Choice TV

Choice TV
Launched 28 April 2012
Owned by Top TV Ltd[1]
Picture format PAL (576i) 16:9
Country New Zealand
Language English
Headquarters Mount Eden, Auckland[2]
Website http://www.choicetv.co.nz/
Availability
Terrestrial
DVB 64-QAM on band V
Satellite
DVB QPSK on 12456 MHz
Cable
DVB QAM

Choice TV is the third largest privately owned national free-to-air television broadcaster in New Zealand and has been broadcasting since 2012.[3] It was announced in November 2014 that Canada's Blue Ant Media bought the majority stake of Choice TV, therefore, marking the group's first international expansion.[4][5][6][7]

The channel was launched on 28 April 2012 at 5 p.m. and was broadcast nationally on the Freeview digital TV transmission network on both terrestrial, satellite (channel 12), and on SKY Television Channel 26. Vodafone also carries the channel for their cable subscribers in Wellington and Christchurch. Since January 2014, the channel's 4-week cumulative audience, as measured by Neilsen, is around 1.8 million people (NZ population being 4.1 million).[8][9]

[10][11][12][13][14]

The channel features programmes covering property, renovation, home and garden, food, travel, adventure, fishing, entertainment, comedy, and drama.

Content

The Choice TV line up includes productions from the UK's BBC worldwide, ITV Granada, Verve Productions, Zodiak Media, the Australian SBS, ABC, Fremantle Media, as well as productions from Sony Pictures Television.

Top Shelf Productions and Choice TV developed a locally made series for Choice TV, the first of which aired in Spring 2014 on the channel's Thursday Food Night.[15]

From the 17th of October 2014 Choice TV also started to air their own NZ Gardening Show Get Growing, which is also made locally, along with Cook the Books, which first aired on the 30th of October 2014.[16][17][18][19]

Programming

The prime time programming slot (7:30–10:30pm) features a different theme depending on the day of the week:[2][20][21][22]

Local

Choice TV produces several television shows, including:

History

The season starting on January 2013 began with exclusive content including the ITV Granada's Jonathan Ross Show and Sony Pictures Television's made for TV movie series Jesse Stone starring Tom Selleck.

During March 2013, Sony Pictures Television started airing shows such as the short lived ABC sitcom Mr. Sunshine and the return of the weekday daytime drama Days of Our Lives, which had been discontinued by TVNZ along with their exclusive Sony Pictures contract over two years ago. Days of Our Lives picks up from the start of the 2011 season 47, just one and half seasons behind the current US NBC season. TVNZ was more than five years behind the US due to being preempted by holiday and sporting scheduling.

From 15 April 2013, re-runs of the Sony Pictures Television 1996 drama Early Edition began airing weekdays, which came to an end that August and was replaced by the ITV Granada show Wild at Heart.

The show Being Erica distributed by BBC Worldwide and produced by CBC started airing season one weekly on Saturday 10 August 2013.

From September 2013, Choice TV started playing Season 2 of the Australian TV Comedy Twenty Something.

Days of Our Lives went on a summer hiatus until 10 February 2014 for viewers in New Zealand just before the end of season 47. The last few episodes aired on Friday 20 December 2013 and during the weekly catchup run on Sunday 22 December 2013. They announced on 25 April 2014 that the show is currently awaiting a decision on if another years worth of episodes will be ordered.

Being Erica premiered its second season on 23 January 2014 in the daytime weekday slot while Days of Our Lives was off-air.

Vexed premiered its second season in late March 2014 for New Zealand viewers. Choice TV also started playing Better Man in late May 2014.

Brunch

Main article: Brunch (New Zealand)

In Sep 2012 Choice TV started to air their own TV Morning show called Brunch which April Ieremia and former All Black Josh Kronfeld hosted.

The first season finished on 21 December 2012 with a total of 65 episodes but has not been renewed.

References

  1. ↑ "Choice TV About Us Page". Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Choice TV pledges to move beyond imported shows". NBR NZ. 28 April 2012. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  3. ↑ "Consumer Watch: Choice closes gap". NZ Herald. Retrieved 2014-05-19.
  4. ↑ "Canada's Blue Ant Media Buys Majority Stake in New Zealand's Choice TV". The Hollywood Reporter. 3 November 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  5. ↑ "Blue Ant takes majority stake in NZ’s Choice TV". Real Screen. 4 November 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  6. ↑ "Blue Ant Acquires Controlling Interest in New Zealand Broadcaster". Broadcaster Magazine. 4 November 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  7. ↑ http://blueantmedia.ca/portfolio/choice-tv-2/
  8. ↑ "Freeview NZ has a new channel". Stuff.co.nz. 25 July 2012. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  9. ↑ "Choice TV in Freeview fight for choosy audience". NZ Herald NZ. 1 May 2012. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  10. ↑ "Television: Hairy enthusiasts go the whole hog". The NZ Herald. 8 March 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  11. ↑ "Paul Casserly gets distracted by meat man Anthony Puharich". The NZ Herald. 15 Jan 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  12. ↑ "The top ten TV shows for 2013". Stuff.co.nz. 10 December 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  13. ↑ "Freeview's new channel is choice". The NZ Herald. 26 April 2012. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  14. ↑ "Chris Philpott: What to watch when TV is bad". The NZ Herald. 6 Jan 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  15. ↑ "Choice TV Cook the Books with Mastercraft". Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  16. ↑ "Choice TV Facebook Page". Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  17. ↑ "Get Growing on Choice TV". Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  18. ↑ "Get Growing on Yates.co.nz". Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  19. ↑ "Get Growing on palmersplanet.co.nz". Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  20. ↑ "Choice TV Website". Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  21. ↑ "Choice TV FAQ". Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  22. ↑ "New free-to-air channel Choice TV unveils its content line-up—and a few of its sponsors". Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  23. ↑ http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/67690710/whats-on-tv-tuesday-april-21
  24. ↑ "Palmers gets set to take to our screens". scoop.co.nz. 13 October 2014.
  25. ↑ "Gardening franchise takes to TV with two new home shows". franchise.co.nz. 13 October 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  26. ↑ "Cook the Books premieres tonight on Choice TV". Throng.co.nz. 30 October 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  27. ↑ "Cook the Books".

External links