The channel launches in the first quarter of 2004 and will target 25- to 44-year-old men. Other UK premiers will include 'The Man Show' while repeats to be featured will also include 'NYPD Blues'.
The channel will be headed by Jason Thorp, vice-president of broadcasting and marketing, who joined last month from Sci Fi Channel where he was director of programming.
The news quashes speculation that the News Corporation-owned Fox was set to launch an entertainment channel that would eat into Sky One's audience and be filled with Fox programming, such as 'The Simpsons', which Sky One relies upon heavily.
In the UK, Sky One has a stronghold on US TV premieres, and was the first to broadcast hit Fox shows such as 'Angel', 'Malcolm in the Middle', 'King of the Hill' and the now defunct 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer', which are all popular with male audiences.
According to Thorp: "We have been studying the UK market for quite some time and we have discovered that despite the desire of the marketing industry to segment the male audience, the reality is that the majority of men aged 25 to 44 fit into a broad category that we have called 'Adultman'."
The HBO series 'The Mind of the Married Man', starring stand up comedian Mike Binder takes an amusing look at the challenges of modern-day marriage from a decidedly male perspective. It is set in a Chicago newspaper, and gives a husband's honest look at love, life and sex in a modern marriage.
Another premier, 'Lucky', which is being produced by Castle Rock Entertainment for FX Networks, is a dark comedy that focuses on the adventures of recovering gambling addict Michael 'Lucky' Linkletter, played by Aidan's 'Sex and the City' and 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding Star' John Corbett.
Comedy Central's 'The Man Show' is described by Fox as a brazenly chauvinistic, comedic celebration of all things male, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Carolla.
The show is Comedy Central's highest rating show -- second only to 'South Park'.
If you have an opinion on this or any other issue raised on Brand Republic, join the debate in the .
.jpg)
.jpg)