{"id":4468,"date":"2013-02-14T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2013-02-14T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tveurope\/2013\/02\/14\/channel-profile-uktvs-watch\/"},"modified":"2013-02-14T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2013-02-14T00:00:00","slug":"channel-profile-uktvs-watch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tveurope\/2013\/02\/14\/channel-profile-uktvs-watch\/","title":{"rendered":"Channel Profile: UKTV’s Watch"},"content":{"rendered":"

PREMIUM: Steve Hornsey, the general manager of Watch, talks to TV Europe about the successful programming strategy at UKTV’s flagship entertainment channel.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

WS:<\/strong> As a channel brand, what does Watch want to offer viewers?
\nHORNSEY:<\/strong> Watch is UKTV’s flagship entertainment channel screening a broad mix of content, including scripted drama, entertainment, observational docs and factual entertainment. Our target audience is adults 25 to 44 and our brand promise is to deliver shows that have an ‘out of the ordinary’ proposition at their heart. Our aim is to showcase distinctive programs that put a new twist on established genres and offer viewers something different.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

WS:<\/strong> What is the mix of acquired versus commissioned content?
\nHORNSEY:<\/strong> Watch airs a mix of third-party acquisitions, content from the BBC via our longstanding content deal, and our own original commissions. In fact, the highest rating show on Watch in 2012 was homegrown: the award-winning Dynamo: Magician Impossible<\/em>. The second series attracted over 2 million viewers to its premiere episode in July and the first series was the most successful program launch in pay TV in 2011.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

WS:<\/strong> What partnerships does Watch currently have in place?
\nHORNSEY:<\/strong> We have an output agreement in place with the BBC, but in addition to that we source programs from a variety of distributors, primarily in the U.K., the U.S., Canada and Australia. For example, we’ve recently inked a scripted drama content deal with NBCUniversal for future seasons of the hit series Grimm<\/em>. We’ve also signed a factual-entertainment deal with them for Jack Osbourne’s new vehicle Haunted Highway<\/em> and distinctive shows including Haunted Collector<\/em> and Hollywood Treasure<\/em>. In addition, we’ve recently inked an agreement with Disney UK & Ireland for the quirky procedural Perception<\/em>, starring Eric McCormack, and we’ve acquired the talked-about new series Beauty and the Beast<\/em> from CBS Studios International, which recently won Favorite New TV Drama at the 2013 People’s Choice Awards.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

WS:<\/strong> What is the breakdown of the schedule morning to night, Monday through Sunday?
\nHORNSEY:<\/strong> During daytime throughout the week we strip shows. Genres are a mix of drama and factual entertainment up to 5 p.m. At this junction we switch to second-chance viewing of high-profile titles such as Doctor Who<\/em> and Primeval<\/em>, which gateways into stripped factual-entertainment content like Hollywood Treasure<\/em>, Haunted Collector<\/em> or one of the international MasterChef<\/em> formats. Big drama, entertainment and original content premieres are generally at 9 p.m.—here you’ll find Grimm<\/em>, Dynamo: Magician Impossible<\/em>, Perception<\/em>, Primeval: New World<\/em>, Beauty and the Beast<\/em> and so on—which enjoy a next-day catch-up the following night at 8 p.m. On Friday and Saturday evenings we generally showcase blockbuster movies, although this approach is up for review as our inventory expands, and weekend daytimes are comprised of mini-stacks of catch-up and factual-entertainment content.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Hornsey elaborates on the most successful programs on Watch, upcoming highlights and the types of shows he is looking for to fill the schedule.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

WS:<\/strong> What are some of the most successful programs on the network?
\nHORNSEY:<\/strong> Dynamo: Magician Impossible<\/em> has been a standout hit for Watch and UKTV and has rejuvenated the world of TV magic. Not only have the past two series delivered huge ratings for Watch, they’ve also generated an enormous buzz on social networks, with significant Twitter and Facebook traffic. Dynamo’s intoxicating mix of impromptu street magic and apparently impossible feats—including walking on the River Thames, which went huge virally—combined with a compelling personal journey, helped make him an overnight TV sensation. The show has undoubtedly established itself as water-cooler TV.  <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Our U.S. drama acquisitions have also proved popular, with Grimm<\/em>, Primeval: New World<\/em>, Alcatraz<\/em> and Perception<\/em> performing very strongly. The international MasterChef<\/em> formats, which are U.K. premieres and showcase the extremes of extraordinary cooking and competition, have also achieved significant cut-through in shoulder peak.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

WS:<\/strong> Are there any current slots that you’re looking for content for?
\nHORNSEY:<\/strong> We are looking for more quality factual entertainment for 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. on weekdays and content that could fit an ‘extraordinary jobs’ strand that we will be launching soon on Sunday nights. But Watch is a broad entertainment channel with a distinctive editorial approach so we are always looking for shows that explore the extraordinary, apply a new twist to existing genres or have a surprising or unusual element to them.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

WS:<\/strong> Can you share any upcoming highlights with us?
\nHORNSEY:<\/strong> We are delighted that a third series of Dynamo: Magician Impossible <\/em>will premiere exclusively on Watch later this year. Ahead of that we’ll be introducing another totally original series, The Incredible Mr. Goodwin<\/em>. This title follows escapologist and entertainer Jonathan Goodwin, who has traveled around the world and trained for thousands of hours in a bid to hone apparently superhuman mental and physical skills. We’ll see incredible feats, but viewers will also get an insight into the process he goes through as he intensively trains for these truly spectacular performances, many of which have never been attempted on this scale. It’s an exciting and bold commission for us and perfectly fits Watch’s remit of ‘out of the ordinary’ programming.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Beauty and the Beast<\/em> will be running throughout first quarter with premiere episodes each week, Grimm<\/em> returns from its second series mid-season break in March, and we also have the second series of Perception<\/em> slated for late 2013.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PREMIUM: Steve Hornsey, the general manager of Watch, talks to TV Europe about the successful programming strategy at UKTV’s flagship entertainment channel. WS: As a channel brand, what does Watch want to offer viewers? HORNSEY: Watch is UKTV’s flagship entertainment channel screening a broad mix of content, including scripted drama, entertainment, observational docs and factual …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4469,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4468","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-top-stories"],"yoast_head":"\nChannel Profile: UKTV's Watch<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Channel Profile: UKTV's Watch. 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