Festival (cable TV)
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| FESTIVAL | |
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| Type | Cable network (commercial-free movies and specials network ) |
|---|---|
| Availability |  United States, national, however service is now defunct (off the air) |
| Owner | Home Box Office, Inc. |
In the late 1980s, HBO launched a short lived channel, Festival. It featured classic movies and current hit movies as well as HBO's specials & documentaries. The difference with Festival was that it was family friendly programmed. R rated movies were edited for showing and no low quality themed programs/movies were shown. Also, the subscription for the channel was priced lower than HBO & Cinemax. Festival provided its' subscribers with a nicely printed 20 page, monthly color guide. Festival, also, showed free previews like HBO such as the Oct 30-Nov 2, 1987 previews which were hosted by Tony Randall during the breaks. Unfortunately, only a few cable systems carried Festival and the channel went dark after a year or so.
[edit] Programming (Commercial Free)
- Hollywood Classics - Fondly Remembered Movies From The Great Studios
- Star Salutes - Collection Of Movies From A Selected Movie Star
- Centerstage - "Here's Your Front Row Seat For Great Entertainment" which included: Concerts such as Olivia Newton John, Carly Simon, Fats Domino, etc. Comedy with Jackie Mason, Red Skelton, Bill Cosby, Jerry Seinfeld, etc. (no offensive comedy). Ice skating shows.
- Documentaries - Nature shows, biographies, etc.
- Current hit movies - Also commercial free, however, R rated movies that were shown were edited to fit a "PG" rating for the Festival channel.
