{"id":10431,"date":"2017-08-16T08:21:10","date_gmt":"2017-08-16T12:21:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/worldscreen.com\/"},"modified":"2017-08-18T12:47:15","modified_gmt":"2017-08-18T16:47:15","slug":"really-hits-the-mark-with-life-on-tv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/really-hits-the-mark-with-life-on-tv\/","title":{"rendered":"Really Hits the Mark with “Life on TV”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Luke Hales, the general manager of UKTV\u2019s Really, Good Food, Home and Eden, tells <\/em>TV Real about how the factual channel Really has become the destination for real-life programming in the U.K.<\/em><\/p>\n

British commercial broadcaster UKTV\u2019s Really channel has been around for eight years. The channel, which is available on Freeview, Sky and Virgin, presents an array of documentaries, true-crime titles, lifestyle programming and paranormal content. \u201cReally launched as a slightly different channel from what it\u2019s evolved into today,\u201d Luke Hales, the general manager of UKTV\u2019s Really, Good Food, Home and Eden, explains to TV Real<\/em>. \u201cBut today we are the home of high-quality, real-life documentaries.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere we set ourselves apart from the market is that we have access to the highest-quality content out there,\u201d Hales continues. \u201cWe are making major inroads into commissioning our own content, moving into presales and trying to get ahold of all the new and exclusive U.K. content that we can.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the channel has historically been focused on acquisitions, Really is now concentrating on commissioning. Hales says: \u201cWe\u2019re moving aggressively into commissioning now, focusing on blue light or emergency services content.\u201d Two recent commissions in that space are Helicopter ER<\/em> and Cops UK: Bodycam Squad<\/em>. \u201cThose shows produce huge numbers for us and our viewers love them.\u201d Hales is particularly enthusiastic about Into the Fire<\/em>, a documentary series that was commissioned earlier this year and is coming in the fall. \u201cFor the first time, we\u2019re going to follow the fire service. The footage we\u2019re seeing is mind-blowing.\u201d He says commissioning content is beneficial because the channel has editorial control as well as rights for the titles on all platforms.<\/p>\n

Hales says that in the last 18 months or so, much work has been done to establish a \u201creal clarity of purpose\u201d with regard to airing content that matches with the channel\u2019s objective. \u201c\u2018Life on TV\u2019 is our tagline, so we\u2019ve been clear about our brand guardrails and we try not to veer from that,\u201d he explains. The main content pillars for the channel are lifestyle, real life, true crime, emergency services and paranormal. Really recently received a brand refresh, with new idents, bumpers, logos, the aforementioned tagline and more produced by the broadcaster\u2019s in-house UKTV Creative team.<\/p>\n

Really is scheduled around its viewers\u2019 habits. \u201cThe only reason we exist is because we have viewers,\u201d Hales notes. \u201cWe\u2019re very respectful of the fact that they come to us and watch us. We want to keep them happy, so everything we do is focused on fitting in with their lifestyle and their habits.\u201d The daytime slate is stocked with \u201cgentle content.\u201d He says: \u201cDaytime tends to be stuff we know viewers love; content that is very watchable. We tend to strip that across the week, so we\u2019re very reliable; people know when and where to find that content.\u201d<\/p>\n

The programming that airs during peak hours is the heart and soul of the channel. Hales explains: \u201c9 p.m. is our showcase. It\u2019s a window into our core brand proposition. That\u2019s the big-hitting, real-life documentaries, such as Embarrassing Bodies<\/em> or One Born Every Minute<\/em>, or emergency services series, including Helicopter ER<\/em> and Cops UK: Bodycam Squad<\/em>.\u201d Embarrassing Bodies<\/em> and One Born Every Minute<\/em> \u201cfollow people\u2019s emotional journeys at a time in their lives when they\u2019re very vulnerable. These are powerful, moving stories.\u201d The evening slot also features \u201chard-hitting factual\u201d shows like those with Louis Theroux, who fronts programs that delve into people\u2019s addictions to plastic surgery, gambling and more. On weeknights at 10 p.m., Really\u2019s audience can tune in for new and exclusive content. At that time, the channel airs an all-new exclusive episode of a show or a brand-new series launch.<\/p>\n

From 11 p.m. to 2 a.m., Really focuses on true-crime shows. \u201cWe\u2019ve spent a lot of time refining our content offering in that space, so every night of the week we have three hours of the best true-crime programming you can find, and that\u2019s doing very well for us. Viewers are connecting with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Friday is Frightday, with an agenda chock-full of paranormal shows like Ghost Adventures<\/em> and Most Haunted<\/em> from 9 p.m. through to the early hours of the morning. \u201cPeople talk about rushing home from work with a bottle of wine and settling in for paranormal night on Really,\u201d Hales says. On Saturdays and Sundays, the channel runs more seasonal and topical programming. \u201cWe might show back-to-back episodes because people have a bit more time on their hands,\u201d he notes. \u201cWe\u2019re more fluid on the weekends because people\u2019s lives are a bit more fluid.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Hales, \u201cWe like to maintain a healthy amount of fresh U.K. content. We\u2019re constantly on the lookout and hungry for content. We\u2019re always searching for new commissioning ideas and co-pros as well,\u201d including ways to make co-productions within the UKTV portfolio of networks. \u201cWe want brand-defining pieces that speak loudly about who we are to our viewers. Our main focus is rounding off our originals and cementing our brand message. We\u2019ve got real clarity around our content offering. It\u2019s now about delivering content for the audience when and where they want it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The UKTV factual channel’s general manager, Luke Hales, shares how it has become a destination for real-life programming in the U.K.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":477,"featured_media":10432,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[68,69],"tags":[2413,1083,309],"class_list":["post-10431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-profiles","category-top-stories","tag-luke-hales","tag-really","tag-uktv","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\nReally Hits the Mark with "Life on TV" - TVREAL<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/really-hits-the-mark-with-life-on-tv\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Really Hits the Mark with "Life on TV" - TVREAL\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The UKTV factual channel's general manager, Luke Hales, shares how it has become a destination for real-life programming in the U.K.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/really-hits-the-mark-with-life-on-tv\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"TVREAL\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-08-16T12:21:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-08-18T16:47:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2017\/07\/2017-08-14-Luke-Hales-e1503074704575.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"555\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"334\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sara Alessi\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sara Alessi\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/really-hits-the-mark-with-life-on-tv\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/really-hits-the-mark-with-life-on-tv\/\",\"name\":\"Really Hits the Mark with \\\"Life on TV\\\" - TVREAL\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2017-08-16T12:21:10+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-08-18T16:47:15+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/#\/schema\/person\/3a30a856ec6d9cc2372bf054d26a0418\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/really-hits-the-mark-with-life-on-tv\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/really-hits-the-mark-with-life-on-tv\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/really-hits-the-mark-with-life-on-tv\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Really Hits the Mark with “Life on TV”\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/\",\"name\":\"TVREAL\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/#\/schema\/person\/3a30a856ec6d9cc2372bf054d26a0418\",\"name\":\"Sara Alessi\",\"description\":\"Sara Alessi is the associate editor of World Screen. 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