TV Channels that never left their embryonal stage

[AdrenalineRush1996]

Canal+ planned to launch in Russia back in 1990 but it never materialised. Here's a clip of the scrapped Russian version (see 4:00 of this video compilation from TR3X).

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

There was a planned local television channel in the UK called City8, which would've been broadcasted in Birmingham and was set for a November 2014 launch but the company set to operate it went into adminstration, which ended said plans.

Birmingham local TV firm City TV in administration

Birmingham's City TV - one of the companies given licences to broadcast local television channels - enters administration without ever broadcasting.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

One of the companies that did a bid on the 1991 ITV franchise auction and failed was CPV-TV, a joint venture between Chrysalis, Paradine and Virgin. They planned to getting the East of England, London Weekday and the South and South East England franchises from Anglia, Thames and TVS respectively, but lost to the former of the three as well as Carlton and Meridian.

CPV-TV - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

Mutual Broadcasting Service considered launching a major TV network at one point during the late Fifties as they were the only Big Four radio giant at the time to not have their own TV network in comparison to NBC, CBS and ABC.

Movies at Home

The relationship of Hollywood and television, initially turbulent, has ultimately been profitable from the first sally in what was expected to be a war of attrition, up through the soliciting of movies by major networks, independent stations, basic cable networks, premium cable channels...

books.google.com

Channel 4 nearly became ITV2 when ITV planned on getting the spot for the fourth independent television channel in the UK back in the late Seventies.

Launch of a Revolution

David Hastings reviews Channel 4 on the 25th anniversary of its launch

www.transdiffusion.org

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

Apparently, there were plans for Disney to rebrand ABC Family into XYZ back in 2003 but it never materialised. The proposed rebrand was ultimately repurposed as the name for a short-lived block on the channel, so here's a video from said block.

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

There were plans for a UKTV Sport channel back in 2005 following the launch of the block on UKTV G2, UKTV Gold and UKTV People but it never materialised, though sports coverage still gets shown from time to time on Dave (formerly UKTV G2).

UKTV to launch sport channel

8am: UKTV is set to launch a sports channel, putting an end to years of speculation . By Tara Conlan.

www.theguardian.com

 

[RegularCapital]

Apparently, there were plans for Disney to rebrand ABC Family into XYZ back in 2003 but it never materialised. The proposed rebrand was ultimately repurposed as the name for a short-lived block on the channel, so here's a video from said block.

ABC = First Three Letters of the Alphabet
XYZ = Last Three Letters of the Alphabet

Very clever.

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

ABC = First Three Letters of the Alphabet
XYZ = Last Three Letters of the Alphabet

Very clever.

I know, right?

 

[harry580]

I don't know this counts as a channel that was planned but never happen as viacomcbs still have plans for it but paramount network almost become paramount movie network back in 2021 but never happened, mostly likely in favorite of paramount plus, but with paramount networks getting renamed or closed with the recent one is paramount network uk becoming 5 action, who knows

 

[JMTV]

I don't know this counts as a channel that was planned but never happen as viacomcbs still have plans for it but paramount network almost become paramount movie network back in 2021 but never happened, mostly likely in favorite of paramount plus, but with paramount networks getting renamed or closed with the recent one is paramount network uk becoming 5 action, who knows

Actually, that's 2020. Not 2021.

 

[harry580]

Actually, that's 2020. Not 2021.

oh, my bad

 

[JMTV]

oh, my bad

That's okay.

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

SNIP

I wonder why Paramount decided to postpone plans to rebrand the channel.

 

[JMTV]

I wonder why Paramount decided to postpone plans to rebrand the channel.

Honestly, I had no idea. (shrugs)

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

Honestly, I had no idea. (shrugs)

I suspect Paramount+ may be the reason why it's been postponed.

 

[JMTV]

I suspect Paramount+ may be the reason why it's been postponed.

Yeah, I guess so.

 

[JMTV]

Sorry for the double post, but here's an article explains why Paramount Movie Network was delayed.

Paramount Movie Network Put On Ice As ViacomCBS Nixes Rebrand Plans For ‘Yellowstone’ Network

EXCLUSIVE: Paramount Network is safe, for now. ViacomCBS has reversed plans to rebrand the cable network, home to Kevin Costner-fronted hit series Yellowstone, as Paramount Movie Network. Deadline …

deadline.com

So basically, Paramount Movie Network was announced back in September of 2020 and their original plan was to produced 52 original movies and one scripted series for the new network. However, the pandemic threw a wrench to those plans, and ViacomCBS put the proposed network on hold and focus on Paramount Plus instead. Once Yellowstone became a huge success for Paramount Network, Viacom decided to keep Paramount Network name for a while since this show attracted a lot of viewers (especially on dying cable, no less).

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

Sorry for the double post, but here's an article explains why Paramount Movie Network was delayed.

Paramount Movie Network Put On Ice As ViacomCBS Nixes Rebrand Plans For ‘Yellowstone’ Network

EXCLUSIVE: Paramount Network is safe, for now. ViacomCBS has reversed plans to rebrand the cable network, home to Kevin Costner-fronted hit series Yellowstone, as Paramount Movie Network. Deadline …

deadline.com

So basically, Paramount Movie Network was announced back in September of 2020 and their original plan was to produced 52 original movies and one scripted series for the new network. However, the pandemic threw a wrench to those plans, and ViacomCBS put the proposed network on hold and focus on Paramount Plus instead. Once Yellowstone became a huge success for Paramount Network, Viacom decided to keep Paramount Network name for a while since this show attracted a lot of viewers (especially on dying cable, no less).

Well, I'm not really surprised about it after all.

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

BBC planned on launching two new channels by 1986, according to this TV Eye report on the arrival of satellite television in the UK nearly 40 years ago. Both channels never materialised but I suspect that they would've been called BBC3 and BBC4 had this happened.

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

The original idea for the local television initiative in the UK was that it would've been a sixth national UK terrestrial network called Channel 6, which would've been run by former Trinity Mirror boss Richard Horwood. It was scrapped in favour of local television channels.

Jeremy Hunt unveils plan for new national television channel

Culture secretary hopes channel will help deliver his ambition for network of local TV services. By Mark Sweney

www.theguardian.com

Jeremy Hunt's plan for new national TV network attracts first bidder

Channel 6, run by former Trinity Mirror chief executive Richard Horwood, will bid to run service supporting local TV services. By Mark Sweney

www.theguardian.com

National TV bidder Channel 6 pledges bigger budget than Channel 5

Company would deliver 'biggest boost to UK's independent production sector since launch of Channel 4'. By Mark Sweney

www.theguardian.com

Jeremy Hunt's plan for new national TV network likely to be delayed

Proposed 'spine' unlikely to launch before local services, despite more than 50 expressions of interest. By Steve Hewlett

www.theguardian.com

Jeremy Hunt confirms major shift in local TV policy

Culture secretary effectively scraps idea of a national network 'spine' in favour of 'more financially secure' individual stations. By Mark Sweney

www.theguardian.com

Richard Horwood's Channel 6 battles to bolster Jeremy Hunt's local TV plan

Company proposes new options for local network affiliates after culture secretary's U-turn on national TV 'spine'. By Mark Sweney

www.theguardian.com