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.png) Final logo, used until channel closure in 2011 | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Programming | |
| Picture format | 16:9,576i (SDTV) |
| Timeshift service | Bravo +1 |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Living TV Group (Sky Limited) |
| Sister channels | Bravo 2 |
| History | |
| Launched | 20 December 1985 |
| Closed | 1 January 2011 |
| Links | |
| Website | bravo.co.uk (closed) |
Bravo was a British television channel owned byLiving TV Group, a subsidiary ofBSkyB. Its target audience was males in their 20s to early 40s. It broadcast a variety of both archive programming (such asKnight Rider andMacGyver) and original productions.
The Bravo channel closed down on 1 January 2011, with the most popular programmes moved to other Sky channels.
Bravo was launched on 20 December 1985 as a cable-only channel, created by United Artists Programming[1] broadcastingblack & whiteB-movies from the 1950s and 1960s and vintage TV series. Initially, the channel was a cassette-delivered service provided tocable headends for automatic play-out.
In 1991, United Artists merged with their largest shareholderTCI (now[update]Liberty Media), to form the largest cable operator in the United States. TCI andUS West announced a joint venture and, in 1992, the joint venture company became Telewest Communications. In 1993, talks were held withTele-Communications Inc. which resulted inFlextech acquiring TCI's European programming business in exchange for shares.[2] By January, the deal was complete with TCI,[3] allowing it to acquire 60.4% of Flextech while Flextech acquired 100% of Bravo, 25% of UK Gold, 31% of UK Living, and 25% of the Children's Channel which increased its share in that channel.[4]
On 22 July 1993,[5] Bravo launched on theAstra 1C satellite in anticipation of the launch ofSky Multichannels in September 1993. With the launch on Astra, the channel started broadcasting between noon and midnight (as opposed to 3 pm to 3 am).
Its programming output was altered around the same time, when the channel obtained many of theITC Entertainment productions and other cult TV series includingThe Avengers. In 1990, it upgraded its on‑screen image with an elaboratestation identifier of a modernist skyscraper under rolling thunderclouds and promoted itself as 'Timewarp Television'. It used bothRoger Moore andTony Curtis to feature in speciality shot trails.Armstrong and Miller made their first broadcast television appearance on Bravo in a series of presentation promotions during its Cult Weekend on 5 August 1995.
In 1996, a policy change to withdraw the black & white shows contributed to the channel moving on to specialise in science fiction andhorror with movies from theTroma Entertainment catalogue. It then became known for showing crime documentaries by day and adult programming at night.
On 3 February 1997, Flextech launchedTrouble, which took over the channel's afternoon and early evening broadcast hours, meaning Bravo would broadcast between 8 pm to 6 am. During mornings,European Business News time shared with the channel on weekdays andLiving on weekends until 2001.[6][better source needed] With the change in hours, Bravo was given a refreshed look, being branded as "an altered species of television", applying to the increased number of adult-focused programmes. The channel began to airExtreme Championship Wrestling's showECW Hardcore TV around this time; as well as ECW's biggest events, including what were pay-per-views in the US, up to January 2001.
Over the later years, Bravo decreased the adult content shown and increased sports and imported shows such asAlias. Bravo airedWorld Championship Wrestling's flagship showNitro during WCW's final year in business (2000–2001).
On 28 August 2005, the channel started showingSerie AItalian football, bringing back theChannel 4 formatFootball Italia.
On 2 March 2006, a sister channel calledPlayer was launched, which originally aired as a late-night block on fellow-Flextech channelChallenge. Player aired programming aimed at a similar audience to Bravo, alongside the addition of gambling-related shows.
On 28 September 2006, Bravo introduced a brand new graphics package to memorate its 21st birthday, which coincided with the full rebranding of Player asBravo 2.[7]
Poor viewing figures resulted first in the cancellation of the weeklyGazetta Football Italia show, then the announcement that Bravo would stop showing Italian Football altogether after 23 December 2006. The channel's other highest-profile sports coverage wasUltimate Fighting Championship archives, for which it held exclusive UK rights, as well as recent events (live rights are now held by BT Sport), as well as the related reality TV showThe Ultimate Fighter.
From January 2007, Bravo's sister channel Bravo 2, which had launched three months earlier, had the exclusive UK rights to broadcastTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling programming, a two-day delay from the American broadcast of TNA's weekly showTNA iMPACT! and a three-day delay for TNA's monthly Pay Per Views. (On 3 February 2011, this programming moved toChallenge, and is now known asImpact Wrestling.) On 5 January 2008,TNA iMPACT was moved to Bravo with replays of the show on Bravo 2. Bravo's original contract for TNA Wrestling programming was for eighteen months and was distributed by RDA TV; the deal, which was once again negotiated by RDA TV, was extended on 1 July 2008 for an additional eighteen months.[8][9][10]
From 3 June 2008, Bravo, along with the other VMT-owned channels began broadcasting in widescreen (16:9). This was coupled with a redesign of the on-screen graphic; the word "BRAVO" was shown rather than the logo.
On 25 May 2010, Virgin Media Television unveiled new channel branding for Bravo to coincide with a major new seriesSpartacus: Blood and Sand. It involved a new logo to "match the premium content and ambition of the channel" along with a new strapline, "Bravo: Home of the Brave".[11]
On 15 September 2010, BSkyB announced that it would close Bravo as well as its sister channelBravo 2.[12]
For November 2010, Bravo rebranded as Brav-Mo to celebrateMovember.
From 24 to 31 December 2010, Bravo celebrated its final week with a marathon of its most popular shows called "Bravo, We Salute You".
On the morning of 1 January 2011, Bravo ceased broadcasting on all platforms. The last programme aired wasWorld's Most Amazing Videos.[13] Following the closure, the Bravo programmes (as well as theChannel One programmes) were moved toPick TV in May 2012.
As of August 2013, BSkyB had registered the trademark for 'Sky Bravo'.[14]
