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Foxtel and Austar dump Ovation channel for SBS tie up

Foxtel and Austar have dumped pay TV arts channel Ovation, after signing a deal with SBS to launch a new arts and entertainment channel next year.  

The channel, which is yet-to-be named, will go to air in the first half of next year.

An SBS spokeswoman said the new pay-TV channel would in no way be taxpayer funded, but will be operated by SBS’s wholly owned subsidiary, Multilingual Subscriber Television Limited, which owns PAN TV, operator of the World Movie Channel.

The new arts channel will include exclusive broadcasts of major arts events from Australia and around the world; international arts content; original commissioned programming; and information and reviews about performances and events throughout the country.

Shaun Brown, SBS managing director, said: “SBS will utilise its expertise in collating the best local and international content to deliver a channel that will be the premier on-air destination for arts and entertainment programming, news, events and debate.”

The SBS spokeswoman added that the new pay TV channel would have no implications on its plans to launch its third digital channel, SBS3, which is likely to occur closer to digital switchover in 2013. The spokeswoman said that SBS3 would likely be “more acquired, in-language and sub-titled content”.

It is not clear at this stage what the independent pay TV channel Ovation is planning for the future, but it believed to be in talks with internet-supplied TV platforms such as Fetch TV and Telstra.

Ovation was not available for comment at the time this story was posted.

Update:

Ovation managing director Gerry Travers told Mumbrella that it has been inundated with audience feedback, upset by Foxtel and Austar’s decision to drop the channel. “We’d like to think that due to the amount of people being upset, possibly Foxtel could reconsider its position.”

“SBS seem to be saying they want to attract a younger audience and more male viewers. What we’ve been particularly good at is getting a 40-plus audience which is female skewed. We think there’s probably room for both channels,” he said.

However, he added that it had not been contacted by Foxtel following today’s announcement.

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