Ireland's new national TV station, Channel 6, will unveil details of its programming this morning in a campaign to compete with such youth-orientated rivals as RTÉ 2 and TV3.
The station is backed by the Barry family of Cork, the Gowan motor group and several venture-capital funds. The station has no wish to compete with RTÉ 1 and will target the younger viewers of TV3, Sky One and RTÉ 2. A large portion of its programming is expected to be repeats, mainly of British and US shows, including Sex in the City.
The station said yesterday: "The line-up will include an exciting mix of never-before-seen overseas programming and home-grown programmes mixed with some well-known, top-rated shows."
It is estimated about a third of the schedule will be home-produced. The station has concluded deals with several US production studios and will get access to such shows as Office USA, My Name
Is Earl, Family Guy and Prison Break.
The station says it will not be airing any current affairs and only a minimal news service. The station received a licence last year from the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI).
It will be available on the basic packages offered by NTL and Chorus.
It is understood the station has raised €14 million from its shareholders.
The launch date of the channel has not been disclosed, but it should be within weeks.
A major advertising campaign for the station will have a budget of up to €2 million over the next year.
TV3 yesterday announced a new brand identity for the station. Working with London-based television design specialists Turquoise, TV3 said it had come up with striking new look that plays on the numeral "3" as a visual metaphor.