J:COM To Launch Channel Ginga

TOKYO, October 26: Japan’s Jupiter Telecommunications
(J:COM) will launch a new baby-boomer-targeted high-definition channel, Channel
Ginga, on nationwide cable television networks and via satellite on e2 by SKY
PerfecTV!2.

Channel Ginga will feature documentaries, travelogues,
history, art, historical and drama series, broadcasting 24 hours a day in high
definition. One-third of the programming will be drawn from NHK archives,
including major documentaries, epic dramas, and nostalgic entertainment shows.
The content will be balanced between the best of Japanese terrestrial TV
productions and content from the BBC and the major U.S. terrestrial networks.
In addition, Channel Ginga will be
developing original content. Ginga means “Galaxy” in Japanese.

“J:COM will take the lead in financing more than 70 percent
of the capital of the new firm, the remainder being drawn from leading cable
television operators and content providers,” said Tomoyuki Moriizumi, the
president and CEO of Jupiter Telecommunications. He added that “with this
launch, we aim to enhance customer satisfaction, promote new subscriber
acquisition and stimulate the multichannel market.”

—By Irene Lew