Rockworld TV

Rockworld TV was a British television channel and digital media brand built around rock music, metal, goth culture and related underground lifestyles. Its programming combined recorded live performances, artist interviews, festival coverage and specialist entertainment intended for audiences underserved by mainstream music television. The channel operated on the Sky Digital platform at channel 378 and also maintained an online presence. The service developed from Redemption TV, an evening and late-night service that had previously occupied the relevant programming space on the now-defunct Musicians Channel. After the transition in 2005, Rockworld TV broadened the format beyond conventional music-video scheduling. Its output included concert recordings by acts such as Machine Head, Nightwish, Killing Joke, Electric Eel Shock and Pitchshifter, along with interviews and material recorded at rock events including the Bulldog Bash. The channel's editorial identity emphasized specialist music communities, emerging artists and alternative subcultures rather than chart-driven pop programming. Rockworld TV also carried non-music content. Its schedule included the anime series Cromartie High School and Gilgamesh, Dave Vanian's Dark Screen, a showcase for amateur horror films, and Peek-A-Boo, a programme involving interviews with artists and fetish models. Presenters associated with the channel included Jane Gazzo and Lenore. The mixture of concerts, interviews, genre entertainment and subcultural programming gave the service a broader identity than a conventional rock video channel. Although the channel was officially scheduled for evening and overnight transmission, previews were shown during much of the remaining day, with some time also used for teleshopping. This made the service appear effectively available around the clock for parts of its operating period. Its distribution on Sky was later disrupted. Sky Digital removed Rockworld TV from channel 378 on 18 November 2009. The service returned to the electronic programme guide on 18 December 2009, but only broadcast for approximately two hours each morning and functioned as a temporary placeholder while the slot was prepared for transfer. In February 2010, the licence and electronic programme guide position were transferred to administrators, Alexander Poultney Limited, in connection with plans for the launch of Mushroom TV's Lava channel. Rockworld TV ceased broadcasting at 7 a.m. on 29 March 2010, after which Lava took over the Sky 378 position with a rock and indie music format. The brand later returned in a different form. On 1 February 2012, Rockworld TV relaunched as an iPhone and iPad application containing two channels: Metal, which drew on the brand's existing rare footage, and Fresh, intended to promote newer acts. The relaunch indicates an attempt to extend the brand from linear satellite television into mobile, on-demand-oriented distribution. Available reference material does not establish the later operating status of the application or identify a continuing corporate owner.

Rockworld TV emerged in the United Kingdom as a specialist television service for rock music and adjacent underground cultures. It replaced Redemption TV in 2005, following the earlier service's evening and late-night presence on the Musicians Channel. The new brand used the Sky Digital platform, where it was assigned channel 378, and also distributed material online. The channel's core proposition was to provide exposure for rock, metal and goth artists, including acts and scenes that received limited attention on mainstream music television. Its schedule included filmed concerts, band interviews and coverage connected with live music events such as the Bulldog Bash. Recorded performances by Machine Head, Nightwish, Killing Joke, Electric Eel Shock and Pitchshifter were among the types of content associated with the service. The emphasis was not limited to established commercial acts: the channel also presented itself as a platform for underground lifestyles and artists. Rockworld TV's programming extended into specialist entertainment. In addition to music content, it showed the anime programmes Cromartie High School and Gilgamesh, Dave Vanian's Dark Screen, which featured amateur horror films, and Peek-A-Boo, a format involving conversations with artists and fetish models. Presenters named in reference material include Jane Gazzo and Lenore. This combination of music discovery, live performance, alternative animation, horror and subcultural interviews formed a distinctive but relatively narrow audience proposition. The service was formally scheduled from 6 p.m. until the early morning. Previews filled substantial portions of the remaining schedule, except for periods used for teleshopping, so the channel could function in practice as an almost continuous service. Its online activity complemented the satellite channel, with the brand's web presence also replacing or redirecting material formerly associated with Redemption TV. Distribution problems became decisive late in the channel's life. Sky Digital removed Rockworld TV from channel 378 on 18 November 2009. It returned to the Sky electronic programme guide on 18 December, but only transmitted for around two hours each morning, from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. In this reduced form it served as a placeholder while the electronic programme guide position was prepared for a change of use. During February 2010, the licence and slot were transferred to administrators, Alexander Poultney Limited, in connection with plans to launch Lava, a Mushroom TV channel. Rockworld TV made its final satellite transmission at 7 a.m. on 29 March 2010. Lava subsequently occupied the position and continued a rock and indie-oriented television proposition under a different brand. The Rockworld TV name was revived on 1 February 2012 in mobile form. An iPhone and iPad application offered two channels: Metal, which showcased rare existing footage, and Fresh, which was intended to introduce newer acts. This relaunch represented a shift from linear satellite broadcasting toward portable digital distribution. The available sources do not provide reliable information about the application's later performance, ownership, or final closure, so the post-2012 status of the mobile brand remains uncertain.

