UKTV to rebrand all channels

The broadcaster will restructure and expand its entertainment portfolio in the final three months of this year ahead of the factual channels early next year and lifestyle channels next spring.

The new entertainment channel will air Richard and Judy's new series in primetime and will also be a “linear catch-up service for modern classics”, according to UKTV controller Matthew Littleford. Shows will include Mistresses and Larkrise to Candleford, plus movies. It will go live on the Sky platform and Virgin Media in October.

The channel will be given a name this summer that will not include the UKTV brand, although using a first name, in the style of Dave, has been ruled out. It will sit alongside UKTV Gold in the slot currently occupied by Gold+1.

UKTV Gold will be renamed Gold by the end of the year and air the likes of Fawlty Towers, Only Fools & Horses and Little Britain. Littleford said the broadcaster had resisted a more radical name change because the flagship channel resonated with many viewers. “Gold has always had classic comedy on it and our viewers know it for that,” he said.

Other changes include repositioning and renaming UKTV Drama, which will focus exclusively on crime drama. Littleford said that although the channels will be renamed, the broadcaster itself would remain UKTV.

The repositioning of the UKTV portfolio was outlined by chief executive David Abraham at the Broadcast Digital Channels Conference this week.

Have your say

You must sign in to make a comment.