Ginx TV

GINX Esports TV is an international, multi-language TV channel dedicated exclusively to Esports, available in 10 languages across 50 countries in 55+ million homes. The channel produces a number of esports programmes, such as This Week in Esports and The First Hour and showcases live Esports tournaments from multiple locations around the world.

GINX Esports TV
LaunchedAugust 2008
Owned byGinx TV Ltd
(Sky Group/ITV)
Picture format16:9
Broadcast areaGlobal
HeadquartersLondon, England[1]
Websitewww.ginx.tv
Availability
Satellite
Astra 2E
(28.2°E)		11934 V 27500 5/6
Sky UKChannel 433 (SD)
Streaming media
Ginx TVWatch live
(requires login/subscription to access content)

History
The original Ginx TV logo, no longer in use.

Ginx TV was founded in 2007 by Alistair Gosling (who founded the Extreme Sports Channel), Udi Shapira, and Cosmo Spens,[2] although all have since left their day-to day operational roles.[3] Since April 2010, the channel has been managed by ex-Viacom International Media Networks Executive Vice President Michiel Bakker.

Ginx TV was launched in August 2008 on Romania's Boom TV satellite television platform.[4] As of December 2012, Ginx TV operates in Southeast Asia, East Africa and Europe.[5] In two regions, Indonesia and Turkey, Ginx TV is represented by the Dori Media Group.[6][7] A high-definition simulcast of the channel, called Ginx HD, was temporarily available on Hispasat 1E during 2011.[8] On 30 July 2012, the channel became available in HD again on StarHub TV in Singapore.[9]

In August 2010, Ginx TV announced plans to launch in the UK and Ireland,[10] where the channel expected a potential audience of over 12 million viewers through Sky and Virgin Media.[11] In October 2010, Red Bee Media was appointed to create a new identity and on-screen presentation for the channel.[12]

In March 2011, it was announced that the launch had been delayed.[2] Ginx TV launched in the UK on Virgin Media on 9 July 2013.[13] A video on demand service was also available in the UK on BT Vision from 26 May 2011.[14] The company's programmes are also globally distributed to third party broadcasters such as TVNZ U in New Zealand,[15] Zee Trendz in India,[16] OSN in the Middle East and North Africa[17] and EGO in Israel.[18]

On 27 August 2011, all Ginx TV content ceased on Challenge in the UK and Ireland. The last show was an episode of The Blurb which went out on the same day. Both GameFace and Ginx Files had also previously broadcast on Challenge having moved from Bravo. Since the end of their deal with Challenge, Ginx TV have recommenced uploading episodes of The Blurb onto their YouTube channel on Wednesdays at noon (GMT), alongside their other content. On 12 December 2011, Ginx TV agreed to license some of its content to American videogaming website The Escapist.[19] In May 2012, Ginx TV launched on ZON TV Cabo, and in October 2013, it was launched on Cabovisao in Portugal.

On 7 January 2013, The Blurb returned to Challenge for a second series with new host Lizzie Huang. On the episode that aired on 25 February, Lizzie was replaced by regular contributor Lucy James as host. In the same month, Ginx TV launched on IPTV in the Netherlands via KPN. In August 2013, Indovision ended their contract with Ginx TV without any reason; the channel was replaced with MNC Kids.

In October 2013, Ginx TV acquired the Poker Channel Limited adding 19 million homes to its household reach in Europe, bringing the total to 26 million. As part of this transaction, Ginx added 13 million households in France via the Free, Orange, SFR, Numericable and Bouygues IPTV and cable systems. Later in the year, Ginx TV started airing on TelkomVision in Indonesia. It initially broadcast for only a few hours everyday as a preview-only channel. In December, Ginx TV launched on BiG TV in Indonesia.

On 30 March 2014, a new show called Videogame Nation made its debut on Challenge. Originally hosted by Tom Deacon and Emily Hartridge, the show's regular line-up expanded to include Nathan Caton, Steve McNeil and John Robertson. From August 2014 to the show's demise in June 2016, the show's hosts were Aoife Wilson, John Robertson and Dan Maher and featured a rotating cast of interviewees.

On 23 May 2014, Ginx TV launched on TransVision in the Indonesia. In June, Ginx joined the BARB research panel in the UK to support its advertising window. On 4 July 2014, host and contributor Lucy James officially left Ginx TV.

A new website and paid on demand feature was introduced in 2015, allowing customers to pay a monthly, quarterly or yearly fee for access to Ginx TV's channel and selected VOD shows.

