Men & Motors

Men & Motors was a British television channel aimed primarily at male viewers, combining motoring programmes with entertainment, comedy, documentaries, drama and, during its earlier subscription-TV period, adult-oriented late-night programming. It was created within Granada Sky Broadcasting, the joint venture established by Granada Television and BSkyB in the mid-1990s, and began broadcasting in 1996. The channel was initially positioned as a specialist service with a dual identity: the “Motors” element emphasized cars, motorcycling and motoring personalities, while the “Men” element covered male-oriented entertainment and late-night material. At launch, the channel had limited distribution and shared overnight transmission capacity with Granada Plus. During its first two years it was generally available only through subscription television and broadcast in a restricted nightly window. Its prospects changed when it became part of the original channel line-up for ITV Digital, the digital terrestrial platform partly owned by Granada. This expanded its hours and gave the schedule a clearer division between motoring programming in the evening and more adult-oriented content later at night. When ITV Digital failed, Men & Motors left digital terrestrial television and returned to satellite and cable distribution. The channel gained a broader public profile through presenters and contributors associated with both sides of its programming identity. Motoring and general entertainment figures linked with the service included Richard Hammond, Ginny Buckley, John Inverdale, Gary Numan and Vanilla Ice, while the channel’s other programming featured personalities such as Katie Price, Jo Guest, Mike Reid, Roy “Chubby” Brown, Garry Bushell and James Whale. These appearances helped make Men & Motors a recognizable, if relatively specialized, British television brand. A major repositioning occurred in 2005, when Men & Motors launched on Freeview. ITV used the move to make the channel free-to-air on satellite and to replace its risqué adult schedule with archive drama, comedy and documentary programming. The change substantially increased its potential audience and reportedly produced an unexpected rise in viewing. ITV nevertheless faced strategic overlap between Men & Motors and its planned male-oriented ITV4 service. Men & Motors remained on Freeview for less than a year before being removed in April 2006 to make capacity available for ITV Play, after which it continued on satellite and cable. ITV subsequently confirmed plans to dispose of the service. Men & Motors ceased broadcasting in the early hours of 1 April 2010, shortly before ITV1 HD launched on the Sky Digital slot it had occupied. Much of its programming moved to ITV4, effectively ending the original linear television channel while preserving parts of its content identity within ITV’s wider channel portfolio. In December 2012, One Media iP announced the acquisition of the Men & Motors trademarks and content rights from ITV, including approximately 1,600 hours of programming. The company repackaged the archive for digital outlets such as YouTube and the iTunes Store. One Media iP later revived the brand as an online channel through the Kapang television application in February 2021, with new and archived programming presented by Shane Lynch and Torie Campbell. Accordingly, the original UK broadcast channel is defunct, but the Men & Motors brand remains active as a digital content and archive property.

Men & Motors originated in the Granada Sky Broadcasting joint venture, created in December 1995 by Granada Television and British Sky Broadcasting. The channel’s provisional name was Granada Men & Motoring, reflecting the intended combination of motoring content and a broader male-lifestyle proposition. It launched in 1996 as a subscription television service. For its first two years, it shared transmission space with Granada Plus and generally broadcast each night from 11 p.m. until 2 a.m. The service’s first significant expansion came through ITV Digital, the digital terrestrial television platform partly owned by Granada. Men & Motors was included among the platform’s original primary channels. Its hours were extended, with motoring material scheduled before 11 p.m. and adult-oriented programming later in the evening. The channel’s presenter roster included people from television, radio, motoring and popular entertainment. On the general entertainment side were figures such as Katie Price, Jo Guest, Catherine McQueen, Mike Reid, Roy “Chubby” Brown, Garry Bushell and James Whale. Motoring-related or specialist contributors included Gary Numan, Vanilla Ice, Ginny Buckley, Richard Hammond, John Inverdale, Foo Foo Lammar and Princess Tamara. The collapse of ITV Digital removed Men & Motors from digital terrestrial television. It remained available through satellite and cable, while ITV’s ownership structure changed after the 2004 acquisition of Granada Sky Broadcasting and the creation of the modern ITV plc. ITV later sought to develop ITV4, another channel aimed substantially at male viewers. This created uncertainty over whether Men & Motors would be merged into, replaced by or used as a source of programming for ITV4. In 2005, ITV gave Men & Motors a broader free-to-air strategy. The channel launched on Freeview on 2 May and revised its schedule by removing the late-night risqué adult block. Archive drama, comedy and documentary programmes replaced much of that material. On 1 July, the service also became free-to-air on Sky Digital after its Videoguard encryption was dropped. The wider distribution unexpectedly improved the channel’s viewing performance, creating a strategic dilemma for ITV: Men & Motors had a known brand and growing reach, while ITV4 offered a more clearly integrated ITV identity. Men & Motors remained on Freeview for less than a year. At 06:00 BST on 12 April 2006, it ceased digital terrestrial transmissions so that the capacity could be used for ITV Play, a participation-television service. It continued on satellite and cable, but its long-term role was weakened by the overlap with ITV4 and ITV’s intention to keep its principal branded channels on the free platform. In September 2007, ITV confirmed that it planned to dispose of Men & Motors. The original channel closed at 06:00 on 1 April 2010 on Freesat and Sky Digital. ITV1 HD launched on Sky Digital the following day in the position associated with the channel. Virgin Media removed Men & Motors from its electronic programme guide on 25 March 2010 for operational reasons connected with the ITV HD launch. Much of the channel’s programming subsequently appeared on ITV4, bringing the linear broadcast phase of Men & Motors to an end. The brand survived as an intellectual-property and archive asset. On 11 December 2012, One Media iP announced that it had purchased the Men & Motors trademarks and content rights from ITV, including roughly 1,600 hours of programming. The catalogue was prepared for digital distribution through outlets including YouTube and the iTunes Store. One Media iP also operated an official Men & Motors YouTube presence; the company stated that the channel generated substantial weekly viewing activity in 2020. In February 2021, Men & Motors was relaunched as an online channel through the Kapang television application, presented by Shane Lynch and Torie Campbell and combining newly presented material with archived shows. The original broadcast service is therefore defunct, while the brand continues as a digital media property.

