The partners behind adult powerhouse studio Vivid Entertainment Group have teamed up with a number of mainstream companies to launch a premium music TV channel.
Universal Music Group, the Endeavor talent agency, and Shady Records, the Universal-financed label run by Eminem, are all part of a joint partnership that also includes the partners behind Vivid, that is planning to launch 1AM, short for the 1st Amendment, a nod to the proposed channel’s uncensored content.
According to the Los Angeles Times, The 1 AM channel is hoping for a July launch on Direct TV, though the mid-December purchase of the satellite TV provider could move that date forward or back.
Critics have suggested for a long time that the music channel market was ripe for competition, ever since MTV shifted their focus onto becoming a lifestyle channel.
Ever since MTV shifted their focus onto becoming a lifestyle channel to attract more advertisers, critics have suggested for a long time that the music channel market was ripe for competition.
Much Music, the Canadian market leader in the music television market, launched a channel in the United States, Much Music USA, a few years ago, but has failed to capture much of a market share.
As a premium commercial-free channel, 1 AM won’t have to adopt a programming schedule to appease advertisers nor will they face pressure to censor materials.
The Times suggests that while the terms of ownership of the channel have yet to be decided, Universal will own 45 percent and the Vivid partners will own 45 percent, with Endeavor and Shady Records each receiving 5 percent stakes in the channel.
1 AM will face competition from more than just the MTV family of music channels; Hype TV, a hip-hop music and lifestyle channel backed by Bad Boy Worldwide, run by Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, and entrepeneur Peter Griffith.
Hype TV has a deal with Playboy Entertainment in place to launch in May with a two-hour Saturday night block.
