A+E fires up new UK channel

Pawn Stars

A+E Networks will roll out a new entertainment channel in the UK next month, its first free-to-air (FTA) launch in the territory.

Blaze will launch on September 20 as an FTA channel and TV Everywhere service via Freeview and Sky, offering live streaming and catch-up to viewers in the UK and Ireland.

The channel will bring together existing A+E franchises such as Pawn Stars and American Restoration under a new brand that “celebrates extraordinary, determined and courageous characters,” the company said.

Other series set to feature in Blaze’s launch line-up include Mountain Men, The First 48 and Unusual Suspects.

It’s A+E Networks’ first FTA launch in the UK, and follows the roll-out of Lifetime as an FTA channel in Turkey in April. Plans for a FTA channel in the UK were first revealed in May.

The company’s UK channels portfolio already includes pay TV channels History, Lifetime, Crime and Investigation and H2.

Guy North, MD at Freeview, said: “The new channel will provide even more choice for our viewers who want to enjoy the very best entertainment without paying a monthly subscription.”