Nine’s reveals new digital channel GEM
Nine has become the final commercial network to announce its plans for its third digital channel. Its next channel, to sit alongside Go!, will be GEM, short for General Entertainment and Movies.
The announcement:
Following on from the outstanding success of the GO! multi-channel, the Nine Network today announced plans for a third channel, GEM, which will launch on Sunday, September 26 aimed at the sophisticated, discerning viewer.
GEM will be a mix of new content, classic comedies, cherished drama series, all-time favourite movies, and all of Nine’s sport coverage in high definition.
GEM is designed to complement Nine’s premium channel, and the network’s number one multi-channel, GO!, attracting females 35+ and grocery buyers.
Leading the GEM lineup is the acclaimed new US drama series The Big C, starring Laura Linney as a woman making the most of her life after being diagnosed with cancer. Also starring Oliver Platt and Oscar nominee Gabourey Sidibe, The Big C’s recent premiere achieved record ratings for the US Showtime network.
The cult favourite Weeds will also be seen on GEM in a new season. Other first-run imports include Southland, Miami Medical, Secret Diary of a Call Girl, The New Adventures of Old Christine, and the lifestyle programs Wife Swap, Secret Millionaire USA, The Chopping Block USA and How Clean Is Your House?
Also on GEM will be a new season of Random Acts of Kindness (previously seen on Nine) featuring Shelley Craft, Scott Cam, Dr Andrew Rochford and Simmone Jade Mackinnon, treating everyday Australians to well-deserved rewards.
Rounding out the schedule will be the classic comedy Friends, stripped to air every week night, Aussie gold dramas McLeod’s Daughters, Sea Patrol and The Alice, and the hit US crime shows CSI, CSI Miami, CSI New York, The Closer and Cold Case, along with great movies such as Million Dollar Baby, The Aviator, 21 Grams and Being Julia.
Nine CEO David Gyngell said GEM would build on the network’s tearaway success with the GO! channel, which by a big margin is Australia’s most popular multi-channel across the key demographics and total people.
“GEM is what its title suggests – a general entertainment and movie channel, carefully crafted and targeted like GO! before it, to appeal to a wide audience cross-section and complement Nine’s existing successful brands,” Mr Gyngell said.
GEM will also include news and current affairs programs that will be different but complementary to those on the main channel. “We have a very significant investment in news and current affairs and some of that content will be repackaged to the style of GEM,” Mr Gyngell said.
High definition sport will be seen on GEM until the digital switchover in December 2013.
To receive GEM from September 26, viewers need to tune in to channel 90 on an HD-capable digital TV, PVR or set top box. If you have an analogue television you will need to connect your old TV to an HD-capable digital set top box, PVR, or digital recorder and tune in to channel 90.
Source: Nine Network press release
Sounds better than channel eleven but still seems bad, these days im seeing more of the same crap why doesnt go make a cartoon channel since they are partned with warner bros they would make a killing off that, go used to be good my son loved it now they dont show as much cartoons on saturday as they first did which was from 7 till about 1 or 2 and on weekdays..
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So with GEM 90 what happens to annalogue 9? is this to be allocated to another digital channel?
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Hello phillip no annalogue/digital channel nine will stay as channel nine but the hd channel of channel nine which is channel 90 will be dumped for gem which will take over 90
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Sounds like more of the same .
I and many viewers are hoping and waiting for a free to air nature documentary channel. That would really give us choices.
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It’s so fantastic in having another new channel, GEM.
Hopefully this channel will cover up the shortage of documentary so far in all the other channels. Documentary on wild life, mother nature, places, planets and so on, will definitely attract audience of all ages and from walks of life.
Being different from the rest, GEM in no time will be Australia’s most popular television channel.
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Tried to tune in to Channel GEM today but it didn’t appear on my list of channels. 7mate is there. What the? Is this because I live in regional Vic?
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Great !!!
another new channel.
Now how long will it be before Football/Rugby shows on the new channel ?
And how about Home Shopping. Every channel except SBS & SBS2 (all night weather) and TVS (old B&W movies). also except (ABC &24).
PLEASE can we have a channel that doesn’t show Sport and Home shopping at all ?
Some people are awake during the night, and there is sod all to watch.
Re-runs are fine. And NO. no matter how much the home shopping advertises, I will NOT buy the items. Anyway have a great day and enjoy the new channel, while it lasts. Thanks
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Brought a Olin HD set top Box today. But I can’t get channel 90, the box only goes up to channel 69. I have two options to search by frequency or channel. Anyone know the frequency of channel Gem.
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Will I need to rescan my channel to get GEM ???????????????
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Cannot get Channel 90 on my LG TV, less than six months old. Can get everything else, although I get 24 on 20! My attempt gets the result ‘ no new channel’. Any suggestions?
