Turner Classic Movies (TCM), one of three channels in Australia owned by Turner Broadcasting Systems, launched in 1995 as TNT (Turner Network Television). Having suffered an identity crisis, it was rebranded in April to clarify its offering to viewers. ÒWe rebranded because we wanted to be honest about the product, which is a celebration of classic movies,Ó says Ian Diamond, vice-president and executive creative director of TCM. ÒWe wanted to create a place where life really did happen at 24 frames a second, by approaching everything we did in a ÔfilmedÕ way. All our interstitial material Ñ the promotional fabric between the shows Ñ takes its look from some of the greatest movies of all time.Ó TCMÕs audience is concentrated in the 40 to 54 year-old bracket and is available on all carriers: 24 hours a day on Foxtel, eight hours a day on Austar and Optus Vision. ÒTCM is designed to appeal to the discerning movie lover. ItÕs a niche channel and it was important for us to accept that,Ó says Diamond. To give it a ÒclassicÓ feel, Diamond used features such as Òin cameraÓ techniques for interstitial material Ñ clever editing rather than special effects Ñ and period music, such as jazz tracks as backing for the monthly ÒwhatÕs onÓ preview segments. This material is backed up with rare shorts and trailers shown in their original form, the overall package designed to evoke the era in which the films were made. TurnerÕs two other channels are Cartoon Network and CNN. Cartoon Network, available on all carriers, reaches 500,000 kids aged five to 12 (44% of its audience), 148,000 13 to 17 year-olds (13%) and 295,000 adults (26%). Diamond says it appeals not only to kids, but to Òthe kid in us allÓ. The channel that made Ted Turner famous, CNN, is carried on all the cable networks and claims a largely AB audience. Bill Baggitt, managing editor for CNN Asia Pacific, says: ÒWe have strong affiliate programs in Australia Ñ reciprocal agreements with all the terrestrial TV channels to use excerpts from our broadcasts and live cuts to breaking news.Ó
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