Action & Showcase Diva get National Free Preview this October!

[TVViewer]

The Hottest Tickets On TV Are Free!

Action and Showcase Diva bring blockbuster premieres and new channel looks to over seven million Canadians during free previews

This October, mass audiences are being treated to national free previews of the wildly successful Canwest digital Specialty channels Action and Showcase Diva. From October 1 to October 31*, both channels will be available in over seven million homes, giving viewers the opportunity to get hooked on the back-to-back blockbuster hits and popular series that make up Action’s high-octane line-up and Showcase Diva’s savvy schedule. In addition to an abundance of cable and network premieres of big-ticket movies, the free previews also serve to introduce additional viewers to the refreshed logos, on-air looks and new Fall schedules which launched August 31.

Action and Showcase Diva’s free previews will be available in approximately 99 per cent of all Canadian households with digital service, with the largest cable and satellite carriers such as Rogers, Bell TV, Cogeco, Shaw Direct, Shaw and Videotron signed on to support the initiative. Promotion for the free preview includes, on-air cross promotion, IPG, US ad avails, billing inserts, customer service rep training, on hold messaging and exposure on Distributor barker channels and websites.

Action gets a boost of Awesomite
The number one digital Specialty station for all adult and male demos, Action has experienced explosive growth since launch, resulting in an AMA average that rivals several long-established analog Specialty channels. Action’s formula for success continues this Fall with its new on-air look and a schedule boasting high-octane action movies and series.

The new Action logo and on-air look reflect the content line-up in a thrilling, confident and witty environment. The updated version of the logo mirrors the kinetic and highly explosive nature of the channel. Viewers will notice a significant change to the on-air look of the channel, based entirely on the concept that “Action knows action.” The on-air look cleverly uses a specially crafted Action version of the periodic table to illustrate that action doesn’t just happen– it’s an awesome science. The table breaks down the core matter of the thrills and excitement that produce any great action movie or series and houses it in an elaborate table of elements. Some of the more potent and commonly occurring elements include Doublecrossium (as seen in Enemy of the State), Kickassium (Live Free or Die Hard), and Awesomite (Spiderman 3). The Action Elements play into all aspects of the on-air look, including the viewer advisories.

A new polish for Showcase Diva
With a fierce line-up of back-to-back blockbusters mixed with TV’s hottest series, Showcase Diva has also seen unparalleled growth over the past year. The new on-air look and feel reinforces the channel’s position as women’s favourite destination for hit Hollywood movies and female-skewing series delivered in a light-hearted, female-friendly environment.

Anchored by the striking new Showcase logo in order to clearly identify the channel as a Showcase brand, the Showcase Diva logo allows the “Diva” to standout with a larger, angular font, and brighter, more vibrant colour scheme. The “Diva” playfully edges out the “Showcase” in on-air executions. Polished and spirited, the animated on-air look uses an updated, vibrant colour palette in all promos, ID’s, bugs, billboards and backplates.

[TVViewer]

Movie highlights of the October free preview include**:

Action

PREMIERES:

The Scorpion King (Network Premiere)
Saturday, October 3 at 9pm ET

Black Hawk Down (Network Premiere)
Sunday, October 4 at 3:30pm and 11:30pm ET

Behind Enemy Lines (Network Premiere)
Sunday, October 4 at 9pm ET

Spiderman 3 (Cable Premiere)
Saturday, October 10 at 9pm ET

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
(Network Premiere)
Sunday, October 11 at 4:30pm and 11:30pm ET

The Rock (Network Premiere)
Saturday, October 17 at 3:30pm and 11:30pm ET

Enemy of the State (Network Premiere)
Saturday, October 24 at 3:30pm and midnight ET

The Island (Network Premiere)
Saturday, October 24 at 9pm ET

The Animal (Network Premiere)
Sunday, October 25 at 3pm, 7pm and 11pm ET

16 Blocks (Network Premiere)
Saturday, October 31 at 4:30pm ET

MARATHONS:

Saw Halloween Marathon
Saturday, October 31 beginning at 9pm ET
· Saw I
· Saw II
Saw III

Showcase DIVA

PREMIERES:

Disturbia (Cable Premiere)
Sunday, October 4 at 2:30pm and 7:30pm ET

13 Going on 30 (Network Premiere)
Saturday, October 10 at 2:15pm and 6:45pm ET

Maid in Manhattan (Network Premiere)
Sunday, October 11 at 12pm and 4:30pm ET

Gigli (Network Premiere)
Sunday, October 11 at 9pm ET

A Knight’s Tale (Network Premiere)
Saturday, October 24 at 4:30pm ET

Premonition (Cable Premiere)
Sunday, October 25 at 4:30 and 11pm ET

MARATHONS:

The Tom Hanks Weekend
Saturday, October 17 – Sunday, October 18
· The Terminal
· Apollo 13
· Cast Away
· Sleepless in Seattle
· You’ve Got Mail
· Forrest Gump

Halloween Marathon
Saturday, October 31 beginning at 1pm ET
· The Wicker Man
· The Reaping
I Know Who Killed Me (Network Premiere)

Popular adrenaline-fuelled series exclusive to Action include: Black Gold, Inside American Jail, Cops, Most Shocking, Most Daring, and Beach Patrol. Hit series found on Showcase Diva include: Bones, NCIS, the new Melrose Place, CSI: Miami, CSI: New York, Boston Legal, Numb3rs and ER.

Action’s programming information is available at the sleek new action-tv.ca; Showcase Diva’s programming information is available at the stylish diva-tv.ca.

Both new logo’s and Action’s on-air look were designed entirely in house by Canwest’s award-winning Creative Agency. Showcase Diva’s on-air look was designed by the Canwest Creative Agency in partnership with Zink Inc.

* Dates may vary slightly by BDU.
**Movie titles and dates are subject to change.

[NB Josh]

They've been on Free Preview on Shaw Direct for 2 months already this year (along with the package they are in), and honestly I don't know if I ever watched either.