Impact going to Freeview (Virgin 1)

[nightrain]

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/2683871/TNA-Impact-will-air-on-Freeview-channel-Virgin-1-in-the-UK-from-October-30.html

BRITISH wrestling fans are celebrating after TNA confirmed their flagship programme will be shown on free TV.

The company will debut Impact on Freeview channel Virgin 1 on Fridays at 9pm from October 30.

A repeat of the show will air the following night, as usual, on Bravo — which subscribers to Sky and Virgin Media can get as part of their package.

Sadly, it is currently only a temporary measure to boost interest in the product, rather than a permanent move to screen wrestling free in the UK.

A Virgin spokesman told SunSport: "As the TNA Wrestling brand continues to grow in the UK, we wanted to give the Freeview audience a chance to catch all the action.

"So, for a limited time, we will be giving wrestling fans the opportunity to see TNA's weekly flagship show TNA Impact a day earlier on Virgin 1.

"It will be premiering on Friday nights at 9pm from Friday 30 October to Friday 4 December."

He added: "This is a scheduling and programming decision to widen the brand to a Freeview audience on Virgin1 for a limited time. TNA's official home will still be Bravo.

"Once new fans get a taste of it they can tune into Bravo for all the action as usual. It's even more of an incentive to subscribe to Virgin Media or Sky."



Good news for UK fans and non-sky subscribers - just a shame it's only until December.

[Hammy]

I wonder how much more it would cost just to show it live, I hate tape delays!

[Izzy]

TNA is bigger over here than WWE - though that says more about how small WWE is over here.....

Could be massive for TNA - I saw them in London when they managed 9,000 people - if they struggle for 1000 in America - why not make the UK a bigger priority?

[Hammy]

TNA is bigger over here than WWE - though that says more about how small WWE is over here.....

Says who, one weeks ratings?

WWE wins more weeks than TNA does and if you factored in tours, merch etc. over here, they are definately closer to WWE here than they are in the states and we are a good market to target but I think what got them big over here is what they have stopped doing recently....wrestling.

Once again the usual states of how much wrestling on their Impact broadcasts they have has come out, they beat ECW this week by 3 minutes, a show thats half the length!

[Izzy]

its not the amount of wrestling but the quality - thats where TNA is failing, its not that the match is 3 mins - but its a rubbish 3 mins!

TNA's viewing figures are even more impresive when you'd actually have to go looking for TNA to find it