SAT TV News » Programming Networks

TVO Announces New Programming Lineup Celebrating Its 40th Anniversary Season

admin — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:45:48 +0000

TVO announces fresh slate of fall programming on eve of 40 year celebrations with a special week showcasing the best of past – and future – programming on TVO.

Beginning Saturday September 25 at 8 PM, In 36 Years of Conversation (September 25 at 8 pm), Saturday Night at the Movies’ new host Thom Ernst digs deep into our rich interview archive to bring you some of the best interview moments from the film series’ history.

Fast forward to Tuesday night, when TVO’s 9 pm Tuesday science strand launches with the Canadian premiere of the five-part How the Earth Changed History (September 28 at 9 pm), looking at how geography and climate have shaped the story of our planet.

In fact, Tuesday nights on TVO will anchor a new season-long programming focus on science, math and technology called World of Wonder, aimed at examining the role of science and innovation in our present and future. Other TVO properties including our flagship current affairs show, The Agenda with Steve Paikin, and tvo.org, will support the science and innovation focus throughout the year.

Closing out the special 40th anniversary week is the one-hour Allan Gregg in Conversation Special (Friday October 1 at 10 pm), in which host Allan Gregg revisits his most memorable conversations with key thinkers in the worlds of politics, culture, science and spirituality. Highlights include Conrad Black, Jimmy Carter and scientist Richard Dawkins, to name a few.

Anniversaries are as much about looking forward as they are about looking back. Also ahead this season on TVO are more opportunities for documentary viewing. Viewers can find science, point-of-view and arts docs in a new 9 pm midweek timeslot running Tuesdays to Thursdays, in addition to TVO’s usual 7 and 10 pm weeknight doc offerings. The world broadcast premiere of Corpus (Wednesday October 6, 2010 at 9 pm) opens TVO’s Wednesday point-of-view (POV) nights and chronicles a young woman’s humourous quest to find out what to do with her body when she dies. The film marks the 17th season of Canadian POV docs commissioned by TVO. Watch also for the North American premiere of the three-part Gandhi (Mondays October 25 – November 8 at 10 pm), exploring the controversial, lesser-known side of the revered spiritual leader.

The Agenda with Steve Paikin also has reason to celebrate this fall as it begins its fifth season. Ontario’s premier current affairs show will welcome three guest essayists on Thursday nights, who offer different perspectives on critical issues of the day. Online at tvo.org/theagenda, look for new content to support and extend the broadcast. And the immensely successful Agenda with Steve Paikin: On the Road tour will head back out to cities and towns across the province in 2011, to hear directly from Ontarians about what matters to them.

Verizon Launches Three International Channels To FiOS TV Subscribers

admin — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:00:20 +0000

Verizon Communications announced the launch of three international channels to its FiOS TV subscribers. The three new channels launched are from World TV are:

Greek programming
Korean
Mandarin

Verizon has launched following international channels:

Antenna – channel 1789 is first Greek channel to FiOS TV subscribers, featuring comedies, dramas, news, current affairs programs, game shows, entertainment programming and more.

Phoenix North America – channel 1797 is a Mandarin channel offering news and entertainment, including programs like “Phoenix North America News” and “Experience America”; the channel joins CCTV4 (channel 1795) and CTI (channel 1796) in a new Chinese Mandarin package.

YTN – channel 1761 is CNN news channel of Korea, which joins a new Korean package that also includes MBC.

Verizon is now offering 35 international channels covering 20 languages.

Terry Denson, vice president of content strategy and acquisition for Verizon, said “International programming on FiOS TV offers a world of diverse channels in a growing variety of languages. We are introducing our first Greek channel, along with new Korean and Mandarin channels, and delivering an expanding international offering with the amazing
picture-and-sound quality that only FiOS delivers.”

Univision, DirecTV Sign Multi-Year Deal

admin — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 14:06:52 +0000

Univision has announced that it has reached a multi-year carriage deal with the leading satellite provider DirecTV. This deal will allow DirecTV to carry Univision owned broadcast stations like Univision and TeleFutura. DirecTV will also carry affiliated stations owned and operated by Entravision Communications Corporation, Equity Media Holdings Corporation and Fisher Communications.

Joe Uva, chief executive officer, Univision Communications Inc. said “The partnership with DIRECTV speaks to the growing influence of the Hispanic consumer in the nation, our distributors understand that a partnership with Univision is an investment in sustained growth.”

Discovery Channel To Premiere ‘Toughest Races on Earth’

admin — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 02:27:39 +0000

Discovery Channel to premiere TOUGHEST RACE ON EARTH: IDITAROD on Tuesday, October 14 at 10 PM ET. Toughest Races on Earth will give an inside look at one of the demanding competitions through dense forests, over mountain ranges and across frozen rivers and isolated tundra in the wilds of Alaska. The series takes the viewers to mushers and their sled dog teams across 1,150 miles of rugged terrain as they take on Mother Nature and each other in The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

Discovery Channel followed seven mushers and their dog teams — both race rookies and race legends. Some are hoping to win while others are just hoping to finish. To scratch — or drop out of the competition — would be devastating for any musher who has put everything on the line for a chance to compete, including personal finances.

Comcast To Add 12 HD Channels In Knoxville, Tennessee

admin — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 06:29:09 +0000

Comcast has announced that they are launching 12 new high-definition channels in Knoxville, Tennessee. Comcast will be delivering before mid-October. New HD channels to be added are:
ABC Family HD
AMC HD
CNN HD
Disney HD
FOX News HD
Fox Sports HD
FX HD
NFL HD
Science HD
Speed HD
TBS HD and
TLC HD
Mike Trueblood, vice president for Comcast’s northern area said “In the areas that we’ve upgraded we run the same HD lineup that we have in Denver or Boulder or any of the other communities, As we go through the city and we’re within 30 days of being in the neighborhood you’re in, you’ll receive a mailing from Comcast.”

