Luxembourg, April 28 2006 SBS Broadcasting Sārl announced today the May 1st launch of Kanal 4, a new channel in the Danish market. Focusing on female viewers with a mix of locally produced Danish programming and international acquisitions, the new channels lineup will include carefully selected, high-quality talk shows, series and films that speak directly to its targeted audience.
"Kanal 4 will bring the female perspective and sensibilities to a vast array of entertainment and informational programming which we believe will resonate with Danish female viewers while providing advertisers with the access they seek to this increasingly important consumer group." said Patrick Tillieux, SBSs Chief Operating Officer
Kanal 4 will take over the broadcasting spectrum of TVDanmark, which goes off air on April 30, 2006. The new channel will be available free of charge to viewers from its launch on May 1st to January 2007, when it will introduce low pay cable fees. SBS's Kanal 5 will continue to broadcast to the Danish market, targeting viewers in the 15-to-44 age group. Like its sister channel, Kanal 5, Kanal 4 will be broadcast from the United Kingdom under a U.K. satellite license.
Among the original and locally produced programs to debut on Kanal 4 are "Q TV," a daily talk show hosted by Pernille Aalund and produced in association with leading Danish women's magazine Q, the series will focus on the issues that women are most concerned with, from competing in the workforce and raising children to health and financial advice; "Young Mothers," a documentary series highlighting the lives, challenges and triumphs of Danish women who have become mothers at a very young age; and "Dinesen: Spotlight," a locally produced weekly news magazine hosted by Mayanne Dinesen reporting on the lives of the famous, the latest fashions and trends in Denmark and around the world.
In addition to locally produced Danish programming, Kanal 4 will be home to The Oprah Winfrey Show, hosted by Oprah Winfrey and produced in Chicago by Harpo Productions, Inc. and distributed by CBS Paramount International Television, this popular U.S. talk show continues to be a favorite among women in the more than 120 countries where it currently airs.
Also joining Kanal 4's new programming lineup is dynamic television personality and best-selling cookbook author Rachael Ray, who will host a daily, one-hour series simply called Rachael Ray. The program, based in New York City, launches this fall with a combination of cooking and lifestyle segments and will be produced by King World in association with Harpo Productions, Inc., Scripps Networks, Inc. and Watch Entertainment, Inc and distributed by CBS Paramount International Television.
Henrik Ravn, managing director of Kanal 5 and TVDanmark since November 2003, will oversee both the new Kanal 4 and Kanal 5.
