FTN (Flextech Television Network, stylized as Ftn) was a television channel owned by Virgin Media Television (formerly known as Flextech). The channel's main purpose was to exist as a highlights network for Flextech to showcase

Freeview Freeview may refer to: *Freeview (Australia), the marketing name for the digital terrestrial television platform in Australia *Freeview (New Zealand), a digital satellite and digital terrestrial television platform in New Zealand *Freeview (UK), a ...

viewers the programmes from their paid channels, although it also aired its own programming. It originally launched on 15 January 2003, airing from 6:00pm-6:00am as it timeshared with UKTV Bright Ideas. It also transitioned on

Virgin Media Virgin Media Limited is a British telecommunications company which provides telephone, television and internet services in the United Kingdom. Its headquarters are at Green Park in Reading, England. It is owned by Virgin Media O2, a 50:50 ...

, and as a subscription channel on

Sky The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the planetary surface, surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere of Earth, atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from ...

History

The channel was announced on 3 October 2002 as part of a preparation of networks on the Freeview service. The channel's initial launch programming was announced on 1 January 2003, with a launch prepared for the 15th. FTN +1 launched on Sky and Virgin Media on 9 August 2007. Despite being a one-hour timeshift, FTN +1 only broadcast from 7 pm until 1 am, as ''Live Roulette TV'' which broadcast on FTN from 12 am to 3 am, couldn't be rebroadcast one hour later, for legal reasons. It was announced in the summer of 2007 that Virgin Media Television was to launch a new channel,

Virgin 1 Virgin1 was a British free-to-air entertainment television channel owned and operated by Virgin Media Television, later known as Living TV Group. The channel was launched on 1October 2007 at 21:00, intended to rival BSkyB's Sky One. Virgin Med ...

. The new channel launches on . The channel was Virgin Media's attempt to rival

Sky One Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non- terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...

. As a result of this new channel, it was revealed the Ftn would close, leaving its EPG positions on Sky, Virgin Media and Freeview to Virgin 1. Ftn closed at 6 am on Monday 1 October 2007, with

launching at 9:00 pm on the same day.

Participation TV

Previously '' The Great Big British Quiz'' broadcast nightly between the hours of 00:00 and 03:00am. ('' Big Game TV'' took this spot until April 2007) Between November 2005 and November 2006 ''Quiz Night Live'' broadcast from 22.00 - 01.00 daily only to be replaced by Ostrich Media's ''

Quiz Call ''Quiz Call'' was a TV quiz channel. It was broadcast in the United Kingdom and owned by Ostrich Media. It was also a late night / early morning phone-in quiz TV show, produced by Ostrich Media and broadcast on Five, Five US / Five USA, Fi ...

'' which ceased broadcasting on FTN on 1 January 2007. In June 2007, ''Live Roulette TV'' began broadcasting on FTN between the hours of midnight and 03:00am.

References

Defunct television channels in the United Kingdom Living TV Group channels Television channels and stations disestablished in 2007 Television channels and stations established in 2003 Television channels in the United Kingdom {{UK-tv-channel-stub