Networks prep Prince tributes

Prince is being remembered in numerous programmes

Numerous broadcasters in North America have cleared their schedules to pay tribute to music icon Prince, who died yesterday.

Viacom-owned BET Networks began airing a 48-hour music marathon across four of its channels following news of the singer-songwriter’s death at his home in Minnesota at the age of 57.

TV One in the US aired a primetime special dedicated to the musician, featuring media personalities and celebrity guests, last night and will repeat it this evening.

Prince: Death of a Legend will air as part of ABC’s regular 20/20 programme tonight, anchored by Elizabeth Vargas and featuring reporting from Prince’s home in Minneapolis.

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, meanwhile, will remember Prince with a special re-airing of a 1996 interview from The Oprah Winfrey Show this Saturday.

Cable channel AXS TV will air the special The Life and Legacy of Prince this Saturday.

Another Viacom-owned network, VH1, is also honouring the star, whose music encompassed rock, R&B, soul, funk, hip-hop, disco and pop, with a weekend-long marathon of his most memorable music videos.

In Canada, movie broadcaster Hollywood Suite is paying tribute to Prince with eight airings of the film Purple Rain, which began last night and will continue until Monday morning.

Meanwhile, US distributor Behr Entertainment is shopping 60-minute documentary The Reign of the Prince of Ages to international broadcasters.