UKTV (Australia and New Zealand)

UKTV
UKTV Logo
Launched August 1996 [1]
November 15, 2009 (HD)
Owned by BBC Worldwide (as of 1 July 2008)
Picture format 576i (SDTV)
1080i (HDTV)
Country Australia
Language English
Broadcast area Australia
New Zealand
Replaced BBC HD (UKTV HD)
Sister channel(s) BBC Knowledge
CBeebies
Website www.uktv.com.au www.uktv.co.nz
Availability
Satellite
Foxtel Channel 103
Austar Channel 103
SKY Network Television Channel 006
Cable
Foxtel Channel 103
TelstraClear InHomeTV Channel 6
IPTV
Xbox 360 Channel 103

UKTV is a subscription television channel in Australia and New Zealand, screening British entertainment programming, sourced mainly from the archives of the BBC, RTL Group (mainly Talkback Thames material) and ITV plc. The company was originally a joint venture with Foxtel (60% ownership) and the RTL Group (20% ownership). It is now owned solely by BBC Worldwide.

Contents

History

The channel was first launched in Australia in August 1996,[1] becoming available on Austar in April 1999 and on Optus in December 2002.[2] A New Zealand version with different programming launched on SKY Television, in November 2003.[3][4]

It shows a mix of repeats of old UK shows previously screened in Australia or New Zealand and new episodes of programs not shown before in Australia or New Zealand. Repeated series include Doctor Who, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Are You Being Served?, Dad's Army, Torchwood, Torchwood Declassified, The Jewel in the Crown, Never the Twain, The Sweeney and The Bill that have already been seen on free-to-air terrestrial television in Australia. New series include Shameless, new episodes of popular soap operas Coronation Street and EastEnders and the original UK version of The Weakest Link which have not otherwise been screened in Australia.[5] UK soap opera Family Affairs, which has never been screened on free-to-air Australian television, ran on UKTV from 1998 to 2007.[6] In July 2006 UKTV began screening 2006 episodes of UK soap opera Emmerdale which had never before been screened in Australia.[7]

UKTV's episodes of EastEnders are approximately twelve weeks behind the United Kingdom. Coronation Street is approximately 3 months behind. Emmerdale is about nine months behind.

In addition to British programming UKTV has repeated Australian soap operas Sons and Daughters and Prisoner which were both produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation (now owned by RTL). In both cases the entire series was shown; the Sons and Daughters repeat run was from 1997 until 2000 and Prisoner ran from 1997 until October 2004, Prisoner is now screening on 111 HITS from March 2011. It also screened the TVNZ soap opera Shortland Street for several years in the 1990s, after early episodes of that series had briefly been screened by SBS on free-to-air television in Australia and in addition, repeats of episodes originally aired in 2007 were broadcast on the free-to-air station ABC1 at 4.30am weekday mornings, which were 3 years and 1 month (37 months) behind New Zealand. These episodes have now ceased as ABC1 had caught up to the end of the 2007 season , where 7TWO, had begun back in late 2009 when the new multichannel launched. It was airing at 2pm weekdays on digital station 7TWO, but now with the new lineup is shown at 9.30am every weekday (including Christmas Day, Boxing Day and Easter) showing episodes that are exactly 1 year and 10 months (22 months) behind those shown in New Zealand. Australian audiences saw the 2008 season finale from 2 November 2010 and the episodes from January 2009 were from 3 November 2010.

In Australia, UKTV, like all pay TV drama channels, is legally required to spend 10 per cent of their total program expenditure on funding new eligible (Australian and New Zealand) drama programs [1]. Such productions include Changi, Supernova, Make or Break and False Witness.

UKTV has separate services in Australia and New Zealand, partly to reflect different local tastes, but also for rights reasons, as many programmes, are shown on free-to-air channels in New Zealand . For example, Coronation Street has been shown on TV One for many years, while until May 2009, EastEnders was shown on Prime, before moving to UKTV.

On 3 October 2009 UKTV revealed a new logo, displaying that of the BBC, although its name remained unchanged.[8] On November 15, 2009 the channel launched an HD simulcast, replacing BBC HD.

Changes

On 1 July 2008 BBC Worldwide assumed full control of UKTV. BBC Worldwide previously had a 20 per cent stake in UKTV in a three way partnership with Foxtel and Fremantle Media. BBC Worldwide launched two new Australian channels, BBC Knowledge (documentary and non-fiction programming) and CBeebies (an advertising-free channel for 0 to six year-olds) on 1 November 2008.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b UKTV (Australia and New Zealand) (2 October 2009). "It was August 1996 when UK ...". Twitter. http://twitter.com/uktvaustralia/status/4553850519. Retrieved 8 February 2010. 
  2. ^ Everton, Denise (2 April 1999). "Best Of The British Paytv". Illawarra Mercury: p. 11. http://newsstore.fairfax.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac?docID=news990403_0102_5129. Retrieved 3 May 2010. 
  3. ^ "Best of British on SKY's UKTV Channel". Dominion Post: p. 7. 28 October 2003. 
  4. ^ NICOL, Reed Megan (2 November 2003). "Best of British". Sunday Star-Times: p. 38. 
  5. ^ Conway, Andrew (1 February 1999). "New Today for Dalley". Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney, Australia: Fairfax Media): p. 2. http://newsstore.fairfax.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac?docID=news990201_0264_8810. Retrieved 10 Feb 2010. 
  6. ^ Schembri, Jim; Harris, Paul; Kalina, Paul (30 July 1998). "Programs - Monday". The Age Green Guide (Melbourne, Australia: Fairfax Media): p. 32. http://newsstore.fairfax.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac?docID=news980730_0235_9418. Retrieved 16 January 2010. 
  7. ^ "Symons: Marilyn Fisher was easy, cracking the UK wasn't". Australian Associated Press. 22 June 2006. 
  8. ^ UKTV Announces Logo Change - Twitter, 3 October 2009
  9. ^ The Beeb takes over UKTV - encore Magazine, 25 June 2008

External links