Extreme Sports Channel
Encyclopedia
The Extreme Sports Channel is a Netherlands
-based extreme sports television channel
available across Europe
and the Middle East
. Al Gosling had the idea for the channel in 1998.
Gosling was approached by Stephen Cohen, UPCtv's Chief Operating Officer, at the MIP programming market in Cannes, France, with a proposal for a joint venture between the two companies. Extreme International would provide the programming content for the channel and an understanding of the sports and Cohen would offer the technical and creative support to the station, along with seven other new channels he was creating.
With help from Adam Oliver and Ben Barrett the channel launched in 1999 http://www.extremeinternational.com/site/releases/000922%20-%20Upctv.htm Over the next eight years the channel launched into more and more countries in Europe and the UAE. In October 2006 The Extreme Sports Company Extreme Sports Company acquired full ownership of the Extreme brand and sold its 50% stake in the operating channel business for an undisclosed multi million $ sum to John Malone's Liberty Global Inc. which had by then became owners of UPC. http://www.extremeinternational.com
In 1999, The Extreme Sports Company launched its United States operations, and charged veteran producer, Lloyd Bryan Adams with the task of heading up the North American presence. They launched EX TV a branded block on Fox Sports Net in March 2002 (http://business.transworld.net/2780/uncategorized/extreme-group-launches-action-sports-programming-on-fox-sports-net/)
, Cyfra+
and Cyfrowy Polsat
in Poland
, Kabel Deutschland
in Germany
and Canal Digital
in Norway
and in the Middle East
, North Africa
, and the Levant
territories broadcasting via satellite, exclusively from the OSN pay-TV network.
Content from the channel is also narrowcast on Cabvision
installed in London
Black cabs.
The UK version of the channel was free-to-air
from launch in 2001 until Summer 2006, when a deal with BSkyB meant that it became encrypted.
Extreme Sports Channel's on air broadcast transmissions are handled by Chellomedia's playout
and post production facility (the Digital Media centre) in Amsterdam.
The Polish version of the IEX Action Sports News show is currently voiced by the polish voice-over
Artist Paulina Pukowska.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) announced a pay-per-view deal with the Extreme Sports Channel in the United Kingdom on February 25. The first pay-per-view to be broadcast as part of the deal was Destination X 2010.
On September 28, 2011 the channel began broadcasting in widescreen (16:9) format, but still is transmitted in sub-PAL resolution of 528x576 pixels.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
-based extreme sports television channel
Television channel
A television channel is a physical or virtual channel over which a television station or television network is distributed. For example, in North America, "channel 2" refers to the broadcast or cable band of 54 to 60 MHz, with carrier frequencies of 55.25 MHz for NTSC analog video and...
available across Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. Al Gosling had the idea for the channel in 1998.
History
In November 1997, Al Gosling who originally founded and was running the worlds leading Extreme Sports TV distribution company Extreme International, believed there was an opportunity to create the world's first TV channel dedicated to extreme sports. In April 1998, UPCtv, the programming arm of the Dutch-based cable television operator, UPC, was looking for new channels to offer its subscribers.Gosling was approached by Stephen Cohen, UPCtv's Chief Operating Officer, at the MIP programming market in Cannes, France, with a proposal for a joint venture between the two companies. Extreme International would provide the programming content for the channel and an understanding of the sports and Cohen would offer the technical and creative support to the station, along with seven other new channels he was creating.
With help from Adam Oliver and Ben Barrett the channel launched in 1999 http://www.extremeinternational.com/site/releases/000922%20-%20Upctv.htm Over the next eight years the channel launched into more and more countries in Europe and the UAE. In October 2006 The Extreme Sports Company Extreme Sports Company acquired full ownership of the Extreme brand and sold its 50% stake in the operating channel business for an undisclosed multi million $ sum to John Malone's Liberty Global Inc. which had by then became owners of UPC. http://www.extremeinternational.com
In 1999, The Extreme Sports Company launched its United States operations, and charged veteran producer, Lloyd Bryan Adams with the task of heading up the North American presence. They launched EX TV a branded block on Fox Sports Net in March 2002 (http://business.transworld.net/2780/uncategorized/extreme-group-launches-action-sports-programming-on-fox-sports-net/)
Coverage
The Extreme Sports Channel broadcasts to over 50 countries with 12 different language soundtracks, and is generally available on digital cable as well as on many digital satellite packages, including UPC Direct in the Czech RepublicCzech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, Cyfra+
Cyfra+
Cyfra+ is a Polish digital satellite platform, owned and operated by French media company Canal+ . It offers 95 channels. By 2010, Cyfra+ had 1,6 million subscribers.-Setbacks:...
and Cyfrowy Polsat
Cyfrowy Polsat
Cyfrowy Polsat is a Polish DTH platform. It was launched on December 5, 1999 and is owned by Cyfrowy Polsat S.A. It is the fourth largest digital platform in Europe and the largest in Central and Eastern Europe. Cyfrowy Polsat have 3,47 million subscribes.Cyfrowy Polsat S.A...
in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Kabel Deutschland
Kabel Deutschland
-Company:Kabel Deutschland operates in 13 of the 16 states . In 2006, of the 15.4 million households passed by their cable the company served 9.6 million, however only one third of these are direct customers of Kabel Deutschland, since especially in large apartment complexes the in-house cable...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Canal Digital
Canal Digital
Canal Digital is a Scandinavian television distributor and internet service provider that was founded in March 1997 as a joint venture between the French pay-TV company Canal+ and the Norwegian telecommunications operator Telenor...
in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
and in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
, and the Levant
Levant
The Levant or ) is the geographic region and culture zone of the "eastern Mediterranean littoral between Anatolia and Egypt" . The Levant includes most of modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and sometimes parts of Turkey and Iraq, and corresponds roughly to the...
territories broadcasting via satellite, exclusively from the OSN pay-TV network.
Content from the channel is also narrowcast on Cabvision
Cabvision
-Technology and content:Cabvision started in 2000 with the London Millennium golden taxis campaign. Over thousand taxis installed with Cabvision operate in central London. The creators of Cabvision are media and advertising executives Jonathan Marquis, a former senior advertising director of the...
installed in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
Black cabs.
The UK version of the channel was free-to-air
Free-to-air
Free-to-air describes television and radio services broadcast in clear form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring a subscription or one-off fee...
from launch in 2001 until Summer 2006, when a deal with BSkyB meant that it became encrypted.
Extreme Sports Channel's on air broadcast transmissions are handled by Chellomedia's playout
Playout
In broadcasting, playout is a term for the transmission of radio or TV channels from the broadcaster into broadcast networks that delivers the content to the audience...
and post production facility (the Digital Media centre) in Amsterdam.
The Polish version of the IEX Action Sports News show is currently voiced by the polish voice-over
Voice-over
Voice-over is a production technique where a voice which is not part of the narrative is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentations...
Artist Paulina Pukowska.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) announced a pay-per-view deal with the Extreme Sports Channel in the United Kingdom on February 25. The first pay-per-view to be broadcast as part of the deal was Destination X 2010.
On September 28, 2011 the channel began broadcasting in widescreen (16:9) format, but still is transmitted in sub-PAL resolution of 528x576 pixels.