The new channel, to be launched in the run up to Christmas, will cash in on the demand for young audiences to watch reality TV, spin-offs and entertainment shows.
ITV launched ITV2, with ITV3 on the way, Channel 4 has E4, and Flextech bosses felt it was the natural progression for the cable and satellite channel Living TV, which it plans to turn into the UK's sixth channel.
Like E4 is to Channel 4, Living TV 2 will stream Living TV's live event programming as well as gaining its own exclusive acquisitions. Living TV is already running exclusive shows, such as the hyped US lesbian drama 'The L Word'.
Living TV already has an impressive line-up of reality formats including: US plastic surgery makeover shows, 'The Swan' and 'Extreme Makeovers'; 'Queer Eye for the Straight Guy'; as well as homegrown reality TV series 'Famous and Frightened' featuring IT girl Tamara Beckwith and camp 'The Salon' star Ricardo among others.
Richard Woolfe, Living TV director of programmes, said: "We've made such an investment in high-quality programmes we haven't got enough room on one channel to place them all."
The proposed launch date is set for December 13 and, initially, the channel will run from 9am to midnight.
Living TV is one of the fastest-growing top five cable and satellite channels in the UK. From January to July, the channel was up 46% on the target audience of 16- to 44-year-old women.
In comparison, Sky One was down 24%, UK Gold was down 7%, and E4 down 4%. ITV2 is the only cable and satellite channel other than Living TV to also see a year-on-year increase and this is purely driven by the increase in Freeview homes.
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