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hi i have lost my remote for my hd box and now have no idea how to get in the new gem channel.
90 is hd 9 shouldnt it have just changed to gem if its now a new channel? or are nine leaving it as hd 9 if u dont rescan your box
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So it all works OK, since Sunday 26 arrived! Tuned in without problem.
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So where has 9HD gone??? Watching std def on CH9 (rather than CH90 like I used to) and really noticing the drop in quality.
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Since I had my rant yesterday, I hope Channel 9 Execs., keep Gem as a Station worthy of watching most of the time. (Its in my Favs).
Lets hope that Mate does the similar format.
Have another great day, and enjoy the sunshine…
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Does anyone know what frequency it is broadcast on, as I can’t find it on either of my two tv’s?
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U2 360 live in convert would have been great in HD. Oh well it was on the now SD Channel 9. Why have 1947 SD movie on HD channel?. True HD!
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So all high rating shows on channel 9 will only be seen in SD now, as the HD channel is now Gem? thats abit silly isnt it ?
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Channel 90 on my TV is just Channel 9 not GEM unless they are showing the same programs can anyone help
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I want to know why I have no sound with this new Gem channel can anyone help me?
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Channel 9, 90 and 99 have all disappeared from my HD S T box. Any clues?
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Channel 9 has been very backward, and like channle 10 are not promoting the technology that we have.
For example Channel 9 is SD and channel 90 is HD, what all TV stations should be doing is provoding them both or switch everything to HD.
To loose the good shows from a HD channel and be forced to watch them is SD is not a smart move, and just alienates people.
Channel 7 jsut went through this, they started broadcasting 7Mate on there 70HD channel and within hours had reversed this because of backlash.
What is the point of buying HD equipment, only to be forced to watch classic movies from 1943 that are SD quality on a HD channel. And HD quality shows and movies on a SD channel?
Where is the logic?
They should have done what 7 did, promote a totally brand new channel. 91-998 are all free that they could have used but chose not to.
One angry customer, who will no longer watch anything on Channel 9. Will d’load the content instead at least I know I am getting HD quality and SD quality.
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I have to agree, everyone is so against the downloading of content. And yet the TV stations are the people who are driving people to do so.
If you know where to look you can get anything you want, in HD and before they are show here. I personally want to watch HD shows, movies and not what the stations think we might want to watch.
Channel 10 began screening Stargate Universe, and people I know were forced to go and download the shows because they stopped screening it.
Channel 7, and stargate SG:1 and SG: Atlantis where the same. but worse with SG:1 they showed half os season 7 and two years later decided to screen the rest, again forcing people to go look for their fix of the show.
I realise it is a hrd decision to make with new shows coming all the time, but for Channel 9 to remove a HD channel and replace it with a channel that is now showing nothing but SD content at the moment is like a knife in the publics back.
Kerry Packer would be turning in is grave to see these mistakes made.
Also another person no longer going to watch Channel 9, and opting for downloadable content instead.
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I too must agree totally with Andy, having spent close to $5k on a 3D HD TV set, now to find that all the previous good programs that were on HD 90, are replaced with CRAP old style Movies from years ago that don’t fill the screen, look really tacky, not to mention the sound quality as well. I spent the money to enjoy watching TV on a 55″ screen, not to go backwards and see something that used to look ok on a 68cm screen.
This is a joke, channel 9 and 7 should have a good look at themselves, imaging the amount of people who have just gone out and purchased a full HD TV only to watch their shows now in SD, MPEG Garbage.
I too will download everything from now on as it and will be in HD.
They are kidding themselves !!!
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The thing with Channel 7, when 7Mate was released they switched C70 over to C73 as a duplicate. I personnaly rang the channel and complained, and they said that this is the way it is and where happy to take my complaint. I msut not have been the only one, because withn hours channel 7 switched their channel 70 back to HD content.
I rang Channel 9 and did the same thing, and told them that I wanted a HD channel not SD crap on a HD channel and will not be watching there normal 9 channel. It might be harder for Channel 9 to do this, but it will be a very hard lesson for them.
If people are not happy they should voice their concerns, after all if they realise people are not going to watch or put up with the crap their sponsors aka, the people who pay to place ads on their stations will be less likely to do so and eventually cost the channel money.
So I encourage you to voice your concern to the station, they will eventually listen.
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Why did they do this I don’t know, but why did they (9 and 7) take a perfectly good, and working HD format and move it to another listing. Instead why not just move all this so called Multi-view garbage to say 74 and 94, that way if people want to watch movies that are 5 or more years old, and do not even resemble Digital let alone HD, then they can watch them,and simply leave the channels as they were.
It is like trying to watch a VHS video compared to DVD, let alone BluRay.
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Yes your right Andy, I will be ringing them tomorrow.
