TMF (UK & Ireland)
| Ownership | |
|---|---|
| Owner | MTV Networks Europe |
The Music Factory, TMF for short, is a music video channel in the United Kingdom owned by MTV. Formed after the two other TMF stations, which are based in mainland Europe, the channel was created to counter against Emap's The Hits channel on the new free-to-air digital television service Freeview in 2002. It's description is: TMF is designed to replicate the rhythms of the whole family, it plays the best pop videos with the biggest pop stars to become the sound track to the British family life.(see here)
TMF's current Freeview channel is channel 21, and the channel broadcasts on multiplex D. The channel also broadcasts on cable and satellite television, as well as in some Irish cable packages (it has 'text-in' numbers for both the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland). The channel shows a lot of music videos, meaning on all platforms it is a popular choice, resulting in it currently being the most viewed music video station in the UK.
Along with videos, evening programming on TMF frequently includes programming from another MTV station, VH1, as well as MTV programming such as Cribs and Newlyweds. TMF is also heavily connected to the large European music awards show, the TMF Awards.
In August 2005, TMF commissioned its first live show called 'Pop the Q' and got a 'new look'; the first one since the channels launch in October 2002. Later that month TMF began showing a computer game programme, called Game One, presented by Louise Ekland, shown on Sundays at 3:30pm GMT [1]. The shows shares the same logo and name as the Viacom-owned, French channel, Game One.
TMF's own programming
- Pop The Q
- Game One
- The Loaded Hour (begins early 2006, and is in assosiation with the magazine Loaded)
Notable MTV programmes TMF has shown
- Cribs
- Newlyweds
- Laguna Beach
- Wade Robson Showdown
- The Osbournes
- Daria
- Celebrity Deathmatch
- Dismissed
- True Life
- Pimp my Ride
- Wildboyz
- PoweR Girls
Notable VH1 programmes TMF has shown
- The Fabulous Life Of
- The Rise and Rise Of
- The Surreal Life
- Secret Movie Rules
- From Flab to Fab
- All Access
- Hogan Knows Best (actually premiered the show before VH1 in the UK)
- Bands Reunited