Quest launching 30th September

Quest – the new channel from Discovery – will finally be launching on Freeview after the initial May 2009 launch was pulled merely minutes before it was due to start broadcasts.

The official Quest website says it’s coming to Freeview this autumn. Discovery have confirmed to Broadcast Now that the channel will launch on the 30th September.

The original launch was delayed because of a “number of commercial factors” – let’s see if this new September launch will go according to plan.

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Discovery Shed has launched

Discovery Shed has replaced Discovery Real Time Extra on Virgin Media channel 274. Discovery Shed broadcasts in widescreen. Discovery Real Time Extra is no longer available on Sky or Virgin Media.

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Quest broadcast hours cut

Quest – the new channel from Discovery – is no longer going to be on air 24 hours a day. According to news website Broadcast, Quest will now be available from 10am to midnight. The midnight to 10am timeslot will be sold off to a third-party. Quest launches on Freeview on the 14th May. At the moment Quest has only be confirmed for launch on Freeview and no other platform.

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Discovery Real Time Extra to become Discovery Shed on 20th March

Discovery Real Time Extra will be removed from all platforms (cable and satellite) to make way for a new channel called Discovery Shed. Discovery Shed will launch on the 20th March and will be available on Virgin TV from launch.

Discovery say the new channel will be “the place for men who like good old practical activities to escape to”. DIY, fishing, motoring, building and adventure will all feature on Discovery Shed.

It’s thought Discovery Shed will keep the same channel number as Discovery Real Time Extra – channel 274.

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Quest to launch on 14th May

Quest (the new channel from Discovery) will launch on the 14th May at 10am. The channel will be available on Freeview channel 47 and will air the best of its entertainment, lifestyle and factual programmes from other Discovery channels. Quest is exclusive to Freeview at the moment, but this may change as they are in talks with other platforms (such as Virgin Media) to get the channel added there. A basic official website is now available at www.questtv.co.uk.

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New channel Quest added and Price-Drop TV removed

The new channel from Discovery called Quest now has a placeholder on the Freeview EPG at channel 47. It’s not known yet what date Quest will start broadcasting from as the programme information just says “coming soon”. The channel may not stay at channel 47 but this is to be confirmed at a later date.

Also, Price-Drop TV (which used to be on channel 24) has been removed from Freeview. Price-Drop TV’s owners Sit-Up were outbid on one of its channel slots earlier this year and decided to remove Price-Drop TV from the Freeview platform (it continues to broadcast on cable and Sky).

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Channel name changes

Virgin Media has renamed some of the channels on the EPG – Discovery Travel & Living is now named Travel & Living (on channel 273), Discovery Home & Health is now named Home & Health (on channel 275) and Fun Radio has become FUN Kids (on channel 926). History Channel was also renamed recently to History, as was the +1 version of the channel.

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Discovery wins new Freeview slot

Discovery has won the new slot on the Freeview platform. The channel is not yet named but it will likely be a completely new channel and Variety.com are reporting it “will not be branded as a Discovery entity”. Discovery has bought the new Freeview slot from SDN for an undisclosed sum.

Variety.com also report Dan Brooke from Discovery Networks has said the new Freeview channel will be “based on the Discovery library encompassing history, factual, lifestyle and entertainment, alongside third-party acquisitions, but declined to say precisely which demographic it would be aimed at”. The new Discovery channel should be launching on Freeview in early 2009.

Click here to read the Variety article.

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