The "i" infomercial network will die a slow lingering death....

[RadioFanBoy]

....but it will die by the end of the year. And we can all sing "Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead". In it's place (very very hopefully) will be a FULL-TIME network of Independent TV stations with a mix of classic TV, original shows, sports and perhaps a bit of news programming. The powers that be at "i" have chosen a very slow roll-out to wipe away what is left of the old PAX network. Better movies than the cheapo disaster flicks has been a good start Here is the next phase:

The current schedule: Shop Till You Drop; Family Fued; Sue Thomas F.B. Eye; Doc; Diagnosis Muder; will continue for two more weeks.

On August 14th, the current E/I shows, Talented Kids and Miracle Pets will alternate with Bonaza from 6-7pm.

Back to back episodes of Green Acres will air from 7-8pm

Back to back episodes of Mama's Family will air from 8-9pm

Doc will continue to air from 9-10pm as will Diagnosis Muder from 10-11pm.

Sue Thomas F.B. Eye will roll back to once a week on Sundays from 6-7pm (Unless of course the Sunday Movie Double Feature starts at 6 or 6:30pm)

In mid-september, regular programming will begin at 3pm with the two hour, shows yet to be detemined "Smart Place for Kids" block. Two more hours of yet to be deyermined classic shows will air from 5-7pm (smart money is actually on two westerns; Mavrick and a 5 day a week run of Bonanza)

October should see an expansion of both weekday AND weekend programming. CSTV has indicated they will have Football Saturday back for another season.

 

[imhomerjay]

In it's place (very very hopefully) will be a FULL-TIME network of Independent TV stations with a mix of classic TV, original shows, sports and perhaps a bit of news programming.

Little to no chance of that happening. A handful of stations have made it work, but the investment is too great with too little chance for it to work in today's landscape. More likely they become brokered, all local infomercials, religious, etc....or they flat-out go dark.

 

[MikeSFNM]

Televisa, blocked in its efforts to buy Univision, has been talking to the I network. We shall see. They already have stations in place; what they need is successful programming.

 

[MarcB]

I just knew that their Press Release was nothing but a bunch of B.S. In fact I believe I even stated that somewhere.

 

[azumanga]

I just knew that their Press Release was nothing but a bunch of B.S. In fact I believe I even stated that somewhere.

Were you talking about the recent deals with Warners and Sony? If so, I have a feeling that the classic shows would be used only for the digital Pax/i service, while those with analog and cable are stuck with the mostly-infomercial version.

 

[Markxxx]

In Chicago WWME Channel 23 air Green Acres at 8am M-F and at 7pm on Saturday. I wonder if they will lose the rights to that show or will it be on both Channel 23 and the "I" affiliate WCPX Channel 38?

Anyone know how that works?

 

[BRNout]

Televisa, blocked in its efforts to buy Univision, has been talking to the I network. We shall see. They already have stations in place; what they need is successful programming.

What, a fifth Spanish language network? Oh, that's just what we all need! With a foreign owner no less.

Personally, I'd rather see them all go dark. Enough is enough. Even if 2 million English speakers lived in Mexico, the gov't there would never permit a national network in English. Perhaps they truly are smarter than we are.

Yet, here we may have more OTA stations bradcasting in Spanish than the viewers used to get in their home countries.

 

[MarcB]

That's an interesting situation. I know some shows air on both Cable and Broadcast Networks. Examples: The Nanny airs on local stations including MY TV 9 in New Haven and MY 9 in New York, but also airs on the Lifetime Cable Network. Roseanne airs on local stations including CW 20 in Hartford and on cable networks Nick-At-Nite and Oxygen.

In Chicago WWME Channel 23 air Green Acres at 8am M-F and at 7pm on Saturday. I wonder if they will lose the rights to that show or will it be on both Channel 23 and the "I" affiliate WCPX Channel 38?

Anyone know how that works?

 

[azumanga]

Televisa, blocked in its efforts to buy Univision, has been talking to the I network.

What, a fifth Spanish language network?

Try seventh -- and that's not counting the religious or music video channels. There are already six:

Univision
Telefutura
Telemundo
Azteca America
Multimedios
Lat TV

 

[desertv]

All with the same busty blonde chicas, bizarre gameshows, futbol, and middle-aged men dressed up like 7-year-olds.

 

[easttxtv]

I thought the reason Televisa didn't get control of Univision was because, among other things, Televisa's foreign owner would be prevented by US law to have majority ownership (even with the presence of other investors/private equity firms). Televisa still holds a contract with Univision to provide programs to them well into the next decade...would seem anti-competitive to have their own stations and still be providing content to Univision. And Televisa's US operation would still have to have majority-domestic ownership to be allowed by the FCC.

 

[Markxxx]

That's an interesting situation. I know some shows air on both Cable and Broadcast Networks. Examples: The Nanny airs on local stations including MY TV 9 in New Haven and MY 9 in New York, but also airs on the Lifetime Cable Network. Roseanne airs on local stations including CW 20 in Hartford and on cable networks Nick-At-Nite and Oxygen.

In Chicago WWME Channel 23 air Green Acres at 8am M-F and at 7pm on Saturday. I wonder if they will lose the rights to that show or will it be on both Channel 23 and the "I" affiliate WCPX Channel 38?

Anyone know how that works?

I understand it from the point of a cable network and an OTA having the same programs, that is common. Or two OTA stations in different markets, but this will be the same program in the same market brodcasting on two different channels or will it?

 

[jegrant]

Televisa maybe could start by providing some Spanish-language "E/I" programming. The i subchannel "Smart Place for Kids" will provide E/I programming to Telemundo eventually, and I think they do intend to run some shows on their 24/7 net and their VOD package "en Español" as well.

But really what they could do, IMO, is take out a long-term lease of a digital subchannel on i stations across the country to provide a new "Televisa America" service. Whether they have enough programming that isn't locked in for Univision to make a new service successful, I don't know. That is certainly open to interpretation. Televisa certainly seems to be trying to find a way to cancel that 25 year agreement to supply Univision.