Living (UK TV channel)

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Living
Launched	1 September 1993
Owned by	Virgin Media Television
Picture format	16:9, 576i (SDTV)
Audience share	0.6% (0.4% for +1) (June 2008, [1])
Formerly called	UK Living (until 1997) Living TV (until 2004) LIVINGtv (until 2007)
Sister channel(s)	Living2 Living2 +1
Timeshift service	Living+1
Website	www.livingtv.co.uk
Availability
Terrestrial
Top Up TV	Via Top Up TV Anytime
Satellite
Sky Digital	Channel 112 Channel 113 (+1)
Cable
Virgin Media	Channel 110 Channel 111 (+1)
NTL Ireland	Channel 124 Channel 125 (+1)
WightCable	Channel 40/113

Living is a British television channel owned by Virgin Media Television. Originally launched as UK Living in 1993, the channel changed its name to Living in 1997, to dissassociate itself from the UKTV network that launched that year, later becoming LivingTV and in 2004 adopted LIVINGtv. The channel's programming is aimed mainly at women and families^{[citation needed]} but is increasing its reach in a bid to become "the 6th Channel". With new shows such as CSI, Close to Home and Boston Legal, the channel is now broadening its audience reach to a wider range of demographics including men aged 18-45.

The most watched shows on Living are Ghost Whisperer, America's Next Top Model, Grey's Anatomy and Most Haunted Live.

The channel also airs Yvette Fielding's Most Haunted, in which Fielding and medium David Wells investigate supposedly haunted locations in the UK. The show has brought some of the channel's biggest ratings to date.

In 2001, Living helped to launch a whole new genre of paranormal programming with such shows as Crossing Over with John Edward, 6ixth Sense with Colin Fry, Scream Team, Jane Goldman Investigates, Dead Famous, I'm Famous and Frightened! and Most Haunted, which continues to be a ratings winner.

Living has also launched a number of successful US television shows in the UK market. Past successes include Charmed, Will & Grace, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Miss Match, Joan of Arcadia, CSI, and Just Shoot Me!. At present the channel currently has first run UK rights to Boston Legal, Criminal Minds, Grey's Anatomy, Ghost Whisperer, The L Word, Men In Trees and the Australian comedy Kath and Kim. In 2008 the channel will also be debuting the first seasons of Army Wives, Lipstick Jungle, and Viva Laughlin.

Brian Dowling was put forward as one of the public figures to represent Living - by presenting programming including Celebrity Extra, Trolley Dollies, and a spin-off to I'm Famous and Frightened!. However in recent years, Brian has been mostly absent from the channel apart from the occasional Celebrity Extra presenting duties. Instead fellow Big Brother contestant Jade Goody became Living's newest public face, with three different shows devoted to her life, Jades Salon, Just Jade and Jade's P.A but she has recently been dropped due to the racist row on Celebrity Big Brother in January 2007.

To continue the list of Reality TV stars hosting programmes, Jodie Marsh announced that she would be presenting a new programme called Get A Life starting on 1 March 2007. However, Living announced that the show was to be cancelled and discussions got underway as to whether the remaining four episodes would be aired.

Living announced in February 2007 that Abigal Clancy, the runner up Britains Next Top Model (cycle 2) has signed a deal with the channel to make a new reality show with Janice Dickinson as her mentor, on trying to crack America.

Many of Living's original programming are available on demand through Virgin Media and will soon be avaliable on BT Vision.

Living is available in the Republic of Ireland via Sky Digital, NTL Ireland cable^[1], and NTL Digital^[2] but is also available in many other European countries via Satellite. The Irish version of Living has local advertising and have increasingly been trying to appeal more to the Irish, launching a huge billboard ad campaign throughout the country.

Living is broadcast on 11.739 GHz, vertically polarised at 28.2°E. It is encrypted using Videoguard.^[3]

[edit] Programming

Main article: List of programmes broadcast by Living

[edit] Prime time

Sitcoms are in red; dramas are in orange ; reality shows are in purple; movie blocks are in pink; documentaries are in blue.

[edit] Daytime

Living's daytime programming consists currently of American chat shows and a number of old sitcoms and dramas from the archive. The schedule begins at around 7:00 when the teleshopping finishes. The Maury Povich Show is shown a number of times throughout the day along with The Jerry Springer Show, which has been a staple in the daytime strategy of Living for years.

Notable archive programmes which are shown in the afternoon include Bewitched (1964-1972), Charmed (1998-2006), Dharma & Greg (1997-2002), I Dream of Jeannie (1965-1970), and City Hospital (1951-1953). Living has also been known to show other vintage American shows such as Melrose Place, The Golden Girls and The X-Files.

Since its acquisition of the Next Top Model franchise, Living has shown previous cycles of versions from across the English-speaking world every weekday. This includes Australia's Next Top Model, America's Next Top Model, Canada's Next Top Model and Britain's Next Top Model.

Recently Living has shown newer programmes in its daytime schedule. This includes Ghost Whisperer from CBS, Close To Home from CBS and Will & Grace from NBC. There are also a number of lifestyle shows such as RSPCA Animal Rescue from Seven Network, Ready Steady Cook and Can't Cook, Won't Cook from the BBC, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition from ABC and original production Trolley Dollies.

[edit] reLIVINGtv

ReLivingTV is a weekend afternoon block, launched in 2006 on Living originally for a temporary basis. It is a programming block on Sundays, where viewers are able to relive every episode of a certain show and season. It began broadcasting in June for a morning session for viewers after the final season of Charmed ended earlier in the week. Living decided to repeat every episode of the eighth and final series. Since then reLivingtv has done the same with the likes of Jade's Salon, Just Jade, Grey's Anatomy, Boston Legal and The WB's Summerland. Although for most shows it continues on for a numerous amount of weeks until they are finished broadcasting that specific show or season, they have also started broadcasting films to break their gaps.

reLIVINGtv, is on most Sundays starting at around 3:00 pm and has no specific ending time.

[edit] Tiny Living

Tiny Living was the name of the children's programming block on Living which broadcast in the morning between 7:00 and 10:00. It began broadcasting on October 27, 1997 and ceased after the rebranding of Living in 2006. Most of the programming originated from sister station TCC (The Children's Channel) which was also owned by the Flextech Network. Shows were aimed at under seven's and included the likes of Barney and Friends, Hi-5, Rosie and Jim and Wizadora.

[edit] Living on Demand

Living along with the BBC, Channel 4, HBO and Bravo has an on demand service which is available on cable via Virgin Media. It offers access to a number of shows which viewers may of missed first time around. It also allows a whole series catch-up of particular original programming such as Most Haunted and Dirty Dancing: The Time Of Your Life. The shows are available for free.

Certain programmes from the channel are also accessible to Freeview viewers who use Top Up TV Anytime.

On demand content from Living was added to BT Vision's library on 15 January 2009. 38 hours of programming from six of the channel's shows; Extreme: Skinny Celebrities, Dirty Dancing, Living with the Cheeky Girls, Ibiza 2008 and Most Haunted were available from launch. Subscribers to BT Vision taking the TV and Value Packs will be able to access the content with no additional cost; others will be able to view it on a pay per view basis with prices starting at 77p.^[4]

[edit] Logos

Logo used for LIVINGtv between 2004 and 2007

The current representation of Living on the air since February 2007

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• List of British television channels

[edit] External links

• Living at virginmedia.com
• Digital Spy - Cancellations
• Living presentation at TV Room