, starting with GAEA Japan at 9AM on channel number 428. The channel would feature action from the existing channel library and also experiment with new shows and formats. Unique programming included FWA Academy, the bloodiest matches in Bloodbath, whilst Spotlight showcased previously unseen promotions, such as Azteca Entertainment, !BANG! and Westside Xtreme Wrestling. Anticipated mixed martial arts programming never came to be (along with other diverse programming), though it appeared on the main channel at a later stage.

[edit] Change

By the end of the year, The Wrestling Channel announced that they were running at a loss due to lower-than-expected viewing figures generating less revenue than it was costing to run the operation. They added that most promotions had been more than co-operative in allowing contract re-negotiations.^[3] Indeed, a new deal with TNA Wrestling was soon secured for further more-up-to-date shows, all with a one-week delay. Ring of Honor was expanded to an exclusive two-hour weekly new show, hosted by the promotions own Bobby Cruz. ZERO1-MAX and Live Action Wrestling was newly added to the schedule, whilst Memphis Wrestling and Pro Wrestling NOAH had even newer up-to-date weekly shows. Furthermore, the channel indicated that viewer ratings had increased.^[4]

Meanwhile in January 24, 2005, TWC Re:Loaded announced that the business had been approached by a number of potential partners seeking to re-programme and develop the slot. Future output had been reduced to the minimum level of three hours per day, starting at 3AM, whilst a decision was taken over the content for the slot. Starting March 1, a movie aired nightly on the channel and by March 3, the channel effectively ceased as there was no longer any sporting content being transmitted. During March 21, TWC Re:Loaded moved to the movie section of the EPG at channel number 333, temporary re-named as Movies 333 in the process. ^[5] It soon became known as True Movies around a month later.

[edit] International Showdown

Further information: International Showdown

International Showdown was a professional wrestling supershow held by TWC to coincide with their first anniversary on March 19, 2005, which uniquely consisted of wrestlers from the various promotions featured on the channel. Along with special guest Mick Foley, other highlights included wrestlers from Pro-Wrestling NOAH, Ring of Honor and a TNA X Division Championship contest as the main event. The station had earlier hinted at plans of running such shows even before their launch. Whilst a huge success, attracting a sell-out crowd of around 3,400 people at the Skydome in Coventry, further supershows are not planned.

[edit] Development

On October 3, 2005, the channel was changed from The Wrestling Channel to the non-wrestling descriptive TWC. During the month of November, the station added mixed martial arts and boxing programming to its existing schedule for the first time, such as Cage Warriors Fighting Championship, revealing it was part of their process of broadening the channel's output to their existing audience whilst appealing to new viewers.^[6] Further hours of programming was subsequently added to their schedule, and by July 1, 2006, TWC was running shows 24/7 with no teleshopping or external quiz channel programming - a rarity in comparison to the majority of other television channels. New programming from 1 Pro Wrestling, Irish Whip Wrestling, and action films was also added at the start of July, with two further British promotions appearing in September.

The channel was rebranded as TWC Fight! on December 4, 2006, as further mixed martial arts programming was added to the schedule, including Cage Rage Championships, King of the Cage and others. New wrestling from Real Quality Wrestling also appeared, along with several repeats from their archives that had not been transmitted in a some time. ^[7]

On 15 December TWCFight! released the following statement:

"TWC regrets to inform it's viewers, that after almost 3 years of being the home to TNA Wrestling in the UK, TNA have now signed an exclusive deal with another UK network commencing on the 1st of January 2007. As disappointed as we are, we understand that this is a natural progression for a company that is growing as fast as TNA; we are happy to have been a part of their growth in the UK, and wish them all the best in the future!"

Speculation thinks that TNA will either be on Eurosport, Bravo or Sky Sports. Either way it is a huge loss for TWCFight!

[edit] Programming

TWC Fight! has transmitted many different programmes since their launch. New programmes are regularly shown per evening and are repeated at different times through a period of one week only. Almost all of the programmes have never been shown before in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland; some of the promotions even have no local television in their own native countries despite airing on TWC Fight!, such as Ring of Honor. Home-grown programmes produced for TWC Fight! also feature on the station. Unlike other entertainment and sport programmes that run only for a select period of episodes or seasons, the vast majority of shows on TWC Fight! have no such breaks and run continuously.