Ftn (TV channel)

Ftn (Flextech Television Network) was a television channel from Virgin Media Television (formerly known as Flextech) transmitting free-to-air on Freeview and Virgin Media, and as a subscription channel on Sky Digital. The channel broadcast between 6pm and 6am daily. It launched at 6pm on 15 January 2003, six hours after neighbouring Freeview channel, UKTV Bright Ideas, also partially owned by Virgin Media Television.

For other uses, see FTN (disambiguation).

Ftn
Programming
Timeshift serviceFtn+1
Ownership
OwnerVirgin Media Television
History
Launched15 January 2003 (2003-01-15)
Closed1 October 2007 (2007-10-01)
Replaced byVirgin1
Availability
(at time of closure)
Terrestrial
FreeviewChannel 20

Ftn's schedule featured entertainment and reality programming, and also programming from other Virgin Media Television cable channels, such as Living, Living2, Bravo, Bravo 2, Trouble, and Challenge. This provides a preview to Freeview viewers of what the Virgin Media channels offer, in a similar fashion to BSkyB's Sky Three, a channel also on Freeview.

Ftn +1 launched on Sky and Virgin Media on 9 August, 2007. Despite being a one-hour timeshift, Ftn +1 only broadcast from 7pm until 1am, as Live Roulette TV which broadcasts on Ftn from 12am till 3am, couldn't be rebroadcast one hour later, for legal reasons.

Final Programming

Participation TV

Previously The Great Big British Quiz broadcast nightly between the hours of 00:00 and 03:00am. (Big Game TV took this spot until April 2007) Between November 2005 and November 2006 Quiz Night Live broadcast from 22.00 - 01.00 daily only to be replaced by Ostrich Media's Quiz Call which ceased broadcasting on Ftn on 1 January 2007.

In June 2007, Live Roulette TV began broadcasting on Ftn between the hours of 00:00 and 03:00am.

Closure

It was announced in the summer of 2007 that Virgin Media Television was to launch a new channel, Virgin 1.[1] The new channel launches on Monday 1 October, 2007.[2] The channel is intended to be Virgin Media's attempt to rival Sky One.

As a result of this new channel, it was revealed the Ftn would close, leaving its EPG positions on Sky, Virgin Media and Freeview to Virgin 1.[3]

Ftn closed on Monday 1 October, 2007 at 6am, with Virgin 1 launching at 9pm on the same day.[4]

References
  1. "Virgin Media Television announces Virgin 1". Virgin Media Press Office. 12 June 2007. Retrieved 24 August 2006.
  2. "Virgin 1 launch date announced". Digital Spy. 18 September 2007. Retrieved 18 September 2006.
  3. "Launch of Virgin 1 on Freeview". Freeview.co.uk. Retrieved 24 August 2006.
  4. "Ftn/Virgin 1 schedule (1 October 2007)". Radio Times. Retrieved 24 August 2006.


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