Trouble (TV channel)

Trouble

Trouble logo
Launched 3 February 1997
Closed 1 April 2009
Owned by Virgin Media Television
Picture format 16:9, 576i (SDTV)
Website www.trouble.co.uk
Availability
(at time of closure)
Satellite
Sky Digital Channel 172
Cable
Virgin Media Channel 159
UPC Ireland Channel 622 (ex-Chorus only)

Trouble was a free-to air television channel operating in the United Kingdom and Ireland that was owned and operated by Virgin Media Television. It fully replaced sister channel The Children's Channel serving Northern Europe on 4 April 1998, prior to the start of Sky Digital.

Trouble had a key demographic of young adults and teenagers, aged between 15 and 24. The channel aired primarily American and Australian imports, with only a small margin of programmes being British. A website was launched called Trouble Homegrown that showcased British programmes.

Trouble's 1-hour timeshift channel named Trouble +1 (formerly Trouble Reload) closed on 5 February 2009 to make way for the launch of Living2 +1.[1]

History

Origins

The idea of Trouble was originally influenced by the now-defunct Northern European television channel The Children's Channel's late afternoon scheduling for teen audiences, branded "TCC". When Bravo was revamped in 1997 to become a channel targeting a male audience (marketed as "an altered species of television"), The Children's Channel started airing only during the evenings and nights, with Trouble occupying its channel space during the day. It then closed down British and Irish operations on 3 April 1998, leaving Trouble to expand as a full 24-hour channel, targeting teenagers and young adults. Its programming consisted more of popular sitcoms, rather than the cartoons The Children's Channel originally aired.

Shift from teen shows to family-oriented sitcoms

By 2003, Trouble had begun shifting its focus from teen shows in its early days to family-oriented sitcoms such as My Wife and Kids, One On One, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, That '70s Show and Grounded for Life.

Post-WB/UPN merger

After The WB merged with UPN in 2006, its main programming sources dried up, causing the channel ratings to decline. In turn, Trouble attempted to add new programmes including first run episodes of How I Met Your Mother and Kyle XY and classic comedies including The Cosby Show and Desmond’s but failed to address the decline of Virgin/Bravo team group.

Closure and replacement by Living +2

On 17 March 2009, Virgin Media Television indicated it would close Trouble and replace it with a version of Living.[2] The closure was blamed on declining viewing figures and that it was part of an operational review at Virgin Media Television (which included budget cuts at Challenge TV), which saw them being sold to BSkyB, Bravo and Virgin 1 (by then renamed Channel One), closed later after the Virgin sale.

It was then revealed that Trouble would close in April 2009 and would be replaced by Living +2 (since replaced by Living Loves). Trouble aired the voice over announcing about the last night before it ceased broadcasting on 1 April 2009 at 1.00am with the two-hour timeshift version of Living launching at 7am on the same day.

Programmes

References

  1. ↑ "Trouble timeshift axed for more Living2". Digital Spy. 2009-02-03.
  2. ↑ Virgin Media to axe Trouble channel

External links

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