Dutch premium movie and series channel Film1 is launching what it calls an “on demand channel” on the Ziggo cable network in the Netherlands.
The new channel will replace the position of Film1 Sundance and will show up on the Ziggo Mediabox as a stand-alone channel promoting a special app to load and offering the full Film1 catalogue on demand. Film1’s four other channels, Premiere, Family, Drama and Action, will remain as linear channels. Film1 is owned by Sony Pictures Television, who acquired the channels in July 2015 from Liberty Global.
“People want to see the newest, greatest blockbusters and best Dutch films,” said Kate Marsh EVP Sony Pictures Television Europe.
“What changes is the consumer’s viewing behavior. They increasingly want to watch on demand, by TV, tablet or phone. With the new channel, our viewers are already zapping in a Film1 environment where the titles are shown in a clear and attractive way and where trailers can be watched. This makes it even easier and more attractive on TV to choose your own viewing moment.”
The new app was developed by Wearetriple and Metrological.
At the moment, two other on-demand services on the Ziggo Horizon set-top box are also available as a “channel”, Dutch Videoland and Netflix. When people tune in to these channels, the respective Videoland and Netflix app pops up giving viewers instant access to the on-demand content – provided they have the relevant subscription.