This article needs additional citations for verification. (February 2010) |
SoHo was an Australian pay television channel. Originally launched as FX in 1995 and oriented towards classic programming, it was rebranded as W. and shifted its focus to women's programming on 1 November 2003.[2] Later, on 20 August 2012, it was again rebranded as SoHo and shifted its focus to drama television series.[3]
 | |
| Country | Australia |
|---|---|
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Picture format | 1080i HDTV (downscaled to 16:9 576i for the SDTV feed) |
| Timeshift service | SoHo+2 |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Foxtel Networks |
| Sister channels | Foxtel Networks channels |
| History | |
| Launched | 23 October 1995 |
| Closed | 4 October 2016 |
| Replaced by | Binge |
| Former names | FX (1995-2003)[1] W. (2003–2012) |
| Links | |
| Website | www.sohotv.com.au |
The channel closed down on 4 October 2016, and was replaced by Binge.[4][5]
History
editIn 1995, FX, then stylised as fX, was launched in Australia on Foxtel, featuring classic TV series (often branded as "Golden Years of Television").
In late 1998 fX became FX, which at the time was a channel aimed at women, unlike the international FX channels demographic, featuring shows such as The View and Donny and Marie.
The channel became available on Austar in April 1999.[6]
In late 2000, FX was again rebranded, officially becoming "Australia's first TV channel for women".
It was relaunched as W. on 1 November 2003, shortly before digital broadcasting began.[1] W. screened original Australian programming such as Beauty and the Beast, Love My Way, From Here to Maternity and Studio A with Simon Burke. It also had Pay-TV rights to many popular US primetime drama series such as Pushing Daisies and The Wire and repeats of many other series.
Antonia Kidman, sister of actress Nicole Kidman, was the face of the W. channel, for quite some time and has presented a few parenting and entertainment programs for this and other channels. W2, the timeshift channel broadcasting programs two hours later, was launched in September 2006. A website for the channel was also launched in September 2006.
W. underwent a transformation in April 2009, which included an updated logo (now simply W) and several new additions to the primetime line-up. W HD was launched on 15 November 2009, on both Austar and Foxtel.[citation needed]
In 2012, it was announced that SoHo was to broadcast the new Australian drama Wentworth, a re-imaging of the classic television show Prisoner. The series started airing on 1 May 2013.[citation needed]
The channel closed on 30 September 2016, with existing programs being moved to other channels. Most programs migrated to Showcase, with a handful of other titles moving to TV H!TS, Arena and FOX8.[4]
Programming
editOriginal programming
edit- Love My Way (2004 on FOX8, 2005 on W Channel, 2007 on Showcase)
- Beauty and the Beast (2005–2007)
- Spirited (2010–2011)
- Wentworth (2013–2016)
- A Place to Call Home (2013–2014 on Seven, 2015 on SoHo)
Acquired programming on SoHo
edit- A Place to Call Home (seasons 1 & 2)
- Any Human Heart
- Army Wives
- Band of Brothers
- Big Love
- Boardwalk Empire
- Bored to Death
- The Borgias
- Boss
- Burn Notice
- The Closer
- Cloudstreet
- Curb Your Enthusiasm
- Dallas
- Damages
- Enlightened
- Entourage
- Friday Night Lights
- Game of Thrones
- Girls
- The Glades
- Graceland
- How to Make It in America
- In Treatment
- John Adams
- The Killing
- Labyrinth
- Las Vegas
- Law & Order
- Law & Order: Criminal Intent
- Leverage
- The Client List
- The Listener
- Longmire
- Love/Hate
- Luck
- Magic City
- Major Crimes
- Men of a Certain Age
- Mildred Pierce
- Nashville
- The Newsroom (moved to showcase)
- Rizzoli & Isles
- Shameless
- Six Feet Under
- The Sopranos
- Southland
- Tangle
- Touch
- Treme
- True Blood
- Veep
- Weeds
- The West Wing
- White Collar
- The White Queen
- World Without End
Acquired programming on W
editThis section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (December 2013) |
- The Border
- Boston Legal (moved to 111 Greats)
- Cold Case (moved to 111 Greats)
- The Dr. Oz Show (moved to Arena)
- Dr. Phil
- Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (moved to LifeStyle Home)
- General Hospital
- Jeopardy! (moved to Fox Classics)
- Kevin Hill
- Law & Order (moved to 111 Greats)
- The Mentalist (moved to Arena, then Fox8)
- The Montel Williams Show
- The Nate Berkus Show
- The Oprah Winfrey Show
- Outrageous Fortune (moved to Arena)
- Pushing Daisies
- Rachael Ray[clarification needed]
- Raising the Bar
- Sex and the City
- The View
- The Wire
- Without a Trace (moved to 111 Greats)
- The Young and the Restless (moved to Arena)
References
edit- ^ a b Idato, Michael (27 October 2003). "Talk of the town". Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney: Fairfax Media. p. 3. Retrieved 13 February 2010.
- ^ Keogh, Kylie (25 November 2000). "Foxtel's feminine summer push". Daily Telegraph. Sydney. p. 14.
- ^ David Knox (20 July 2012). "SoHo to launch with The Newsroom on Foxtel". TV Tonight. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
- ^ a b Knox, David (1 August 2016). "Foxtel closing SoHo, adds new Binge channel". TV Tonight. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
- ^ Knox, David (15 September 2016). "Binge channel launching October 5". TV Tonight. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
- ^ Joyce, James (26 March 1999). "Friday Guide: Tunedin". Newcastle Herald. p. 6. Retrieved 3 May 2010.