Zone Reality

World Screen Weekly, August 3, 2006

CHANNEL NAME: Zone Reality, formerly known as Reality TV.

LAUNCH DATE: December 1999

OWNERSHIP: Zone Reality is part of Zonemedia (formerly Zone Vision Networks), which is 87.5 percent owned by chellomedia, a subsidiary of Liberty Global.

DESCRIPTION: Zone Reality describes itself as “the only TV channel dedicated to showing reality programming 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. No actors, no scripts and no stunts—Zone Reality is real people and true stories.”

This formula has played a crucial role in its rapid rollout across the globe. In just over five years, the channel has gained distribution in over 125 territories worldwide and currently claims 120 million subscribers. Reality TV first launched in Poland, then expanded across Europe and into the U.K. in 2002, when it was launched on BSkyB and cable platform NTL. In 2003, Reality TV launched in India, Latin America, the Philippines, Ireland and Israel and gained further distribution in the U.K. on cable outlet Telewest. In 2004, the channel struck several new Asian distribution deals, including agreements with cable and satellite operators in Indonesia, China and Singapore. In addition, new distribution deals in Israel, the Netherlands and Portugal were secured. In 2005 the channel announced a joint venture with Jupiter Programming for its first channel in Japan as well as its first distribution agreement for France. It was renamed Zone Reality in June of this year as part of a company-wide re-branding process.

GM AND CHIEF PROGRAMMING OFFICER: Chris Sharp


SR. VICE PRESIDENT, CHANNELS: Steve Cole


PROGRAMMING & ACQUISITIONS MANAGER: Gosia Walak

PROGRAMMING STRATEGY: While the reality genre has evolved since Zone Reality (then named Reality TV) first launched in 1999—from real-life programming to shows like Survivor, Pop Idol and Fear Factor—the channel has remained true to its mission: depicting real people in real situations. “A disaster or a police chase or a fire out of control, most people can identify with those,” says Steve Cole, the senior VP of channels at Zonemedia. “People in Poland or South Africa can relate to a cat stuck up a tree in Italy. A person trapped in a raging river in Asia is the same as someone in the same circumstances in the U.K. It’s about that whole human interest aspect that cuts across boundaries.”

One of the channel’s most popular shows is Cheaters. “The premise is that a person suspects that their partner is cheating, so they go to the Cheaters agency,” explains Cole. “They find out whether or not there is truth to the suspicions and do secret filming and surveillance and end up with a confrontation between the cheater and cheatee—and that has been our break-out show.” Cheaters is from Cinamour Entertainment. Other suppliers of programming have included Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution, Rive Gauche, CBS Paramount International Television, GRB and RDF.

Another successful show has been Cops. “It has done very, very well for us in the U.K.; it’s done especially well against the famous soap operas that air on the terrestrial channels Monday through Friday between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.” continues Cole. “Cops has been a good antidote to Coronation Street and EastEnders. That’s worked very well for us.”

Cole adds that “very good quirky one-off documentaries,” also perform well. “One of our top-rated programs of a year ago was a Canadian documentary called Morbidly Obese. It did very, very well. I think a lot of it is about the names of programs these days. People are searching through their EPGs [Electronic Program Guides] to find things that jump out. A really strong title that then delivers a great documentary as well is really useful.”

Zone Reality also aired on its U.K. channel a documentary from CABLEready called Combover: The Movie. “It’s a very quirky, very funny doc, sort of in the vein of Super Size Me and it does pretty much what it says,” says Cole. “It examines that phenomena of combovers [the method many men have of parting their hair way over to one side to disguise a bald spot]. It’s very sweet and we want to do some very good publicity for it in the U.K.”

Given the success of Zone Reality in the U.K., Zonemedia saw the opportunity to launch more reality-based channels in the market. Zone Reality+1 offers the same programming as Zone Reality, but time shifted by one hour. And on BSkyB there is also Zone Reality Extra. While Zone Reality airs only programming about real people and real-life situations, Zone Reality Extra airs also shows that provide re-enactments and reconstructions of real events.

WHAT’S NEW: Zonemedia has acquired more than 90 episodes of The Weather Channel (U.S.) hit series Storm Stories from Collegia Capital LLC. The series features the real-life experiences of survivors and rescuers who have battled nature’s most astonishing weather events. Its episodes show the world’s weather at its most unpredictable and deadly. Storm Stories focuses on the inspiring experiences of ordinary people who are placed in extraordinary circumstances.

Currently, Zone Reality’s schedule consists entirely of acquisitions. “But we are talking to a few potential production partners to commission programs for the service,” says Cole. “I hope that will come into the schedule in the last quarter of this year.”

WEBSITE: www.zonereality.tv

—By Anna Carugati