Sci Fi Channel (United Kingdom)
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- See Sci Fi Channel for a list of other Sci Fi channels.
| Sci Fi | |
|---|---|
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| Launched | 1 November 1995 |
| Owned by | NBC Universal |
| Audience share | 0.3% and (0.1% for +1) (Sep 2006, [1]) |
| Website | www.scifiuk.com |
| Availability | |
| Satellite | |
| Sky Digital | Channel 129 |
| Cable | |
| Virgin Media | Channel 135 |
SCI FI Channel (also SCI FI UK, or simply SCI FI) is a United Kingdom satellite television channel service specialising in science fiction, fantasy, and horror shows and movies. The channel launched in 1995 as a British sister channel to the US Sci Fi Channel, with a similar programming line-up. SCI FI UK currently operates as a channel service of NBC Universal Global Networks, a division of NBC Universal.
Contents |
[edit] Programming
Programming in the channel's early years followed the US channel's model, then consisting largely of archive shows such as Lost in Space, The Incredible Hulk, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, and films from the Paramount and MCA vaults. The channel was also notable for being one of the first UK television channels to show anime movies and television series on a regular basis. These programming choices were supplemented by a few 1980s animated series shown in the mornings such as Robotech, Bionic Six and G-Force, although they were dropped as the channel's line-up became more independent of the US channel. Currently, most archive and anime programming have been phased out of the channel, which now concentrates on contemporary shows and movies.
Programmes on the channel throughout more recent times have included UK premieres of series 3 and 4 of Lexx, the Dune miniseries, Farscape, the TV series of Stephen King's The Dead Zone and Firefly. Also shown as of February 2007 are digitally remastered episodes of Star Trek (not to be confused with the remastered series with new CGI) One SCI FI UK original production is the late-night show Headf**k (asterisks theirs), which features excerpts from unusual TV shows, short films and music videos from around the world. Later episodes were presented by David Icke.
The channel premiered Heroes in the UK on 19 February 2007.
[edit] Content controversy
Increasingly in the last few years, some movies shown on the channel have had what have been remarked by some as 'dubious' science-fiction connections, regardless of their overall quality. In recent years, the channel's choice to show late-night premium-rate gambling shows and soft-core porn such as 'Emmanuel In Space' and 'The Sex Files' has caused the station severe ridicule. Even non science fiction movies have aired, such as the crime thriller Entrapment with Sean Connery.
Initially, SCI FI UK shared its transponder with no less than five other satellite television channels at one point, limiting its output to early evenings and late nights, with the rest of its continuous daytime programming (including cartoons) restricted to cable.
