FOX Television Stations, along with Weigel Broadcasting, has announced it will premiere a 24-Hour all movie network called “MOVIES!” to run on 17 of its local owned stations this Spring.
“We’re doing MOVIES! because this content works in the D2 space,” said Frank Cicha senior vice president of programming for FOX television stations. “Weigel has proven that in their other ventures, which is why we’ve chosen to work with them. While we’ve successfully used our D2 spectrum to some degree, this is the first time we’re going in with all stations on board, which is exciting.”
The channel will show a variety of movies in what the network said will be a “new, viewer and advertiser friendly format, not seen on broadcast television to date.” The goal, according to FOX, is to create a destination where movie fans can watch fan friendly and free content over the air and on cable.
The markets seeing the new movie channel include New York (WNYW), Los Angeles (KTTV), Chicago (WFLD), Philadelphia (WTXF), Austin (KTBC), Boston (WFXT) and Minneapolis (KMSP).
Weigel Broadcasting owns and operates the MeTV network and as well as many local digital stations airing on subchannels in markets like Chicago, Milwaukee and South Bend, IN.