I feel like I keep having to make this point but the reason for the channel existing is there in the first post of this thread:
Quote:
Paramount Network president Kevin Kay told Broadcast earlier this year that it will be a home to “premium” entertainment formats and “HBO-quality” drama and comedy.
While Paramount Channel UK will not initially air these big budget dramas, it is understood that the long-term plan is to share programming with the US network and eventually commission its own scripted originals and co-produce with the US channel.
Trouble is the channel looks about as premium as a closing down sale at Poundworld - they're trying to pitch it as Sky Atlantic but it's more Sky 2. Really do think they'd have been best off launching it as a film channel and then reduce other channels reliance on films as much by using some of the drama they've put on Paramount to fill their schedules.
Let's make this clear: Spike has been replaced in the US not because Paramount wanted to get rid of the Spike brand, but particularly because it's very hard to launch a new channel on a new frequency in the US, particularly because of the competitive nature of US TV and the fact it's hard to make agreements with hundreds of different cable operators (a situation totally unlike the UK one), so that American companies find it easier to relaunch the least performing channel
Replacing (5)Spike was never the plan in the UK: au contraire, we've seen Spike channels popping up in Europe, like in Italy (on DTT) , Benelux and Russia
As for Paramount Channel Italy: it's movies, some US dramas and some US sitcoms