In June 2016, it was announced that, with the partnership of Sky and ITV, Ginx TV was to be transformed into GINX Esports TV, shifting its focus to covering esports. With this change, the channel launched on 24 June 2016 on Sky, in addition to it already being available to watch on Virgin Media.[20]

On 15 February 2017, it was announced that Canadian Pay TV service Super Channel would launch a Canadian version of Ginx as a replacement for one of its multiplex channels.[21] Replacing Super Channel 4, GINX Esports TV Canada launched on 4 May 2017 with a live Canadian edition of The Bridge.[22]

The same month, GINX Esports TV also entered Israel, via a partnership with Partner's 4GTV app.[23]

On 14 March 2017, GINX Esports TV also announced a new partnership with DStv Now and SuperSport.com platforms. Through this partnership, GINX Esports TV became the first dedicated eSports channel in South Africa.[24]

In October 2017, GINX Esports TV signed a new partnership with Telekom Austria Group to make the channel available across Europe on Eutelsat 16A. GINX Esports TV is thus distributed to the bulk of the Austrian telco's subsidiaries.[25]

In October 2018, GINX Esports TV announced it terminated its contract with Virgin Media, arguing Virgin Media did not act in the spirit of the contract between Ginx and VM, which included an intention to launch the channel in High Definition.[26]

Programming

Current programming
  • The First Hour - Shows the latest big release or revisited a modern classic by playing through the first 60 minutes. Reintroduced in 2017. Presented by Adam Savage (2013–present), Neil Cole (2014), Simon Longden (2013-2014), Lucy James (2013-2014) and Anthony Richardson (2014–present).
  • Origins - A look back at the origins of some of your favourite Esports titles.
  • GINX Plays - The cast and crew of Ginx Esports TV plays some of their favourite titles in this stream-on-TV format.
  • GINX Top 10 - Countdown of the Top 10 characters, games of a certain genre, etc. Presented by Adam Savage (2017–present).
  • Daily Download - From the latest mercato news to the most recent merchandise launch, a light-hearted look at what's happening in the world of esports & gaming with Emile Cole & Alex Knight.
  • 101 - Learn the ins and outs of a number of popular Esports titles in order to go from being a newbie to a pro.
  • This Week in eSports - A look back at the last 7 days in Esports, hosted by former pro and Esports commentator F-Word.
  • HUD - Heads Up Daily TV. The premiere and only Esports TV show in Canada.

