News to launch new US broadcast network in SeptemberWed Feb 22, 2006 4:37 PM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. on Wednesday said it will introduce a new broadcast network on September 5 to air original shows on television stations left without a network after the creation of Time Warner Inc.'s and CBS Corp.'s CW channel.
The announcement of the new network, dubbed My Network TV, comes a month after Time Warner and CBS created the CW and said they would shut down their respective WB and UPN networks.
The shutdown of those networks left about 10 stations owned by News Corp. without a network. "From our perspective it created a unique and wonderful opportunity," News Corp. president Peter Chernin said at a press conference.
Pali Research analyst Richard Greenfield saw the launch as a negative for CBS as its new CW network now faces another national competitor.
My Network TV, which will be overseen by Fox television stations chairman Roger Ailes, will feature a combination of self-produced shows and shows by outside producers.
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The roster include a combination of original reality series and scripted shows that are broadcast back-to-back during the week, rather than once each week, known in the industry as "strip programming."
Strip programming, which has had success globally, include "Desire," about two brothers running from the Mafia and who fight over the same woman.
Reality shows also include "Catwalk," which searches the country for the next top models, and "America's Brainiest," based on a hit British show that searches for the smartest person in the U.S.
While the network will initially launch on those 10 Fox-owned stations, covering about 24 percent of the U.S. market, it will seek affiliations with more stations that will eventually cover about 90 percent, executives said.
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