• 2012

  Mobile relaunch

  [1]Rockworld TVen.wikipedia.org

  Rockworld TV returns as an iPhone and iPad application with Metal and Fresh channels.

• 2010

  Satellite broadcasting ends

  [1]Rockworld TVen.wikipedia.org

  Rockworld TV closes at 7 a.m. on 29 March, and Lava takes over its Sky channel position.

• 2009

  Removal from Sky Digital

  [1]Rockworld TVen.wikipedia.org

  Sky Digital removes Rockworld TV from channel 378 on 18 November.

• 2009

  Limited return to the Sky EPG

  [1]Rockworld TVen.wikipedia.org

  The channel returns on 18 December but broadcasts only for a short morning period as a temporary placeholder.

• 2005

  Rockworld TV replaces Redemption TV

  [1]Rockworld TVen.wikipedia.org

  Rockworld TV takes over from Redemption TV as a specialist rock-oriented service associated with the relevant Sky and Musicians Channel programming space.

A specialist British music-media brand serving rock, metal, goth and underground cultural audiences through satellite television, online streaming and later mobile applications.

• Music television channel · 2005

  Rockworld TV satellite channel

  The main linear service was a British Sky Digital channel focused on rock, metal, goth and underground music culture. It combined recorded concerts, interviews, festival material and specialist non-music programming. The channel operated under the Rockworld TV name until its final satellite closure in March 2010.

• Mobile video channel · 2012

  Rockworld TV Metal

  The Metal channel was part of the 2012 iPhone and iPad relaunch. It presented rare footage drawn from Rockworld TV's existing archive and retained the brand's focus on heavy music audiences.

• Mobile video channel · 2012

  Rockworld TV Fresh

  Fresh was the second channel in the mobile relaunch. It was designed to introduce and promote newer acts, extending Rockworld TV's discovery-oriented role beyond its archived concert material.

• 2012

  Relaunch as a mobile applicationStrategy

  Background

  After the end of its satellite channel, the brand sought a digital distribution format for its specialist music archive and artist-discovery role.

  Action taken

  Rockworld TV launched iPhone and iPad applications containing Metal and Fresh channels.

  Aftermath

  The relaunch preserved the brand's association with rare rock footage while adding a channel intended to showcase new acts. Later operating results are not documented in the supplied sources.

  Source

• 2010

  Transition away from the Sky 378 serviceStrategy

  Background

  The channel's Sky distribution had been reduced to a short morning transmission after its temporary return to the electronic programme guide.

  Action taken

  The licence and electronic programme guide position were transferred to administrators, Alexander Poultney Limited, in connection with plans for Mushroom TV's Lava channel.

  Aftermath

  Rockworld TV ceased satellite broadcasting on 29 March 2010, and Lava replaced it on the Sky 378 position.

  Source

1. 1Rockworld TVen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Rockworld TV official websiterockworld.tv