Extreme Sports Channel
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| Extreme Sports Channel | |
|---|---|
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| Launched | 1999 |
| Owned by | Chellomedia [1] |
| Website | www.extreme.com |
| Availability | |
| Satellite | |
| Sky | Channel 419 |
| Sky Italia | Channel 148 (HD) |
| PAS 10 | 12.682 GHz H |
| Digiturk (Turkey) | Channel 72 |
| Boom TV | Channel - |
| Dolce | Channel 305 |
| Focus Sat | Channel - |
| Max TV | Channel - |
| TV Vlaanderen Digitaal | Channel 31 |
| Orbit Network | Channel 56 |
| NTV Plus | |
| OTE TV (Greece) | Channel 309 |
| Cable | |
| Virgin Media | Channel 527 |
| UPC Ireland | Channel 422 |
| UPC Romania | Channel 208 (digital with DVR) Channel 78 (digital) |
| MC Cable | Channel ??? |
| Ziggo (Netherlands) | Channel 414 |
| UPC Austria | Channel 306 |
| Cablecom | Channel 172 (digital CH-D) |
| naxoo Switzerland | Channel 234 |
| UPC Poland Poland | Channel 571 |
| UPC Netherlands | Channel 203 |
| IPTV | |
| Imagenio (Spain) | Channel 102 |
| iNES | Channel |
| MaxTV Croatia | Channel 408 |
| Conn-x TV (Greece) | Channel ? |
The Extreme Sports Channel is a Netherlands-based extreme sports television channel available across Europe and the Middle East. Al Gosling had the idea for the channel in 1998.
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[edit] History
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In November 1997, Al Gosling who originally founded and was running the worlds leading Extreme Sports TV distribution company Extreme International, believed there was an opportunity to create the world's first TV channel dedicated to extreme sports. In April 1998, UPCtv, the programming arm of the Dutch-based cable television operator, UPC, was looking for new channels to offer its subscribers.
Gosling was approached by Stephen Cohen, UPCtv's Chief Operating Officer, at the MIP programming market in Cannes, France, with a proposal for a joint venture between the two companies. Extreme International would provide the programming content for the channel and an understanding of the sports and Cohen would offer the technical and creative support to the station, along with seven other new channels he was creating.
With help from Adam Oliver and Ben Barrett the channel launched in 1999 [2] Over the next eight years the channel launched into more and more countries in Europe and the UAE. In October 2006 The Extreme Sports Company Extreme Sports Company acquired full ownership of the Extreme brand and sold its 50% stake in the operating channel business for an undisclosed multi million $ sum to John Malone's Liberty Global Inc. which had by then became owners of UPC. [3] Following this acquisition Al Gosling and his team developed Extreme into a pioneering brand management and licensing company. By taking a strategic, long term approach to the way of operating in the licensing industry they have developed a portfolio of exclusive long term partnerships with market leading companies across a number of categories in the consumer products and service sectors including Extreme Hotels,[4] Destinations, Experiences, Mobile, Drinks, Apparel, Footwear, Electronics, Video Gaming and Cars.
In 1999, The Extreme Sports Company launched its United States operations, and charged veteran producer, Lloyd Bryan Adams with the task of heading up the North American presence. They launched EX TV, a branded block on Fox Sports Net in March 2002. (http://business.transworld.net/2780/uncategorized/extreme-group-launches-action-sports-programming-on-fox-sports-net/)
[edit] Coverage
The Extreme Sports Channel broadcasts to over 50 countries with 12 different language soundtracks, and is generally available on digital cable as well as on many digital satellite packages, including UPC Direct in the Czech Republic, Cyfra+ and Cyfrowy Polsat in Poland, Kabel Deutschland in Germany and Canal Digital in Norway and in the Middle East, North Africa, and the Levant territories broadcasting via satellite, exclusively from the OSN pay-TV network.
Content from the channel is also narrowcast on Cabvision installed in London Black cabs.
The UK version of the channel was free-to-air from launch in 2001 until Summer 2006, when a deal with BSkyB meant that it became encrypted.
Extreme Sports Channel's on-air broadcast transmissions are handled by Chellomedia's playout and post production facility (the Digital Media centre) in Amsterdam.
The Polish version of the IEX Action Sports News show is currently voiced by the Polish voice-over artist Paulina Pukowska.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) announced a pay-per-view deal with the Extreme Sports Channel in the United Kingdom on February 25, 2010. The first pay-per-view to be broadcast as part of the deal was Destination X 2010.
On September 28, 2011, the channel began broadcasting in widescreen (16:9) format.
On February 1st, 2012, the channel began broadcasting in Italy, only in the HD version.[1]
[edit] Notes
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- The Extreme Sports Channels Web site
- The Extreme Sports Company - Owners of the Extreme brand
- The Extreme Hotels Company
- The Extreme Drinks Company
- The Extreme Experience Company
- Extreme Destinations
