A+E Networks UK to Launch Blaze on Freeview

LONDON: A+E Networks UK is bringing the new entertainment channel Blaze to Freeview in the U.K. and Ireland this September.

A+E Networks’s first global free-to-air brand will debut September 20. Blaze will simultaneously launch as a TV Everywhere service, with live streaming and catch-up viewing offered on mobile and tablet devices.

The channel will broadcast 24 hours and will initially be available to 19 million U.K. homes on the Freeview platform, as well as to 12.4 million Sky subscribers across the U.K. and Ireland.

Dean Possenniskie, the managing director for EMEA at A+E Networks, said: “Our new entertainment brand is a great addition to A+E Networks’s portfolio and reflects our strength as a global media company. We are proud to launch Blaze as our first free-to-air channel in the U.K.”

Heather Jones, the U.K. general manager at A+E Networks, said: “I’m really excited about the launch of Blaze. It’s great that we can offer free-to-air audiences the chance to enjoy many of A+E’s hit shows, with much of the content new to Freeview. Blaze’s name and identity were created to celebrate the spirit of the extraordinary characters featured on the channel. We are thrilled that Blaze will also include a digital launch as a full TVE service, so viewers can watch and catch up with their favorite shows wherever they are and whenever they want.”

Guy North, the managing director at Freeview, added: “We’re delighted to be bolstering our channel lineup with Blaze. The new channel will provide even more choice for our viewers who want to enjoy the very best entertainment without paying a monthly subscription.”