Public broadcasters officially unveiled their 4 new multicast channels yesterday at a DC press event. Viva TV, World, Create and PBS KIDS Go! look a lot like cable nets already in existence, meeting the needs of overlooked demos and niche markets. Create, which launched last year on WGBH-DTV/Comcast (Boston) and WLIW-DTV/Cablevision (New York), can be a clone of HGTV or DIY. A national version of the net is slated to launch in Jan. Meanwhile Viva TV (similar to Si TV and Mun Dos) will launch in mid ’06 with Spanish programming. PBS Kids Go (think: Noggin) launched last year online and as a program block on PBS stations and is scheduled to launch as a 24-hour net in the fall of ’06. It is aimed at early elementary kids, filling a gap between preschool and tweens. World (another news net!) already is up-and-running in NY and Boston. Only a handful of PBS stations have the capacity to broadcast 4 multicast streams today. PBS HD: As of Oct 1, PBS member stations that license yet another multicast service, PBS HD, will be able to distribute the channel to their local cable operators without having to provide a simultaneous broadcast. PBS HD allows local cable ops to provide a service not available via satellite.

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Wednesday–September 17

Wrestlepalooza: ESPN Is New WWE Home, But Not For All Pay TV Subs

ESPN will air “Wrestlepalooza,” its first WWE premium live event [PLE], on Saturday, but not all ESPN subs will have access to the event.

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