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Webb said that the channel, which is scheduled to launch this autumn, "will have a slight male skew".

He added: "This will be reflected in our advertising targets. Cars like BMW and Audi would be the type of advertising we would like to attract."

Virgin's sales house, IDS, has been presenting details of the channel to agencies over the past few weeks.

Webb said Freeview was "a platform with a real gap for male viewing" because of the small amount of sports content and wealth of female-skewed dramas on channels such as E4.

Webb said: "There is a scarcity of great content for men in a Freeview household. This gap will be answered by Virgin 1."

The channel will also feature programmes that attract both men and women, and will target a 25 to 54 age range, although Webb said that the tone would be youthful and aspirational.

Virgin is pinning its hopes on Virgin 1 as a way to attract and retain customers following its loss of Sky channels, including Sky One, because of an ongoing row with BSkyB.

However, Virgin has yet to announce any significant details about content on the channel. The US drama series, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, inspired by the Terminator movie franchise, will be one of the headliners of the channel.

Home-grown content, The Leo Holding Project, from Ginger Productions, is another deal brokered by the channel.

Webb said that this series, which tells the story of a young Richard Branson-esque character, has attracted the most interest from advertisers so far.

He also revealed that Virgin 1's website, www.virgin1.co.uk, will launch as part of the Virgin Media site at the same time as the channel.

Webb said: "We want the site to launch with the channel, so all parts of the Virgin 1 brand run seamlessly together."

He added that he hoped the site would take on a life of its own that will feed back into the channel.

Commercial partnerships for the site have been formed and will be announced within six weeks.