Film24 was a British production company and television channel, available on Sky channel 157.

The channel averaged around 170,000 viewers a week, for the first five months of 2010, before the channel entered liquidation, it averaged 800,000.

History

In the latter half of 2009, Film24 brought in a new programming strategy, focusing on acquiring programmes. This new direction saw an increase in celebrity programming, demonstrating the Hollywood lifestyle, and reality television shows. Comedy programming also became a prime-time acquisition, with The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman

The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman

The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman is an American comedy television series from World of Wonder Productions, co-written, executive produced by and starring Laura Kightlinger. The series premiered on IFC August 4, 2006...

, Hopeless Pictures

Hopeless Pictures

Hopeless Pictures is an American animated comedy series starring the voice of Friends actress Lisa Kudrow, Seinfeld guest actor Bob Balaban, and produced and broadcast by the IFC. The cartoon follows fictional film producer Mel Wax, voiced by Michael McKean, in a spoof of the Hollywood movie industry...

, Sordid Lives: The Series

Sordid Lives: The Series

Sordid Lives: The Series is an American television series created, written, and directed by Del Shores and acts as a prequel to 2000 film Sordid Lives, also by Shores, self-described as a "Black comedy about white trash"...

and The King of Miami

The King of Miami

The King of Miami is a reality comedy TV show that tracks the adventures of comedian Dave Hill as he tries to establish himself as a big-name celebrity in Miami, Florida...

all premiering and exclusively showing in the UK on Film24. It completed several major acquisitions deals with a number of UK and International Broadcasters and producers.

Film24 also showed awards shows, with the 43rd Country Music Association Awards

Country Music Association Awards

The Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards, or the CMAs, and not to be confused with the ACM Awards, are voted on by business members of the Country Music Association. The first CMA awards were presented at an untelevised ceremony in Nashville's Municipal Auditorium in 1967...

 airing in 2009, and the Screen Actors Guild Awards

Screen Actors Guild Awards

A Screen Actors Guild Award is an accolade given by the Screen Actors Guild to recognize outstanding performances by its members. The statuette given, a nude male figure holding both a mask of comedy and a mask of tragedy, is called "The Actor"...

 and the Independent Spirit Awards

Independent Spirit Awards

The Independent Spirit Awards , founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glass pyramids containing suspended shoestrings representing the paltry budgets of independent films. In 1986, the event was renamed the Independent Spirit...

 airing in 2010. The Screen Actors Guild Awards

Screen Actors Guild Awards

A Screen Actors Guild Award is an accolade given by the Screen Actors Guild to recognize outstanding performances by its members. The statuette given, a nude male figure holding both a mask of comedy and a mask of tragedy, is called "The Actor"...

 were transmitted live in the UK.

In September 2009, Film24 commissioned Starstruck Media to relaunch flagship programme Film Xtra

Film Xtra

Film Xtra is a film review programme broadcast on the UK channel Film 24. It features film news and reviews, DVD release information and backstage interviews and features.The programme airs weekly on the channel....

. Originally, thirteen 15 minute programmes were agreed, but the programme was soon made into a half hour feature, and continued to look at new cinema releases, home entertainment releases, and news from the world of film. The programme is presented by former CBBC

CBBC

CBBC is one of two brand names used for the BBC's children's television strands. Between 1985 and 2002, CBBC was the name given to all the BBC's programmes on TV for children aged under 14...

 and Top of the Pops

Top of the Pops

Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...

 presenter, Adrian Dickson

Adrian Dickson

Adrian Dickson is a South-African born British television and radio host.He began his career after graduating from a Broadcast Journalism university degree course. His first television appearances were for CBBC on BBC Television...

. A spin-off series, that was broadcast post the 9 p.m. watershed - FXU, started in January 2010, presented by Tim Fornara.

Also in September, Film24 acquired the rights to computer games shows Playr

Playr

Playr is a TV show about video gaming that airs weekly in a number of locations around the world, including the UK, Canada, South America, Spain, South Africa and across Asia. The show mixes in-depth previews, news, reviews and features on video games and is notable for its entertaining approach to...

and Playr Guides.

In Spring 2008, on line community X-taster were commissioned to provide Film24's online offering. Following five failed attempts, numerous delays, and a serious split in Xtasters founding management team, in October 2009, Film24.com relaunched, making the channel theoretically interactive for web users. The cost and perceived waste of a significant amount of the companies resources caused consternation to some of the companies shareholders. Despite the initial agreement the website mainly provided details of the schedule and programming, as well as the latest cinema releases and limited film news. The planned community offering, which was sold to shareholders never materialised, and hits on the website were extremely low. The site, generally considered by most to be a failure, was attempting unsuccessfully, to launch a video-on-demand service, with a view to showing full-length episodes and films in the UK and Ireland, before the channel entered liquidation.

In November 2009, Film24 also started airing US and UK dramas, including Queen of Swords, The Flockton Flyer

The Flockton Flyer

The Flockton Flyer was a children's TV series made by Southern TV for the ITV network. There were two series, each of six episodes. Series 1 was first transmitted in spring, 1977 and Series 2 followed in early 1978. Programmes were shown at 4.45 pm on Monday afternoons...

, Adventure Inc, 18 Wheels of Justice, Freewheelers

Freewheelers

Freewheelers is a British television series made by Southern Television between 1968 and 1973. It was the brainchild of television producer Chris McMaster, who was aware of the popularity of adult action series such as The Avengers and Department S amongst teenagers and saw the potential of a...

