Blighty

CHANNEL: Blighty

COUNTRY: U.K.

LAUNCH DATE: Formerly known as UKTV People—which launched in 2004—Blighty rolled out on February 17, 2009.

OWNERSHIP: UKTV, a 50/50 joint venture between BBC Worldwide and Virgin Media.

DISTRIBUTION: Blighty, together with nine other channels operated by UKTV, is available on Sky, which reaches more than 9 million homes, and Virgin Media, which has about 3.5 million cable customers.

DESCRIPTION: Blighty aims to deliver content that celebrates all the best things about modern Britain. With the tag line "One Nation Under a Channel," its target demo is young couples in their 30s and 40s.

SENIOR MANAGEMENT:
Director, Lifestyle & Factual Programming, UKTV: Jane Mote

Channel Head, Blighty & Eden: Adrian Wills

PROGRAMMING STRATEGY: The second of UKTV’s factual channels to rebrand, Blighty launched in place of UKTV People on February 17. It aims to tap into a sentiment in the U.K. today, explains channel head Adrian Wills, "about what Britishness means. What we want to say is, Britain is worth celebrating. A lot of British people take Britain for granted. We’re trying to instill this idea in people that you can celebrate what’s great about Britain, not just [the music, movies, TV, sports] but the self-deprecating sense of humor, the eccentricity of people, the tolerance, the modesty, the gritty independence of thought. We want to celebrate the diversity of the U.K."

Its relationship with BBC Worldwide grants Blighty a steady supply of top-quality British content, but the channel is also commissioning its own original productions, beginning with My Brilliant Britain. "Each episode features a different personality, showcasing something that they are really passionate about," says Wills. "It could be everything from bed and breakfasts to tea to tweed to Scottish comedy."

Rolling out this summer, meanwhile, is Made in Britain with Dom Joly, in which the popular personality is followed as he removes all products not made in Britain from his life.

Next up is Save our Boozer, launching in August. "The pub is loved by everyone in the U.K.," Wills says, "and a lot of them are closing down because of the recession. We’ve got an expert who goes in and tells people how to take control of their pub and make sure it continues [to be successful]."

While Blighty does have a factual, unscripted bent, Wills stresses that the channel is "not really genre specific. Blighty can mean lots of things to lots of different people."

The schedule features everything from content on British wildlife, gardening and cookery in the early evening, through to observational documentaries such as Trawlermen and royalty-themed fare like Monarchy: The Royal Family at Work in prime time. Capping off the prime-time schedule each night is Who Do You Think You Are?, in which British celebrities explore their ancestry.

WHAT’S NEW: Wills says that he’s begun conversations with British producers about commissions for next year, and he’s not averse to hearing from the international community. "If any international producers are talking to British broadcasters, especially the terrestrials, for an idea that is going to have British interest, then they can feel free to come to us as a secondary window."

On the agenda, Wills says, are "more British cultural things," such as an upcoming special on Britpop. "We’d like to do more factual entertainment around music and eccentric personalities."

WEBSITE: www.loveblighty.co.uk