Cool TV

Cool TV
Logo used until 2014. The same logo was kept in 2014 however the gray and red parts would become glossy with the gray part becoming white.
Launched 1995 (1995) (as A3 TV)
1997 (1997) (as Msat)
15 September 2003 (2003-09-15) (as m+)
4 September 2004 (2004-09-04) (as Cool TV)
Owned by RTL Group
Picture format 16:9 576i (SDTV)
16:9 1080i (HDTV)
Country Hungary (registered in Romania)
Broadcast area Hungary and its neighbouring countries
Headquarters Budapest
Formerly called A3 TV (1995-1997)
Msat (1997-1999)
m+ (2003-2004)
Replaced Msat
Sister channel(s) RTL Klub
RTL II (Hungary)
Film+
Film+2
Sorozat+
RTL+
MuzsikaTV
Availability
Satellite
UPC Direct (Hungary) Channel 11
T-Home Sat TV (Magyar Telekom) Channel 40
Digi TV Channel 12
Cable
UPC Hungary Channel 33
T-Home (Magyar Telekom) Channel 41

Cool TV is a Hungarian television channel, which migrated to Romania after being threatened with closure by Hungarian authorities. The channel is broadcasting in Hungarian language, because it was originally launched in 1995 as A3 TV, that changed its name in 1997 to become Msat, but the channel was closed down on October 5, 1999, after a profit losure. Four years later, the channel was relaunched as m+ on September 15, 2003, but a year later, it was relaunched as Cool TV on September 4, 2004.

History

Original schedule

Originally Cool TV had the target audience of urban 15–29 year-olds who love music, externals, clothes, trendy lifestyle and extravagance. The channel was first launched in 1995 as A3 TV, and in 1997, it changed its name to Msat, but it was closed down on October 5, 1999, due to losing its profit. Later, the channel was revived as m+ on September 15, 2003, but a year later, it was renamed to Cool TV on September 4, 2004, so the channel could be available in 2.5 million households.[1] The channel broadcast 24 hours a day and aired reruns of series that RTL Klub originally purchased or produced as well as series targeting today's youth. These included: South Park, Married... with Children (Egy rém rendes család), 24, Footballer's Wives (Futbalista feleségek), The L Word (L), Queer as Folk (A fiúk a klubból), The Unit (Az egység), Dead Like Me (Haláli hullák), Weeds (Spangli), Skins (Skins), Desperate Housewives (Született feleségek)

In 2007, Cool TV launched a series of topical shows produced by the channel, such as Cool Live and Cool Night, featuring younger hosts lent to Cool by RTL Klub; the former being a youth lifestyle show, and the latter being an adult show including interviews with Hungarian porn stars and producers, as well as occasionally showing soft-core porn video clips. These talkshows have now been cancelled.

In 2009, Cool TV purchased the airing rights of the successful Hungarian version of Whose line is it anyway?, Beugró.

Present

From August 30, 2010 Cool TV changed image and was rebranded, aiming for a wider audience. Since then the channel airs mostly crime procedurals including the CSI franchise, Bones, Castle, Cobra 11, Criminal Minds, The Mentalist, and others. The move was successful because as of July 2012 Cool TV is the third most watched commercial TV channel, and most watched cable channel in Hungary (target audience 18-49, prime time 19.00-23.00) beating main competitor Viasat 3.[2]

References

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