AAAH! The Horror Channel is Coming!

 
By Stacy April 21, 2006




Do you like to scream? Are crazed knife wielding maniacs your idea of a fun evening?

Then the new on-demand horror channel is aimed at you. This channel is a joint venture between Comcast and Sony Pictures. What interested me was the plan to have an internet, wireless and cable channel, all in one launched together. This clearly shows that the traditional model of what a channel is has begun to change. The internet should not be an extra, but a vital part. I was a little disappointed after reading the article that the launch would not be simultaneous, but cable would come first with the internet to follow on Halloween 2006. But that is OK, considering the approach that they have decided to take.

Viewers will also get the equivalent of DVD extras via the Internet, including exclusive horror outtakes, music downloads, a “scream fest,” original animation, and behind-the-scenes footage. The online component may also include community features such as chats and message boards.

The wireless component will include horror ringtones, sound effects, and other features designed for cell phones.

She added that Comcast is looking at various applications for the mobile platform, and she didn’t rule out downloadable clips for cell phones. ‘We’re launching initially with online and video on demand and we will work on the wireless concurrently,” she said.

Source: Red Herring

There isn't any immediate plan to create original programming. This is mainly based on the vast size of the Sony catalogue which includes such classics as Night of the Living Dead and Amityville Horror, along with newer releases like Hostel. There is also the possibility of old television programs as well, but it seems to be focused mainly on film.

This should be a call to all the television networks and cable channels that a redefining of the medium is not just coming but is here.

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