Channel 6 to spend €4m on advertising

NEW television station Channel 6 is planning to spend €4 million on an advertising and marketing campaign this year.

The station, which launches on Thursday evening, has kicked off its campaign with ads in national newspapers and magazines. It is also planning local and national radio advertising in what the station said is the largest marketing launch for a media company in Ireland in recent years.

“We are pulling out all the stops to ensure that everyone is aware that Channel 6 will go live at 8pm on March 30,” the station’s founder Michael Murphy said yesterday.

“Our line-up of shows for the first evening are excellent entertainment and we look forward to pulling in large numbers of viewers. Channel 6 is offering the under 35s, for the first time ever, a pure entertainment alternative to the other channels operating in the market.”

The station, which has raised 14m in funding from investors including the Barry family and the Gowan Group, says it will offer a mix of Irish and imported programmes aimed at the under 35s market.

The station has secured the Irish rights for a number of hit US shows.

The opening night will feature the debut of the American version of the hit comedy The Office and the award-winning medical drama House.

The station will also produce a number of Irish-made programmes, including two music shows and a movie review.

The Dublin-based station will be broadcast on the NTL and Chorus digital and analogue platforms.