• 2021

  Digital relaunch through Kapang

  [1]Men & Motorsen.wikipedia.org

  Men & Motors returns as an online channel using new presenters and archived programmes.

• 2012

  One Media iP acquires the brand and archive

  [1]Men & Motorsen.wikipedia.org

  One Media iP acquires Men & Motors trademarks and programming rights from ITV, including approximately 1,600 hours of content.

• 2010

  Original linear channel closes

  [1]Men & Motorsen.wikipedia.org

  Men & Motors ceases broadcasting on 1 April, with ITV1 HD taking over its Sky Digital position and much of its content moving to ITV4.

• 2006

  Freeview transmission ends

  [1]Men & Motorsen.wikipedia.org

  The channel leaves digital terrestrial television to make room for ITV Play, continuing only on satellite and cable.

• 2005

  Freeview launch and free-to-air repositioning

  [1]Men & Motorsen.wikipedia.org

  Men & Motors launches on Freeview, replaces its adult-oriented late-night block with archive programming and becomes unencrypted on Sky Digital.

• 1996

  Men & Motors begins broadcasting

  [1]Men & Motorsen.wikipedia.org

  The UK channel launches as a subscription service with a limited late-night schedule shared with Granada Plus.

• 1995

  Granada Sky Broadcasting is established

  [1]Men & Motorsen.wikipedia.org

  Granada Television and British Sky Broadcasting establish the joint venture from which Men & Motors would emerge. The proposed channel name is Granada Men & Motoring.

A male-oriented British entertainment channel built around motoring, lifestyle, comedy, documentary and archive programming, later repositioned for free-to-air and digital distribution.

• Linear television channel · 1996

  Men & Motors television channel

  The original UK broadcast service operated from 1996 until 2010. It combined motoring, male-lifestyle entertainment, comedy, documentaries and drama. Its distribution moved from restricted subscription television to ITV Digital, Freeview, satellite and cable. The schedule and audience proposition changed substantially in 2005 when the channel became free-to-air and removed its late-night adult-oriented programming.

• Digital television and streaming channel · 2021

  Men & Motors online channel

  A digital continuation launched by One Media iP through the Kapang television application in February 2021. It combines archived Men & Motors programmes with new presentation and makes the brand available outside its former linear broadcast distribution.

• Licensed audiovisual content library · 2012

  Men & Motors programming archive

  The archive consists of approximately 1,600 hours of programming acquired from ITV by One Media iP. Content has been repackaged for digital outlets, including official YouTube distribution and other commercial platforms.

• 2021

  Online channel relaunchProduct launch

  Background

  One Media iP had developed the Men & Motors catalogue for digital platforms after acquiring the brand and content rights.

  Action taken

  The company relaunched Men & Motors through the Kapang television application with Shane Lynch and Torie Campbell presenting new and archived content.

  Aftermath

  Men & Motors returned as a digital media property rather than as the original satellite, cable or terrestrial television channel.

  Source

• 2012

  Acquisition of Men & Motors intellectual propertyM&A

  Background

  Following the closure of the television channel, the brand remained valuable as a name and archive of specialist programming.

  Action taken

  One Media iP acquired the trademarks and content rights from ITV, including approximately 1,600 hours of programming.

  Aftermath

  The catalogue was repackaged for digital distribution and ultimately supported a later online relaunch.

  Source

• 2010

  Closure of the original broadcast serviceStrategy

  Background

  ITV had confirmed plans to dispose of Men & Motors, while ITV1 HD was scheduled to launch on the Sky Digital position used by the channel.

  Action taken

  Men & Motors closed on 1 April 2010 across Freesat and Sky Digital. Virgin Media removed it from its electronic programme guide shortly beforehand.

  Aftermath

  The linear brand ended, and many programmes were transferred to ITV4.

  Source

• 2006

  Withdrawal from FreeviewStrategy

  Background

  Freeview capacity was limited, and ITV wanted to use the available space for ITV Play while maintaining its branded ITV channel family on the platform.

  Action taken

  Men & Motors stopped digital terrestrial transmission on 12 April 2006 and continued on satellite and cable.

  Aftermath

  The channel lost its broadest free-to-air distribution and became more exposed to replacement by ITV4.

  Source

• 2005

  Repositioning as a free-to-air archive channelStrategy

  Background

  The channel was preparing to reach a substantially wider audience through Freeview while ITV was developing the male-oriented ITV4 service.

  Action taken

  Men & Motors launched on Freeview, removed its late-night adult-oriented block and substituted archive drama, comedy and documentary programming. It also became unencrypted on Sky Digital.

  Aftermath

  The wider distribution produced an unexpected increase in viewing, but the channel remained strategically vulnerable because of its overlap with ITV4.

  Source

1. 1Men & Motorsen.wikipedia.org