Chris Blount
04-09-04, 06:22 AM
Pridevision TV ‘keeping fingers crossed’ as Viacom laments postponement
By Christopher Seely
Friday, April 09, 2004
By the end of 2004, U.S. audiences should have access to an all-gay television channel similar to one already available in Canada, according to John Levy, president and chairman of Canada’s Pridevision TV and its parent company, Headline Media Group.
Pridevision, which began airing gay-themed television in Canada in September 2001 and shows in 25,000 homes, anticipates a U.S. launch this fall, Levy said.
“We’re ready to go, and it’s just a matter of finalizing the funding aspect of this,” Levy said. “We’re keeping our fingers crossed, and hopefully we will be able to announce a firm launch date and finally get this lit up down there, which should have happened a long time ago.”
Talk of a gay-themed American channel has been ongoing for years, with at least three companies seriously considering the idea: Pridevision, Viacom and Triangle Television Network.
Pridevision signed a contract with cable distributor Time Warner in early 2003 that grants access to its cable systems in the U.S., but Pridevision does not plan to “launch in all of the markets simultaneously,” Levy said.
Instead, the gay station would most likely start off as a premium channel in which subscribers pay $7 to $10 per month, or have it packaged with other offerings like HBO or Showtime, Levy said.
Because Time Warner distributors do not cover every market in the U.S., Pridevision is now negotiating for a contract with both Direct TV and EchoStar, parent company for DISH Network, Levy said.
“We’ve had talks with both, but we’re further down the road with EchoStar,” he said.
If Pridevision secured a satellite distribution deal, “it would give us availability in all markets in the continental U.S.,” he said.
But Pridevision might have competition from Viacom, the media conglomerate that owns MTV, CBS and Showtime, among others.
Full Story (http://www.sovo.com/2004/4-9/news/national/gaytv.cfm)
By Christopher Seely
Friday, April 09, 2004
By the end of 2004, U.S. audiences should have access to an all-gay television channel similar to one already available in Canada, according to John Levy, president and chairman of Canada’s Pridevision TV and its parent company, Headline Media Group.
Pridevision, which began airing gay-themed television in Canada in September 2001 and shows in 25,000 homes, anticipates a U.S. launch this fall, Levy said.
“We’re ready to go, and it’s just a matter of finalizing the funding aspect of this,” Levy said. “We’re keeping our fingers crossed, and hopefully we will be able to announce a firm launch date and finally get this lit up down there, which should have happened a long time ago.”
Talk of a gay-themed American channel has been ongoing for years, with at least three companies seriously considering the idea: Pridevision, Viacom and Triangle Television Network.
Pridevision signed a contract with cable distributor Time Warner in early 2003 that grants access to its cable systems in the U.S., but Pridevision does not plan to “launch in all of the markets simultaneously,” Levy said.
Instead, the gay station would most likely start off as a premium channel in which subscribers pay $7 to $10 per month, or have it packaged with other offerings like HBO or Showtime, Levy said.
Because Time Warner distributors do not cover every market in the U.S., Pridevision is now negotiating for a contract with both Direct TV and EchoStar, parent company for DISH Network, Levy said.
“We’ve had talks with both, but we’re further down the road with EchoStar,” he said.
If Pridevision secured a satellite distribution deal, “it would give us availability in all markets in the continental U.S.,” he said.
But Pridevision might have competition from Viacom, the media conglomerate that owns MTV, CBS and Showtime, among others.
Full Story (http://www.sovo.com/2004/4-9/news/national/gaytv.cfm)