Encore (TV channel)
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| Encore | |
|---|---|
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| Launched | April 11, 1991 |
| Owned by | Starz Entertainment (a division of Liberty Media) |
| Picture format | 480i (SDTV) 1080i (HDTV) |
| Country | United States |
| Broadcast area | Nationwide |
| Headquarters | Englewood, Colorado |
| Sister channel(s) | Starz MoviePlex |
| Website | Encore official site |
| Availability | |
| Satellite | |
| DirecTV | 526 Encore (east) 527 Encore (west) 528 Encore Love 529 Encore Westerns 530 Encore Mystery 531 Encore Drama 532 Encore Action 533 Encore WAM 1526 Encore On Demand |
| Dish Network | 340 Encore (east) 341 Encore (west) 342 Encore Westerns 343 Encore Action 344 Encore Mystery 345 Encore Drama 346 Encore Love Stories 347 Encore WAM |
| Cable | |
| Available on most cable systems | Check local listings for channels |
| IPTV over ADSL | |
| Verizon FiOs | See List of Verizon FiOS channels |
| AT&T U-verse | See AT&T U-verse channel lineup |
Encore is a US premium television channel featuring mainly past and present blockbuster motion pictures. It is owned by Starz Entertainment, a division of Liberty Media.
Contents |
[edit] History
Encore was launched on April 1, 1991, primarily on TCI cable systems (both it and Liberty Media were controlled by John Malone). Initially, the channel's focus was on movies made primarily in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, and was formatted similarly to American Movie Classics, with hosted introductions to the movies. Junctions on Encore were quite lively, consisting less of promotions and more of trivia and nostalgia, fitting in with Encore's motto "The Movies of Your Life." There was even a segment that let viewers know the movies that were playing on the other premium channel. As the channel aged, it adopted a more conventional presentation style, and in 1999 the channel shifted its focus to hit movies, primarily recent ones but with notable classics mixed in as well. Encore used to identify itself as guaranteeing to air a great movie every night.
[edit] Encore Multiplex
Encore operates seven multiplex channels:
- Encore: the main "flagship" feed; blockbuster movies, first-run films and some anime films.
- Encore Action: Action movies, martial arts films and anime, formerly Action
- Encore Drama: Powerful stories, movies that are based on true events and historical retrospectives, formerly True Stories
- Encore Love: Love stories and romance flicks, formerly Love Stories
- Encore Mystery: Mystery and suspense films as well as detective movies & series, film noir and neo noir, formerly Mystery
- Encore Wam: Targeted at teens, features films and series for young audiences, including family movies and family anime, formerly WAM! America's Kidz Network
- Encore Westerns: Western movies and popular series from classics to contemporary favourites, formerly Westerns
On February 1, 1994, Encore launched the industry's first "themed" extension - seven additional channels that each focused on a specific genre. Initially, this was to be six channels, but Encore decided to launch its own competitor to HBO and Showtime, dubbed Starz!, acquiring the rights to first-run Universal Studios films.
In 1996, Encore abandoned the numbering system for most of its channels, using the tagline "an encore network" instead until the early 2000s. For some affiliates, the notable exception was Starz, which continued to use "Encore 8" branding in its main idents and movie openers until 2002, even as Starz was long-since separated entirely from the Encore brand and by that time, given its own family of channels. On March 28, 2005, the entire Multiplex was revamped to bring the individual channels back in line with the overall Encore brand, due to focus tests that revealed that viewers did not know the themed channels were part of the Encore channel. Three Encore channels changed their names as well: True Stories became Encore Drama, Love Stories became Encore Love, and WAM!:America's Kidz Network became simply Encore Wam.
The Multiplex has been given several names over the years, including "Encore Multiplex", "Encore Movie Networks", "Starz Encore Super Pak", and "Starz Super Pak." It now has no "official" name, and viewers are simply told they are watching "one of the seven Encore channels," though some affiliates brand it the "Encore Movie Pak."
An unofficial name for the entire collection of Starz and Encore channels is the Starz Moviepack, a name used for the package by Dish Network and "Starz Super Pak" still remains in use by some others.
[edit] Other Encore Services
Starz Entertainment operates a channel called MoviePlex that highlights offerings from the Encore multiplex channels - spotlighting a different one each day of the week. It is basically an ongoing "free postview" for interested Encore subscribers. Movieplex underwent a rebrand earlier in the year and added two additional channels of its own, IndiePlex and RetroPlex (which has a similar format to the pre-1999 Encore, though with much older content). While the two new channels have their own independent schedules, MoviePlex continues to feature its "free postview" format.
Encore also launched its own on demand service around the end of 2005, to complement Starz On Demand.
[edit] Encore HD
Encore HD is a 1080i high definition simulcast of the flagship Encore channel. It is currently carried nationally by Dish Network and regionally by Verizon FiOS, AT&T U-Verse, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cablevision and Insight Communications. Unlike sister service Starz and all other premium channels, none of Encore's multiplex channels are available in HD. DirecTV does not currently carry Encore HD, giving Dish Network satellite exclusivity.
[edit] Branding
Encore's signature logo is a starburst mark. In the original logo, the mark was contained within the "O" of the channel's name - it was then revamped into a box design for the channel's 1994 rebrand. The logo was simplified for the 1999 rebrand, removing the box design and turning the starburst into a line artwork above the "encore" text; the basic design was carried over in the 2005 revamp.
[edit] Logos
 Here is the first logo for Encore, as it was used from April 11, 1991 - February 1994. |
 Here is the second logo from February 1994 - September 1999. This is the first variant of the "sunburst" logo. |
 Here is the third Encore logo which debuted in September 1999, and was discontinued in March of 2005. When this logo was first introduced, it was known as "The New Encore", as voiced by the announcer. This logo was revamped from the previous logo from 1994. |
Here is the current Encore logo, which debuted in April 2005. Like the previous logo, this logo was revamped and carried similar parts to the previous logo from 1999. |
[edit] Movies
Since Encore's company, Starz Entertainment, has exclusive first-run output deals with Sony (through affiliates Columbia, Revolution Studios, and Sony Pictures Classics), Disney (and its various affiliate studios), and old deals with Universal and New Line that have extended windows of content still yet to air, sub-runs of the studios' movies during Starz's term of license appear on Encore and its sister channels, in addition to continuing showings on Starz.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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