TV Channels that never left their embryonal stage

themidnightlore

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Today I was reading on another forum a thread about anime in TV in UK and I've read that Sony in 2007 had plans to launch Animax here but ultimately failed.
So, do you know about more cases of channels that were announced or hinted and never came for a reason or another?

I'll start here with some Italian examples.
- Even Italy could have gotten Animax, as Sony did test the waters with an anime block on our AXN in 2006. It went nowhere.
- Fox was thinking to launch an Italian version of 24Kitchen. Never happened.
- Reading this article, Sundance Channel would have launched on the Italian DTT in 2010. Of course, you got the drill, this didn't happen.
Talking of this, in 2009, on one of the DTT muxes, it did appear a test channel with a card with Rainbow Media (The old name of AMC Networks), Sundance Channel, IFC and WEtv's logos on it. Maybe the things were connected.
 

RegularCapital

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There are a few channels I can think of from the top of my head that failed to launch for whatever reason:

CBM: CBM was supposed to launch on Freeview in the UK back in 2003. It was supposed to air a simulcast on Bloomberg, non-major sports and independent movies. Turner Classic Movies was originally going to launch of Freeview on the same channel number but the slot went to CBM instead. CBM had some organisation issues launching, so the slot was taken up by Ideal World instead.

INK (ITV Nickelodeon Kids): This was supposed to be a joint venture with ITV and Nickelodeon, but there was disagreements on how the channel would be run, there were also talks with Disney as well. ITV decided to go it alone with their own CITV channel.

Jetix (Portugal): Jetix in Portugal should've launched, it even had an Ofcom licence, therefore it had the legal clearance to actually broadcast but it never happened. Fox Kids/Jetix focused more on localisation than most International kids channels and Portugal was pretty much the only one country in Western Europe where it didn't broadcast. Instead of a channel, there were plans for a programming block.
 
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Red Arrow

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In 2007, there were plans to launch a Flemish Jetix in spring 2008. Pokemon and Totally Spies would be dubbed into Netherlandic Dutch, everything else would get a new Flemish dub.

This somehow still happened with the launch of the boy's channel Kadet (2015-2018), managed by Daan van Leeuwen, who used to be programme director for Fox Kids / Jetix Europe. However, they mostly used Netherlandic dubs.
 

AdrenalineRush1996

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Jetix (Portugal): Jetix in Portugal should of launched, it even had an Ofcom licence, therefore it had the legal clearance to actually broadcast but it never happened. Fox Kids/Jetix focused more on localisation than most International kids channels and Portugal was pretty much the only one country in Western Europe where it didn't broadcast. Instead of a channel, there were plans for a programming block.
It sorta happened in form of Panda Biggs (now Biggs) and SIC K.
 

AdrenalineRush1996

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There were plans for a co-branded NBC/Sky news channel called NBC Sky World News from Comcast, which was set to launch last summer.
However, the pandemic ultimately nixed said plans.
 

RegularCapital

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There were plans for a co-branded NBC/Sky news channel called NBC Sky World News from Comcast, which was set to launch last summer.
However, the pandemic ultimately nixed said plans.
At least they didn't rule out revisiting the idea to launch NBC Sky World News.
 

harry580

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Cartoon Network canada was going to be teletoon kapow and nick Canada was going to be ytv oneworld but the ytv and teletoon branded spin offs channels idea was scrapped when Corus got the rights for nickelodeon and Cartoon Network brand in Canada
 

themidnightlore

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Cartoon Network canada was going to be teletoon kapow and nick Canada was going to be ytv oneworld but the ytv and teletoon branded spin offs channels idea was scrapped when Corus got the rights for nickelodeon and Cartoon Network brand in Canada
I don't know, but this makes me smile.

Also, kinda off topic but I'm curious.
AXN Spin. Yeah, it exists and it's still around. My curiosity sits on one piece of trivia (I think) that I heard but I never got a confirmation over it. I heard that when it was launched it had to be an "European" version of Sony Spin. Of course this is not true anymore, but back in 2012?
 

harry580

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kidsco was going to launch in France, Italy, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, United Kingdom and the United States but never happened because the channel co owner dic was bought by cookie jar and NBCUniversal bought out of sprout stake
 

Moleoman

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kidsco was going to launch in France, Italy, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, United Kingdom and the United States but never happened because the channel co owner dic was bought by cookie jar and NBCUniversal bought out of sprout stake
Actually, KidsCo's Western European feed launched in Germany (in October 2008), Belgium and France - here's a promo for proof it existed:
I agree that the channel failed to launch in Italy and the United States; however, I doubt DIC's acquisiton by Cookie Jar (the latter still owned shares in KidsCo until 2012) and Sprout by NBCUniversal (by the way NBCUniversal owned shares in KidsCo through Sparrowhawk Media) had a hand in this. I think the channel didn't launch in those countries due to complicated rights' issue to various shows in KidsCo library in those countries (especially the latter, where the closest US had to the channel was soon to be shut down Qubo).

