The Family Channel

The Family Channel launched on 1 September 1993 and aired mixture of genres, mainly sitcoms, game shows, dramas and entertainment. The Family Channel came about when TVS was sold on 1 February 1993 to the American Company International Family Entertainment Inc. which included the ownership of MTM Enterprises. IFE subsequently launched a UK version of The Family Channel based in The Maidstone Studios and using some elements of the TVS programme archive. Flextech joined as a partner in the venture, taking a 39% stake in the business.

The Family Channel did produce some UK original programming (see below), but heavily relied upon content from MTM Enterprises/TVS archive and imports from the USA. It was claimed that the channel produced more original series worldwide than any other cable or satellite network.

In April 1996, IFE sold its remaining 61% share to Flextech, giving them full ownership of the venture and production studio in Maidstone. The deal did not include any of the programme archive which included many TVS game shows, such as Catchphrase and All Clued Up, but the channel did continually broadcast these series until 2000.

On 5 October 1996, the weekend slots were rebranded as “Family Challenge Weekend” which focused mainly on game shows, and had in vision presenters during the whole evening. During the week, The Family Channel continued to broadcast its wide range of programmes, including dramas and comedy

1993 – 1997

Some printed materials