Former programming
  • The Bridge - Late night, cross game, eSports live entertainment talk show. Hosted by Frank Soldato
  • Games Games Games - Previews and reviews of games that are both child and family friendly.
  • The Ginx Vault - A look at retro games.
  • The Blurb - The channel's flagship show which compiled the latest in gaming news, reviews and previews.[27] Presented by Julia Hardy (2011-2012), Anthony Richardson (2012), Lizzie Huang (2013), and Lucy James (2013–2014). The show was replaced by The Essentials in September 2014.
  • Culture Shock - Series dedicated to the culture surrounding video gaming including film, music and comic books.
  • Faster - Games that focused on racing with a particular focus on motorsport. Presented by Neil Cole (2011-2014).
  • Games Room - Esports and streaming personalities face various games challenges that test their skill and reactions across a number of competitive titles, before being allowed to leave.
  • GameFace - Started broadcasting in 2009 on Bravo,[28] before being replaced by The Blurb in 2011 on Challenge.[29]
  • Ginx Files - GameFace's sister show.
  • Ginx Live - A live show fronted by Adam Savage with special guests, gameplay coverage and giveaways every week on Virgin Media, Twitch and later on YouTube. The news was presented by Chris Bond and Lydia Ellery while Chris Slight and Haplo Shaffer talked to the public and communicated their views.
  • Get Fragged - Followed the genre of first-person shooters.
  • The Ginx Masterchart - A weekly top ten of chart games, counting down the biggest sellers of that week.
  • The Ginx Top 40/10 Chart - A countdown of the biggest games of the week.
  • Ginx News - A daily update of news within the gaming world. Presented by Lucy James (2013-2014).
  • Most Wanted - Interviews and previews.
  • Rumble Pack - A series of top ten countdowns that compared characters, genres and specific games.
  • Gamesport - Provided reviews and commentary on games within the sports genre. Presented by Anthony Richardson (2010-2014).
  • Planet of the Apps - Previews, reviews and recommendations of mobile apps, games and gadgets. Presented by Adam Savage (2011-2015), Lucy Hedges (2014-2015) and David McClelland (2014-2015).
  • Videogame Nation - Only airing on Challenge in the UK, but on Ginx TV in other countries, each episode focused on one game, series or developer, with discussion of related titles and gaming history. In August 2014, the show was revamped with new hosts and a new format following criticism of the original version. Variously hosted by Tom Deacon (2014), Emily Hartridge (2014), Nathan Caton (2014), Aoife Wilson (2014-2016), Dan Maher (2014-2016) and John Robertson (2014-2016) with additional insight from 'talking heads' such as Steve McNeil and Chris Slight in the show's current format.
  • Minecraft: Digging Deeper - Teaches the basics of Minecraft and also more "advanced" and lesser known Minecraft features with gameplay and narration. Explains from how to survive the first night all the way to how to dye wool, how to build a good home, how to use redstone well, etc.
  • Console Yourself - A show in which stand-up comedians confessed their videogame loves, hates, and guilty secrets. Presented by Neil Cole (2014–present).
  • Games Evolved - Tracked the history of a particular game or genre and comments on how different themes or ideas have been treated by different companies, series or decades.
  • Ginx Playlist - A look at recommended games.
  • The Quest - Focused on the genre of role-playing video games.
  • Under The Radar - A show introduced in June 2015 which focused on brand new and classic indie games, DLC and other games which may have gone under the radar.
  • IRL - Docu-reality series centered on the daily life of some the most notorious UK eSports personalities, presented by Charleyy.
  • GGM (Good Games Monthly) - A monthly magazine show counting covering the world of Esports and casual gaming.
  • The Dojo - A deep dive into the world of the FGC (Fighting Game Community) led by Fighting Game players/casters Damascus and Tyrant.
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References
  1. "Ginx". Ofcom. Archived from the original on 13 March 2011. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
  2. "Ginx finds Adriatic home, delays UK debut". C21Media. 21 March 2011.
  3. "Ginx TV Gets In The Game". Television Business International. Yudu Media. April 2011.
  4. "Prima televiziune de jocuri a luat startul în România" (in Romanian). Cotidianul. 1 September 2008. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011.
  5. "International". Ginx TV. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
  6. "Dori adapts Ginx for Indonesia". C21Media. 7 August 2008.
  7. "Ginx launches in Turkey". C21Media. 25 February 2010.
  8. "Ginx HD arrives in Spain". Rapid TV News. 25 April 2011.
  9. "StarHub launches travel and video gaming channels". Singapore Business Review. 25 July 2012.
  10. "UK's first 24/7 game channel announced". Eurogamer. 26 August 2010.
  11. "UK games channel targets 12m viewers". Market for Home Computing and Video Games. 23 February 2011.
  12. "Red Bee Media to create multi-platform identity for gaming channel Ginx TV". Red Bee Media. 13 October 2010. Archived from the original on 20 November 2012. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
  13. "New channels on your Virgin TV!". Virgin Media Presents. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  14. "Ginx On Demand launches on BT Vision". Broadband TV News. 25 May 2011.
  15. "The Ginx Files- Are you ready to play?". TVNZ U. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
  16. "Ginx TV to launch block on Zee Trendz". Digital TV Europe. 26 January 2011.
  17. "Ginx TV widens reach". Broadband TV News. 5 February 2013.
  18. "Ginx announce a distribution deal signed with channel Ego in Israel". Ginx TV. 1 December 2009. Archived from the original on 20 June 2013.
  19. "Big Important Announcement Special". Ginx TV. YouTube. 7 December 2011.
  20. "Sky and ITV partner with Ginx to launch UK eSports channel". 16 June 2016.
  21. "First 24-hour eSports Channel to Launch in Canada". Canada NewsWire. 18 June 2009.
  22. Super Channel kicks off esports net, 5 May 2017
  23. Cooke, Sam (15 February 2017). "GINX Esports TV enters Israel". Esports Insider. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  24. "GINX Esports TV Continues esports TV expansion, Launches Channel in South Africa - The Esports Observer". The Esports Observer. 14 March 2017. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
  25. Ring, Oliver (20 October 2017). "Ginx Esports TV and Telekom Austria sign deal". Esports Insider. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  26. "GINX Esports TV terminates contract with Virgin Media | GINX Esports TV". GINX Esports TV. 17 October 2018. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  27. "The Blurb". Ginx TV. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  28. "Ex-MTV boss targets games TV". Market for Home Computing and Video Games. 7 August 2009.
  29. "The Blurb Replaces GameFace on Challenge". Ginx TV. 12 July 2011.
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