For the United Kingdom, KidsCo failed to launch due to high channel launch costs and popularity of other children channels in the country - as written in C21 Media:
Earlier this month, KidsCo MD Paul Robinson said he planned to launch a UK channel feed but high costs and the strength of established kids’ networks meant the move was not yet viable. The UK has more than 30 kids’ channels.

Also, believe it or not - there were plans to launch Disney Cinemagic in Poland:
 

themidnightlore

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Actually, KidsCo's Western European feed launched in Germany (in October 2008), Belgium and France - here's a promo for proof it existed:
I agree that the channel failed to launch in Italy and the United States; however, I doubt DIC's acquisiton by Cookie Jar (the latter still owned shares in KidsCo until 2012) and Sprout by NBCUniversal (by the way NBCUniversal owned shares in KidsCo through Sparrowhawk Media) had a hand in this. I think the channel didn't launch in those countries due to complicated rights' issue to various shows in KidsCo library in those countries (especially the latter, where the closest US had to the channel was soon to be shut down Qubo).

For the United Kingdom, KidsCo failed to launch due to high channel launch costs and popularity of other children channels in the country - as written in C21 Media:


Also, believe it or not - there were plans to launch Disney Cinemagic in Poland:
Interesting. I guess Italy is cursed or something, because KidsCo is the fourth channel I head that planned to be launched in Italy but it didn't happen.
 

PinkieLopBun

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In the late 1970s/early 1980s, there were plans for a channel in Canada from Rogers Cable called Galaxy. Not much info on it is available, including why it never came to fruition. Discussion of it starts at 33:07:
 

harry580

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I agree that the channel failed to launch in Italy and the United States; however, I doubt DIC's acquisiton by Cookie Jar (the latter still owned shares in KidsCo until 2012) and Sprout by NBCUniversal (by the way NBCUniversal owned shares in KidsCo through Sparrowhawk Media) had a hand in this. I think the channel didn't launch in those countries due to complicated rights' issue to various shows in KidsCo library in those countries (especially the latter, where the closest US had to the channel was soon to be shut down Qubo).
I wonder if kidsco was to air in the usa, I wonder it could get rebranded as universal kids, and sprout as universal junior

and also animax was going to launch in North America Animax could be available in North America soon.
 
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themidnightlore

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harry580

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the page also mentions that there's was plans to launch axn and Sony Entertainment Television in the North America
 

themidnightlore

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the page also mentions that there's was plans to launch axn and Sony Entertainment Television in the North America
The fact that this could have happened but it all went poof is sad. All the USA has Sony branded are two (minor) movie channels.
(The triad of AXN - Animax - Sony Entertainment Television ended to happen in Spain, Portugal (but Animax and SET just closed fast-ish), Germany (where Animax lasted actually long and still kinda lives as a VOD service) and India (...kinda a given, but AXN and Animax are dead now). Ah, Latin America too, but we all know what happened to Animax here.)
 

AdrenalineRush1996

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Let's count how many countries could have gotten Animax and then nothing happened:
- UK
- Italy
- USA and Canada
- Poland? (It never had Animax, oddly enough)
To be fair, Animax did arrive in the UK, though in form of a streaming service and a block on Sony Movie Channel, which originated on Scuzz in 2013 before it was phased out in 2018 when Sony replaced it with the UK version of Funimation.
 

themidnightlore

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To be fair, Animax did arrive in the UK, though in form of a streaming service and a block on Sony Movie Channel, which originated on Scuzz in 2013 before it was phased out in 2018 when Sony replaced it with the UK version of Funimation.
Oh, then something happened. Just not a linear channel. I think I did hear of the Animax block on SMC, if I'm not mistaken.
 

AdrenalineRush1996

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Since UKTV were originally going to be BBC branded cable/satellite TV channels, there were plans for a BBC Sport channel, a BBC Radio 1 TV channel and a BBC Catch-Up channel.
 

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