, The Ray Bradbury Theatre, The Big Valley

The Big Valley

The Big Valley is an American television Western which ran on ABC from September 15, 1965, to May 19, 1969, which starred Barbara Stanwyck, as a California widowed mother. It was created by A.I. Bezzerides and Louis F. Edelman...

, Dick Barton

Dick Barton

Dick Barton - Special Agent was a popular radio programme on the BBC Light Programme. Between 1946 to 1951 it aired at 6.45 each weekday evening and at its peak it had an audience of 15 million listeners. Despite popular belief, it was not actually the BBC's first daily serial...

, Take a Letter, Mr. Jones

Take a Letter, Mr. Jones

Take a Letter, Mr. Jones was a short-lived British sitcom from Southern Television starring John Inman and Rula Lenska which aired in 1981.-Plot:...

and That Beryl Marston.

In December 2009, Film24 announced plans to significantly increase its spend on new programmes.

In April 2010, Film24 announced that it had acquired a brand new Hollywood chat show In The House. The programme will feature major celebrities live in the studio including Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman is an American actor, film director, aviator and narrator. He is noted for his reserved demeanor and authoritative speaking voice. Freeman has received Academy Award nominations for his performances in Street Smart, Driving Miss Daisy, The Shawshank Redemption and Invictus and won...

, Kathryn Bigelow

Kathryn Bigelow

Kathryn Ann Bigelow is an American film director. Her best-known films are the cult horror film Near Dark , the surfer/bank robbery action picture Point Break , the science fiction/film noir Strange Days , the historical/mystery film The Weight of Water and the war drama The Hurt Locker...

, Quentin Tarantino

Quentin Tarantino

Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...

, Sigourney Weaver

Sigourney Weaver

Sigourney Weaver is an American actress. She is best known for her critically acclaimed role of Ellen Ripley in the four Alien films: Alien, Aliens, Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection, for which she has received worldwide recognition .Other notable roles include Dana...

, Harrison Ford

Harrison Ford

Harrison Ford is an American film actor and producer. He is famous for his performances as Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy and as the title character of the Indiana Jones film series. Ford is also known for his roles as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner, John Book in Witness and Jack Ryan in...

 and Jeff Bridges

Jeff Bridges

Jeffrey Leon "Jeff" Bridges is an American actor and musician. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Otis "Bad" Blake in the 2009 film Crazy Heart....

 to name but a few.

From June 2010, the channel simulcast programming from the Psychic Channel, as well as countless hours of Teleshopping.

From November 2010 programmes from Canis Media's defunct Bonanza channel were being broadcast including Bonanza

Bonanza

Bonanza is an American western television series that both ran on and was a production of NBC from September 12, 1959 to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 430 episodes, it ranks as the second longest running western series and still continues to air in syndication. It centers on the...

, The Lucy Show

The Lucy Show

The Lucy Show is an American situation comedy that aired on CBS from 1962 until 1968. It was Lucille Ball's follow-up to I Love Lucy. A significant change in cast and premise for the 1965-66 season divides the program into two distinct eras; aside from Ball, only Gale Gordon, who joined the program...

, Dragnet

Dragnet (series)

Dragnet is a radio and television crime drama about the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners...

, Flash Gordon, and Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes (1954 TV Series)

The first and only American television series of Sherlock Holmes adventures aired in syndication in the fall of 1954. The 39 half-hour mostly original stories were produced by Sheldon Reynolds and filmed in France by Guild Films, starring Ronald Howard as Holmes and Howard Marion Crawford as Watson...

.

The announcers on the channel were Trish Bertram, Mike Cooper, and Heather Larcombe.

Liquidation

The channel's principal shareholder was Lord Swaraj Paul's Caparo Group. In May 2010, Angad Paul (CEO of Caparo Group) withdrew further funding,without any notice, following serious financial problems at Caparo, forcing the channel into liquidation., leaving a number of suppliers and staff in financial difficulty, and causing a number of shareholders to lose their investment. Staff were immediately made redundant with no notice period.

On 22 June 2010, Canis Media announced that it was reviewing options for the potential sale of Film24. The company, which acquires and sells electronic programming guide slots on the Sky satellite platform, said that it had taken over "day-to-day management" of the Film24 channel. Options included a straight sale of the channel 157 slot on Sky’s EPG, a sale of the channel itself, a joint venture with a new owner, or a rescue package with new investors.

On 7 September 2010, Canis Media announced that the sale of Film24 is "near to completion" and the new owner would be unveiled shortly. On 28 October 2010, it was reported that Sony Pictures Television

Sony Pictures Television

Sony Pictures Television, Inc. is an American and global television production/distribution subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment. In turn, the latter is part of the Japanese conglomerate Sony.-Background:...

 were on the brink of a deal to buy Film24's Sky EPG slot to launch their first UK channel.

On 19 November 2010, Sony Pictures Television acquired Film24's slot on Sky's electronic programming guide. Canis Media continued to work on the channel's day-to-day management until 4 April 2011, ahead of Sony Pictures Television's launch of Sony Entertainment Television

Sony Entertainment Television (UK & Ireland)

Sony Entertainment Television is a general entertainment channel in the United Kingdom and Ireland from Sony Pictures Television , which launched on 7 April 2011.-History:...

on 7 April 2011.