Its a joke thats for sure, and we certainly will not be alone on this one thats for sure.
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I have setup a facebook page to drum up support, I encourgae people to spread the word.
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=l.....1984733154
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This just makes Foxtel’s HD service better value with their IQ2. HD movie’s, HD sports, HD documentary’s. I checked out the movies on 9 tonight. Bodyguard on GEM, Incredible Hulk on 9. I know which one would have looked better on the HD channel.
In Melbourne, the NRL TV right holders had the Final on Saturday night at 12:30am, It had started and finished on Fox Sports. Is GEM a national channel that will show live sports in HD? Friday night rugby league in HD at 7:30 in Melbourne? Only time will tell.
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Agree with all the above comments, channel 70 still not broadcasting in HD though, Sunrise normally in HD but only SD this morning! This is not good enough channel 7 and 9 !
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So I have no digital channel 9 now. It used to be on channel 90 buit that’s now Gem. I have Gem and Go that’s it. So where has 9 gone to? Rediculous
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Would have been nice to know that GEM was taking over from 90 before the weekend. Set the PVR to record U2 special in HD based on the EPG listings on Fri… you can imagine how disappointed I was when I sat down to watch it last night only to find some crappy non-HD movie from 1940-something. Not happy!
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I can’t get sound on either Gem or 7mate channels please help? I have an LG HD LCD TV.
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You know its funny we can sit here and complain about the new changes but rest assured they dont and have never given a stuff about the viewers , its all crap ratings and revenue.In my opinion these new channels are just exactly that to increase revenue and basically show very cheap shows and lots more ads.
To give you an idea i rang the 7 network and they couldnt tell me about whether the new 7 MATE was in HD or not , and i spoke with a women called Mel ,i wonder if it was the same blonde lady on the Sunrise Show.
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Yes I too rang Channel 9 Today and was told that’s the way it is too bad.
I to want to know what is going to happen to all the people who like me have purchased a Large Wide Screen 3D LED HD TV, now to find that most of the shows now being broadcast by these clowns does not even fill the entire screen, leaving those stupid black bars each side of the picture(I wonder who is going to get a permanent impression on their screen), but they do not seem to care about the viewers response through this, yes a warning would have been great, or maybe a trial to see what we all thought, without just forcing us to be Pissed Off.
This is a farce, a absolute joke. Its a rip off, telling the consumer to go out and update to these HD set ups.
I hope these big retailers will also consider what these Stations are doing to viewers, because I certainly would not bother to buy a New Wide Screen TV only to have the same picture quality and sound that we were used to 5 years ago on a old style CRT TV.
Come on Harvey Norman, Bing Lee, Etc, support your consumer a well.
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Heres an idea
All You Complainers
How About Stop Watching TV
and Get a Life
You Media Sheep
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Hey Rome..
I don’t know what is funnier, you actually replying to this discussion or Channel 9’s programming. What are your thoughts on the new GEM channel from channel 9 Rome? I would be complaining if I recorded the U2 Special only to find 1947 movie instead being recorded on the HD channel
I watch the TV I want when I want. I don’t abide by channel 9, 7 or 10 scheduling. TV doesn’t rule my life, I would expect however when channel 9 and 7 launch HD programming they show HD quality.
People have spend Thouuuusands of $ on these digital TV’s, they have a right to complain about the programming from channels 7/9/10.
Leave it to Foxtel to provide the TV people want when they want, leave it to Foxtel to provide true HD movie’s, sport’s, documentary’s and entertainment.
Oh and those who have a 3DHD TV, a 3D channel starting in November, on Foxtel IQ2, a source of 3D programming for 3D TV’s.
Baaaaa
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Just like Ten using HD for their sports channel and ABC using HD for news, Nine has now gone the quantity rather quality route. Now there’s only Seven and SBS to watch quality first run programming like drama and wildlife shows – I’m sure its not what we were promised when we all invested in new +50″HD flat-screens. Nor what the government had in mind when they allocated each network three SD channels plus an HD Channel.
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Getting really sick of networks not correctly informing viewers of their changes properly, if at all. ie: Ten changing from HD and giving their HD to ONE. Now both 7 and 9 have given their crappy offshoots HD, but not the Mother Channel. Would love a TV suit to explain this to me, particularly as shows like The A-Team and BEWITCHED are not particularly enhanced by HD !! I’d rather all newtorks adopt HD as their home, and plain digital for their crappy, boring, re-run, retro effluence. Just tell us about it guys – it may avoid confusion, and make many more happy with Digital TV overall.
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Very ordinary Channel Nine.
Maybe they want us all on to pay TV. Isn’t there some arrangement with the Packers???
HD all the way on normal tv…where is that idiot new Prime Minister, is it Mr Squiggle?
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Nice one Channel nine – How about telling us.