DirecTV Provides Nationwide Access to Local Houston TV Station KHOU

admin — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 05:27:16 +0000

DirecTV is now offering local Houston CBS affiliate KHOU to customers apart from its dedicated Emergency Information Network, to help Gulf Coast residents who may be affected by Hurricane Ike and for viewers across the country who want to provide assistance. KHOU is offering commercial-free, up-to-the-minute coverage of Hurricane Ike on a 24/7 basis.

Emergency Information Channel provides following information to subscribers:
Maps, provided by the Weather Channel, that track the storm and are periodically updated as it changes path
Evacuation Routes, pick up points and tips on what evacuees should take with them
Ride Information that includes RTA bus and train information and phone numbers to call to arrange a ride
Relief agency Information for those who want to help, including phone numbers and Web addresses for the Red Cross, FEMA and Salvation Army
Shelter openings will be provided throughout the Gulf Coast region
Special needs shelter locations and phone numbers
Transportation infrastructure, including road closures
Insurance company phone numbers for residents still dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Gustav
The Red Cross “Safe and Well” program
National Insurance Crime Bureau information

NFL’s Mike Alstott To be Honorary Chairman of Inaugural St. Petersburg Bowl

admin — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 10:57:51 +0000

ESPN Regional Television has named Michael Joseph Alstott as the honorary chairman for the 2008 St. Petersburg Bowl. The St. Petersburg Bowl owned by ESPN Regional Television and also owns and operates the PapaJohns.com Bowl, Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl, Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl, Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl and New Mexico Bowl. ESPN will televise this program on Saturday, Dec. 20, at 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2, live from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Michael Joseph Alstott spent his entire 12-year career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Alstott will appear as honorary Chairman of Inaugural St. Petersburg Bowl and this association with St. Petersburg Bowl will benefit Mike Alstott’s Family Foundation.

“It’s such an honor to be involved in this great event in the inaugural year,” Alstott said of his association with the St. Petersburg Bowl. “Football has been such a huge part of my life and I am thrilled to be able to continue to support the sport I love, along with the city my family and I call home. This event will not only bring a lot of excitement to the teams playing in it and the city as a whole, but is also supporting the community through the Mike Alstott Family Foundation.”

Nickelodeon’s Sports Competition Series My Family’s Got GUTS Premieres on Sept. 15

admin — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 05:00:30 +0000

Nickelodeon to premiere a new series My Family’s Got GUTS starting from Monday, Sept. 15 at 8:00 PM ET/PT. My Family’s Got GUTS will be a half-hour extreme sports series targeting kids and family. The new series to co-hosted by popular Australian TV personality Asha Kuerten and will be broadcast from Sept. 15 through Friday, Sept. 26. The finale will be an hour long series and will be on Nick’s Annual Worldwide Day of Play on Saturday, Sept. 27, at 8:00 PM ET/PT.

My Family’s Got GUTS is a new prime-time series based on GUTS, Nickelodeon’s groundbreaking original hit game show from the ’90s. Shot at Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla., the new series are comprised of two 11-episode tournaments, each of which includes an hour-long finale and a half-hour special. My
Family’s Got GUTS is created and executive produced by Worldwide Biggies, the digital entertainment studio headed by renowned children’s and family entertainment hit-maker Albie Hecht, who was part of the creative team behind the original hit GUTS show.

Interwoven Provides content management solutions To PlanetGreen.com

admin — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:54:20 +0000

A global leader in content management solutions provider Interwoven has announced that Discovery Communications uses web solutions powered by Interwoven to enhance PlanetGreen.com. The first and only 24-hour eco-lifestyle television network Planet Green’s online counterpart planetgreen.com utilizes Interwoven services to turn visitors into registered active community members. The Interwoven’s Web Solutions services provided to PlanetGreen.com are Creating and delivering content and Targeting visitors. Content management solutions provider also enables Discovery to add comments, hosted forums, and discussion groups to PlanetGreen.com.
“Interwoven’s comprehensive solutions give us a technical platform on which to create a rich Web experience,” said Patrick Gardella, director of online architecture at Discovery Communications. “With Interwoven, our web producers can post fresh content quickly, and surface related content to engage our viewers and help turn visitors into registered active community members.”

DirecTV Performed Well With 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Coverage

admin — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 02:28:50 +0000

After DirecTV signed an agreement to carry NBC Universal’s (NBCU) coverage of the 2008 Olympic Games, DirecTV delivered NBCU’s Olympics on Demand, the Olympic Interactive platform, and the DVR scheduler service free to DirecTV’subscribers. The satcaster performed well with its interactive platform for NBCU’s coverage of the Olympic Games, resulting in 17 million impressions among the 1.8 million interactive customers who used the service. Interactive Olympic Guide, Medal Count and Today’s Trivia, which included daily news and results from the Olympic Games received more vistiors daily. The Opening Ceremony of 2008 Olympic Games ranked as the most requested individual program ever scheduled remotely through the DVR Scheduler, as the Scheduler played a significant role throughout NBCU’s coverage of the Olympic Games.

“Results from the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games on the networks of NBCU truly exceeded our expectations and allowed our customers to get a virtual front-row seat to the world’s most popular sporting event,” said Eric Shanks, executive vice president, DIRECTV Entertainment. “With the success of our interactive platform with NBC during the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy, we knew that there was a demand for more than NBC’s traditional coverage of the events. Viewers wanted the freedom to create their own Olympic experience and we are confident that our suite of enhanced features, in partnership with NBC, helped fans to do just that.”