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Linda Moss
Moviewatch has postponed its own premiere.
The upstart cable network about movies was slated to launch late this year. Now it looks like it won't see the light of day until mid-2002, as executives prepare a rather ambitious slate of original programming.
?We're going to get it right before we go on the air,? Moviewatch president Rod Perth says, adding that the network's initial launch date was tentative. The delay, he says, ?is part of a terrific development process and getting the development right.?
Perth, a programming veteran of USA Network and Jim Henson Television Group, was recruited last September to head up Moviewatch, which is owned by Hubbard Media Group. And he says he needs some time to develop the four to five hours a day of original material that will air on Moviewatch, programming that he says will quickly distinguish it from the barker channels that just run streams of promotional clips.
Moviewatch's need to create an original-programming slate is not the typical reason for a would-be network to delay its debut. Most would-be channels say they are waiting for more digital boxes to be deployed before they roll out ? or simply that they can't drum up financing.
Moviewatch is also in the process of hatching its distribution strategy, as it's looking for carriage in a period when channel space might be tighter than ever. The wannabe channel also recently hired a creative consultant, K2Creative, to help develop its branding and programming. All these factors have contributed to the delay of the network's launch date.
Perth notes that Moviewatch's original business plan has evolved and adds that he has ?had a great deal to do with refining that plan.?
Moviewatch's strategy is to cover all aspects of movies and help consumers make more informed choices about feature films, particularly those being offered on premium channels and pay-per-view, which is meant to help distributors hawking those services to subscribers. And original programming will play a role in that.
?It is a 24-hour network,? Perth says. ?It is most importantly entertaining but also informational towards the movies that are available to people. The goal of the network is to become the ultimate destination for people who love movies. There is so much choice it's confusing.?
The network's concept is to help viewers decide which movies they want to see immediately.
?So in the end, this network has tremendous benefit to the cable and satellite operators,? Perth says, easing into his sales pitch.
Not all cable operators are convinced. Bob Gessner, president of Massillon Cable, a 45,000-subscriber system in Ohio, says there are already enough TV outlets covering the movie industry, including E! Entertainment Television and various syndicated series.
?There are so many doing this already,? Gessner says, adding that one network dedicated to movies, The Popcorn Channel, failed years ago.
Those kinds of odds don't deter Moviewatch officials, though. The channel will be doing from eight to ten pilots, according to Perth, and has already started preproduction on one. That hourlong program, now called Dailies, will air in prime time Monday through Friday.
?It's a Today Show in prime time that's all about movies,? Perth says. ?And there will be a huge emphasis on movies people have missed that are on pay-per-view.?
The other shows Moviewatch plans to do include its own version of MTV's Real World, a reality show about struggling actors living in the same Hollywood house. Moviewatch may also have a game-show block, a movie-trivia program and its own take on biographies, according to Perth.
Moviewatch is also seeking to line up carriage commitments, which is a time-consuming process. The network's owner, Hubbard Media, is part of Hubbard Broadcasting. It was formed after Hubbard sold U.S. Satellite Broadcasting to DirecTV, and as part of that deal DirecTV was obligated to take a look at new Hubbard programming services.
Moviewatch president Rod Perth doesn't worry about a launch delay. ?We're going to get it right before we go on the air,? he says.
Perth says he expects Moviewatch to have 12 million DirecTV subscribers, and he is pitching cable operators. DirecTV declined to comment.
Launching a cable network in today's environment is a Herculean challenge at best.
But Perth remains optimistic. Of all his past endeavors, he says, ?this is by far the one with the greatest upside.?
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