Disney to launch new channel on Freeview this Winter

http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,7493,1059797,00.html
Media and film giant Disney, owner of the ABC network in the US, is set to make its first move into mainstream UK broadcasting by launching a new general entertainment channel on Freeview, the BBC-backed replacement for ITV Digital.
The new, as yet unnamed, channel will broadcast a mixture of lifestyle programming, soaps, movies and sport, and is aimed at taking on other entertainment channels including the BBC, ITV and ITV2.

Although hundreds of channels now broadcast in the UK and several of them operate under the Disney banner, the move will be seen as a significant challenge to ITV and BSkyB, who are both desperate to preserve their audiences through their own spin-off channels.

going on..
Disney signed the deal with SDN, the Welsh consortium which owns capacity on the Freeview network.

This has to be very good news for Freeview

 

Woohoo
A little doubtful over the idea that Sport would feature on the channel though but it seems every potential new channel is reported to be offering a bit of everything.
A shame the BBC just bought a large catalogue of Disney movies for screening over the next few years, imagine if this Disney channel had first run FTA rights for their blockbusters

ITV should look over their shoulder though, if a Disney brand is launching soon on an advertising based platform imagine the competition when that platfrom can offer 10million households to advertisers!

 

Doesn't disney own ESPN in the states so a potential source of sports?

 

It is going to show some good films sounds better than TCM and a possible name for the channel could be ABC UK.. what do you think?

 

Wasn't there an ABC in the good old days, you know when regions had their own independent broadcasters full of local news and programming

Heard last night on Radio 5 that NBC along with other Vivendi holdings had been bought by General Electric, total cost around $3.5 billion (plus $1.5 billion of debt). I reckon at that price anyone within the ITV network who is expecting a mega windfall if a US buyout appears is gonna be a little dissapointed