Channel Profile: Current TV

COUNTRY: U.K. The channel is also available in the U.S. and Italy.

LAUNCH DATES: March 2007 in the U.K., August 2005 in the U.S. and February 2008 in Italy.

OWNERSHIP: Independently owned by Current Media

DISTRIBUTION:
Number of homes reached: 10.2 million in the U.K. (60 million worldwide)
Method of distribution: Cable/satellite

GENRE: Documentary

TARGET DEMOGRAPHIC: 18 to 44

REVENUE MODEL: Advertising and subscription

SENIOR MANAGEMENT:
General Manager, U.K.: James Baker
VP, Content, U.K.: James DuBern
Co-founder and Chairman: Al Gore
Co-Founder and Vice Chairman: Joel Hyatt
CEO: Mark Rosenthal

EMAIL: press@currentmedia.com

WEBSITE: current.com

TOP-RATING SHOW: Vanguard, an investigative journalism series

RECENT ORIGINAL PRODUCTION: Wasted Britain, a documentary about drugs and alcohol in the U.K.

ORIGINAL TO ACQUIRED RATIO: 95:5

PRIME-TIME HOURS: 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.

PROGRAMMING STRATEGY: The factual programs aired on Current TV address issues such as technology, fashion and music, as well as more serious topics like the environment, finance and politics. All of the programming on the channel—first launched in the U.S. in August 2005 by former U.S. VP Al Gore and businessman Joel Hyatt—is intended to connect young adults to what’s going on in the world around them. The channel explores these topics using a mix of citizen journalism and viewer involvement.

"We want to open up the TV platform in a way which is global, multiplatform and participatory," says James DuBern, the VP of content at Current. "When Joel and Al founded the channel, that was really their aim, to become a source of factual entertainment which is right for this generation—this generation is the first truly global generation, we are platform agnostic and we demand media which is participatory."

A good amount of the participation comes from users interacting with the channel’s website. "Most channels have come to use their website as a marketing tool to say, Tune in tonight at 10 p.m., or as a catch-up tool to say, This is what you missed yesterday. We do that, but on top of that we use our website to help us connect with our audience to help us make better television shows. I think that’s quite unique."

An example of this is extensive slate of online resources the site provides for emerging filmmakers. There’s a music library where rights have been cleared to use for films. There’s also legal support available, with FAQs on the laws about filming, release forms and more. "All the tools that someone would need to make their first documentary are downloadable," says DuBern. "We encourage people to submit short films to our site and enable the community of people that are looking at them to comment and give advice. That’s an interesting differentiator—we use online not just as a marketing and catch-up tool but as a breeding ground and springboard for new talent."

As a source for its content, Current maintains strong relationships with emerging British filmmaking talent. "In the U.K., we’re really in touch with young filmmakers, young journalists, young media creators. Maybe they’ve graduated, maybe they’re in the early rungs of the industry, maybe they’ve got a start with a fledgling production company. We’re in close touch with those people, and they provide a lot of ideas for us. Other ideas we come up with ourselves."

The vast majority—nearly all, in fact—of the channel’s programming is original productions. Acquisitions are actually "quite rare," says DuBern. "We will acquire stuff. If we feel that it’s been done perfectly and the rights are available, then brilliant."

In terms of the types of projects Current looks for, DuBern says it’s "authored journeys about audacious topics, and we’re looking for them to be authentically produced. Those are the three ‘A’s that we think about when we’re commissioning or acquiring content…. We like to think that we’re at the leading edge of making documentaries. We typically find that the stuff we want hasn’t already been made, and that’s why we want to make it. So then we have to make it."

UPCOMING HIGHLIGHTS: Kicking off next week in Current’s Monday night 10 p.m. lineup is Future Warfare, which looks at how 21st century technology is poised to redefine the battlefield. Also in December, European Cocaine Trail, about the emergence of a new Nigerian drug cartel, and Weird Relationships, which shows dysfunctional relationships at their most compelling, will air.

January will see the debut of Beach of Death, which spotlights the thousands of Somalis who risk their lives fleeing the country across the Gulf of Aden; Japan: Robot Nation, about clones and droids in Japan; Mexican Drug Wars, which investigates the battle for control of the cocaine-smuggling routes in Mexico; and One Night in Guantanamo, investigating one of the most controversial jails on Earth.

To view Current TV’s promo reel, please click here.