The Wrestling Channel

The Wrestling Channel was a specialist digital television service aimed at viewers in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It began as a dedicated professional-wrestling outlet and later broadened its remit to include mixed martial arts, boxing and action films. The service was associated with several successive brand identities: it started as The Wrestling Channel, increasingly used the abbreviation TWC from 2005, became TWC Fight! in December 2006, and was relaunched under The Fight Network name in the United Kingdom in January 2008. The channel ultimately ceased transmission on 1 December 2008. The service's first transmissions began on 1 December 2003 as a temporary programming block carried by Friendly TV. The block was initially expected to last only one month, but it continued into 2004 after attracting a positive response. Its schedule introduced UK viewers to programming from a number of wrestling organizations, including Classic Wrestling, Pro Wrestling NOAH, Ring of Honor and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. The channel then received a full launch on Sky's digital satellite platform on 15 March 2004, using channel 427. At launch, it presented itself as a dedicated professional-wrestling channel, combining contemporary international promotions with archive material from British wrestling and World of Sport-related ITV programming. It was described as only the second channel in the world to focus exclusively on professional wrestling at the time. The channel developed original and acquired programming around its specialist subject. In July 2004 it introduced The Bagpipe Report, described as the first news and talk programme dedicated to professional wrestling to be carried by a television channel. Its wider schedule included material from New Japan Pro-Wrestling, Pro-Pain-Pro Wrestling, Memphis Wrestling, Pro Wrestling NOAH, Ring of Honor, ZERO1-MAX and other promotions. In October 2004, a sister service called TWC Reloaded launched on Sky channel 428, although the service was later reduced to minimal overnight programming and ultimately repurposed as a movie outlet before becoming associated with True Movies. The business experienced financial pressure during its first full year. By the end of 2004, its parent company said the operation was losing money because audience levels and resulting revenue were below the cost of running the channel. The response included renegotiating arrangements with wrestling promotions, strengthening selected weekly programmes, adding material from ZERO1-MAX and expanding Ring of Honor output, as well as securing a delayed-broadcast arrangement with TNA. The company subsequently indicated that viewing figures had improved. From late 2005, the service sought to reach beyond the professional-wrestling audience by adding mixed martial arts and boxing. It also moved toward a full-time schedule, beginning 24-hour broadcasting in July 2006. The TWC Fight! identity, adopted on 4 December 2006, emphasized this broader combat-sports positioning and included programming from Cage Rage Championships and King of the Cage. The expansion did not prevent important rights changes: in December 2006, the channel announced that it had lost its TNA programming rights, which moved to Bravo 2 after 1 January 2007. In late 2007, the Canadian channel The Fight Network acquired TWC Fight!. Dolphin Television operated the resulting UK service, which adopted The Fight Network branding in January 2008 while retaining much of the preceding channel's programming profile. The service later appeared on Freesat channel 251. It stopped broadcasting at midnight on 1 December 2008 and was removed from the Sky electronic programme guide shortly afterward. A separate British programming block using the Fight Network name was announced in 2018 by Anthem Sports & Entertainment in association with Showcase, a service operated by Information TV. That later block was presented as a new launch rather than a continuation of the defunct 2003–2008 channel. Its announced content included wrestling, live Impact Wrestling, MMA, kickboxing and other combat-sports programmes.

The service originated as The Wrestling Channel, a proposed UK specialist station dedicated to professional wrestling. Test transmissions began on 1 December 2003 through Friendly TV rather than as a standalone full-time channel. The initial block was scheduled for limited weekday and weekend hours and featured material from promotions including Classic Wrestling, Pro Wrestling NOAH, Ring of Honor and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Although the block was intended to be temporary, it continued into 2004 after attracting viewer interest. A full service launched on 15 March 2004 on Sky channel 427. Its programming combined current wrestling from international promotions with archive material from British wrestling and World of Sport-related ITV broadcasts. The channel also carried content from New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Pro-Pain-Pro Wrestling. In July 2004 it introduced The Bagpipe Report, a wrestling news and discussion programme that gave the service an original editorial component in addition to acquired event coverage. The operator experimented with a second outlet, TWC Reloaded, which launched on Sky channel 428 on 25 October 2004. The sister channel used material from the main service's library and was intended to test additional formats. Proposed mixed martial arts programming for the slot did not materialize. In early 2005 the outlet was reduced to a minimum schedule while potential partners were considered; it then became a movie service and was moved within the Sky electronic programme guide before its later association with True Movies. The main channel faced economic difficulties. At the end of 2004, its parent company stated that audience performance had been insufficient to cover operating costs. The operator responded by renegotiating agreements with rights holders, adding or expanding weekly shows, and arranging delayed broadcasts of TNA events. Ring of Honor received a larger exclusive weekly slot, while ZERO1-MAX, Memphis Wrestling and Pro Wrestling NOAH were among the other promotions represented in the revised schedule. The operator later reported improved ratings. In 2005 the channel increasingly used the TWC name and widened its subject matter. Mixed martial arts and boxing were added during November, and the service began full 24-hour broadcasting in July 2006. The station also introduced action films, making its schedule less narrowly focused on wrestling. On 4 December 2006 it adopted the TWC Fight! identity and increased its mixed martial arts output, including programmes connected with Cage Rage Championships and King of the Cage. The service nevertheless lost TNA rights, which transferred to Bravo 2 after the start of 2007. The channel's final major corporate change came in late 2007, when the Canadian Fight Network purchased TWC Fight!. Dolphin Television owned or operated the resulting UK presentation, which adopted The Fight Network name in January 2008. The rebranded channel continued to show much of the previous service's wrestling and combat-sports material and later became available on Freesat channel 251. It closed at midnight on 1 December 2008, exactly five years after the first test transmissions began. In 2018, Anthem Sports & Entertainment announced a Fight Network programming block on Showcase through Information TV. The block carried wrestling and other fighting-sports programming, including announced content from Impact Wrestling, Ultimate Challenge MMA, Abu Dhabi Grand Slam, WGP Kickboxing and Wrestling at the Chase. It was treated as a new service rather than a direct continuation of the earlier UK channel.

