U&W
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Ownership | |
| Owner | UKTV (BBC Worldwide/Virgin Media Television) |
Watch is a general entertainment channel broadcasting in the United Kingdom, as part of UKTV. The channel was launched on 7 October 2008 on Sky Digital channel 109 and Virgin TV channel 124.[1]
UKTV chief executive David Abraham told journalists on 10 July 2008 that details of the new Richard and Judy programme had yet to be confirmed, however on 22 August it was announced that, starting from 7 October, their show will debut weekdays at 8pm[2].
AGB Nielsen Media Research reported on 2 September that Watch +1 will launch on the same day as Watch (7 October).
Current music used in the background of the television advertisements is 'You Will Leave A Mark' by Oxford band A Silent Film.
Virgin Media customers were disappointed by the channel not being included in the "Medium" and "Large" packages offered by the company, despite Virgin co-owning the UKTV brand with the BBC.[3] On 15 October 2008 Watch was launched on the large package. Only customers on the XL TV package can receive Watch +1.
Programming
The output of the channel is mainly British programmes and sometimes feature-length films. These are a combination of internally produced shows, repeats of shows from the BBC archive, and overseas versions of popular British shows.
BBC programmes are obviously edited to fit the time slot, an original broadcast for an hour long programme on the BBC might be as much as 58 minutes long, the same programme here might be 42 minutes long without the commercials.
Current Programming
Future programmes on Watch
- Tarrant Lets the Kids Loose - Starts 6pm, Sunday 4th October.
- Scream if You Know the Answer! - Coming in 2010 to Watch.
- Primeval - Series 5 coming soon to Watch in 2011.
- MasterChef Australia - January 2010.
