Rupert Murdoch’s Fox UK is to launch its first ever free-to-air channel, YourTV, in the increasingly crowded market targeting female viewers.
Fox International Channels UK – which runs pay-TV channels Fox, National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo Wild and Baby TV – is to launch the channel on 1 October on Freeview and YouView.
YourTV, FIC’s first channel launch in 11 years, will compete against ITV’s female-focused ITVbe, as well as Discovery’s TLC and CBS Reality.
Jeff Ford, FIC UK’s managing director, said that there is a huge opportunity in extending the pay-TV company’s reach into the free-to-air market.
“About 40% of the Freeview audience is 40-plus women and they watch on average 6 hours of free TV every day,” said Ford, a former senior executive at Channel 5 and TV3.
“There is a lot of market to go for there. We believe that strategically we should widen the offering beyond pay. We want to extend our reach into an environment not been in at all.”
The channel will air programming including the UK premiere of Corrupt Crimes, US legal drama Shark, Don’t Tell the Bride and Baking Good Baking Bad.