• 2018

  Separate Fight Network block announced

  [1]The Wrestling Channelen.wikipedia.org

  Anthem announces a later Fight Network programming block on Showcase.

• 2008

  UK service closes

  [1]The Wrestling Channelen.wikipedia.org

  The Fight Network-branded channel ends transmission on 1 December.

• 2006

  TWC Fight! identity adopted

  [1]The Wrestling Channelen.wikipedia.org

  The service changes its name to TWC Fight! and increases its mixed martial arts coverage.

• 2005

  Combat-sports expansion

  [1]The Wrestling Channelen.wikipedia.org

  The channel adds mixed martial arts and boxing while increasingly using the TWC identity.

• 2004

  Full channel launch

  [1]The Wrestling Channelen.wikipedia.org

  The Wrestling Channel launches on Sky channel 427 as a dedicated professional-wrestling service.

• 2004

  TWC Reloaded launches

  [1]The Wrestling Channelen.wikipedia.org

  A sister service begins on Sky channel 428 with library content and experimental programming.

• 2003

  Test transmissions begin

  [1]The Wrestling Channelen.wikipedia.org

  The future channel begins as a limited wrestling programming block on Friendly TV.

A specialist combat-sports television service that began as a professional-wrestling channel and broadened its proposition to include mixed martial arts, boxing and related action programming.

• Professional wrestling television channel · 2004

  The Wrestling Channel

  The original channel identity, launched as a UK and Ireland digital satellite service focused primarily on professional wrestling. Its schedule combined international wrestling promotions, archive British wrestling and wrestling-related discussion programming.

• Combat-sports television channel · 2006

  TWC Fight!

  The 2006 rebrand broadened the service's positioning from wrestling to combat sports. Programming included professional wrestling alongside mixed martial arts and boxing, with content associated with Cage Rage Championships and King of the Cage.

• Combat-sports television channel · 2008

  The Fight Network UK

  The final UK branding of the original service followed the acquisition of TWC Fight! by the Canadian Fight Network. It retained much of the existing wrestling and combat-sports schedule before closing in December 2008.

• Wrestling news and talk programme · 2004

  The Bagpipe Report

  An original news and discussion programme dedicated to professional wrestling, introduced by the channel in July 2004.

• 2004Showdown: Legends of Wrestling launch promotion

  United Kingdom · Ireland

  The channel partnered with Acclaim Entertainment around the release promotion for the wrestling video game Showdown: Legends of Wrestling.

  Source

• 2007

  Sell the service to The Fight NetworkM&A

  Background

  TWC Fight! was acquired by the Canadian Fight Network in late 2007.

  Action taken

  The service was relaunched in the United Kingdom under The Fight Network name in January 2008, with Dolphin Television associated with the UK operation.

  Aftermath

  The rebranded channel continued until it closed on 1 December 2008.

  Source

• 2006

  Adopt the TWC Fight! brandGeneration change

  Background

  The schedule had expanded to include combat sports and, later, action films.

  Action taken

  The channel changed its name from The Wrestling Channel or TWC to TWC Fight! and increased mixed martial arts coverage.

  Aftermath

  The service continued under the expanded combat-sports proposition until its acquisition and later relaunch as The Fight Network UK.

  Source

• 2005

  Broaden from wrestling into combat sportsStrategy

  Background

  The channel sought to appeal to viewers beyond its core professional-wrestling audience.

  Action taken

  It added mixed martial arts and boxing programming and increasingly presented itself as TWC.

  Aftermath

  The broader combat-sports identity culminated in the TWC Fight! rebrand in December 2006.

  Source

• 2004

  Revise the schedule after reported operating lossesStrategy

  Background

  The operator said that audience figures and resulting revenue were below the level needed to cover the cost of running the service.

  Action taken

  It renegotiated arrangements with promotions, expanded selected weekly shows, added further wrestling content and arranged delayed TNA event broadcasts.

  Aftermath

  The operator subsequently indicated that ratings had improved, although the channel remained commercially challenged.

  Source

1. 1The Wrestling Channelen.wikipedia.org