I have my Recorder set to record Top Gear every Tuesday while I am out. I was looking forward all week to The Ashes special. I went to watch it tonight and you’ve changed the bloody channel back to 9 from 90.
Sam Newman is happy to hang poop on channel 7 but how about you get your own house in order and remember who the customer is.
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im not happy , i bought a 55 inch LED samsung just last year and now i have to watch channel 7 & 9 but in Standard Definition – Its not right , why did i buy such an expensive tv just to have standard definiton , come on channel 7 & 9 bring back 70 & 90 channels ,
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this it bullshit … i work in tv repair shop .. i feel so sorry for all the people out there that have a hd tv … every customer i chat to is soo angry lol
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What a crock and how absolutely time wasting and annoying. How do I get Gem and Go. I have everything I’m supposed to need.
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do a full re tune
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Hey Disco! The Top Gear Ashes Special is shown again on Sunday night i think at 10:30 – 12:10.. On the normal channel 9 channel. I couldn’t see it in the programming on 9 HD GEM. You may want to start the recording a bit earlier and end a bit later so you don’t miss any of it. ….
On a positive note for GEM at least the NRL grand final is in HD, and live, in Melbourne too.
Shame 7HD has Knightrider on while the SD 7 has AFL Grand Final Live. And the excuse that they don’t have access to HD cameras on Saturday just doesn’t sit with me nor others, when Harvey Norman sell Sony HD Handy-cams over the counter. They would be better than what they will use tomorrow.
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Please no more sport, already it dominates the News when it is not News. Whole channels are set aside for it. Surely, not everyone wants to live their life through the games playing prowess of others. Just not important and the over reaction is just childish.
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I can’t get sound on either Gem or 7mate channels please help? I have an LG HD LCD TV.
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Hi we have recently started getting the channel GEM but when ever we put that channel on we never ever have sound but we do on all other channels can you let us know why that woulod be??? thanks Donna
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There could also be a Standard Definition version of GEM.
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All these new free to air channels are too little too late. With internet streaming, there is no need to watch TV at all anymore. Why bother when you have to put up with all the ads? Plus, one more reality TV show and I’m going to throw my TV out the window.
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Must totally agree with you Nathan, as I too purchased a 3D 55″ Led Samsung, for what now to watch CRAP RE – RUNS of shows we all watched 5-10 yrs ago.
This is a absolute farce !!!.
I wonder if this is why there has been such a push by the retailers, (yes we know who you all are), for the public to all go out and buy the latest gear, and spend lots of money, did they all know this was coming I would love to know.
The programs they are showing apparently in Full HD 1080, do not even fill the whole screen, not to mention the Quality, how can they expect to get something that was made so long ago, to look even half decent.
As for the ALF, what a joke that was too to have to watch it in SD, when they are showing something of CLEAR RUBBISH
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Must totally agree with you Nathan & Peter, as I too purchased a 3D 55″ Led Samsung, for what now to watch CRAP RE – RUNS of shows we all watched 5-10 yrs ago.
This is a absolute farce !!!.
I wonder if this is why there has been such a push by the retailers, (yes we know who you all are), for the public to all go out and buy the latest gear, and spend lots of money, did they all know this was coming ? I would love to know. I certainly hope that people do not go out and spend the bucks like so many of us have already done, I would have been better to keep my 10 yr old 68cm Konka CRT TV.
The programs they are showing apparently in Full HD 1080, do not even fill the whole screen,leaving BLACK BARS either side, not to mention the Quality, how can they expect to get something that was made so long ago, to look even half decent.
Its like telling us all that DVD’s/Blu-Ray’s are rubbish and that we all should go back to VHS Video Tapes.
As for the ALF, what a joke that was too to have to watch it in SD, when they are showing something which is ABSOLUTE CLEAR RUBBISH !!!!.
COME ON CHANNEL 9 & 7 SORT THIS OUT, give us back 90 & 70 and put these so called new channels to SD where they clearly belong.
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The more specialised channels the better!!
Soon enough we wont be needing to spend half of our paycheck on Foxtel (which is just a bunch of re runs)
it beats sitting down on a Sunday afternoon after cleaning the house, only to find that every channel is jam packed with sport or crappy cartoons.
Now, there’s something for everyone.
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Nobody is disputing the need for variety, the problem is a dedicated HD channel showing content that is sometimes lower quality which looks like crap on a HD channel.
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Hi, this is me and my family, our favorite tv channel, everyday,
but we notice with disapointment, that aghata cristie, and Poirot,
is not there anymore and there is nothing else for us to watch,
we do not like sport and not everyday for such long hours on and on,
please can you consider to put back Poirot on wednesdaay, and Agatha Cristie and please, please do not remove fron the program
Midsumer Murder and Murder in Paradise.
Thank you for your attention and please consider my petition.
Mila Mack
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