Wednesday, October 22, 2014

CBS To Launch Retro-TV Service

CBS is finally developing its ample digital subchannel real estate, partnering with Chicago-based Weigel Broadcasting to launch an outlet devoted to vintage TV and pop culture, according to Variety.

The channel dubbed Decades aims to stand apart from other retro-TV services by offering wrap-around programming designed to highlight the overall theme of the day’s program slate. The anchor of this effort will be an hourlong daily program, “Decades Retrospectical,” that will examine the news and events of a particular day or period in history, and all of the programs airing that day will reflect the theme.

Billed as “the ultimate TV time capsule,” Decades will allow CBS to make use of its vast library of TV series, telepics and movies, which range from “I Love Lucy” to “Cheers” to “Beverly Hills, 90210,” as well as the archives of CBS News, “Entertainment Tonight” and other inhouse resources.

The channel will be carried by the 16 CBS O&Os, and offered to stations in other markets on a syndicated basis in exchange for a national/local split of advertising time.

The ambitious plan for the Decades services comes on the heels of last week’s news that the Eye was venturing into the SVOD arena with the launch of CBS All Access service, which also hopes to mine the Eye’s well-stocked program vault to generate new profits for CBS Corp.

No firm launch date has yet been set for Decades, other than to state the network will begin in the second quarter of 2015.

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