This should be good!
As reported in Variety... http://www.chillertv.com/


NBC Universal, DirecTV team on Chiller
New net to be devoted to horror programming

In an unexpected move, NBC Universal plans to roll out a new digital cable network devoted to horror-themed programming.
Dubbed Chiller, cabler will launch March 1 and initially be seen in 12 million homes via a carriage deal with DirecTV. Channel also will be offered on DirecTV's new tier of 100 HD channels slated to roll out later this year.

NBC U has already started pitching other cable operators on the channel and is hoping to land carriage agreement on other systems.

Jeff Gaspin, NBC U prexy of cable entertainment, digital content and cross-network strategy, will announce the network today at the TV Critics Assn. winter press tour in Pasadena. Dan Harrison, senior VP of emerging networks for NBC U Cable Entertainment, will be in charge of the channel.

Chiller will take advantage of NBC U's deep reservoir of horror-related TV shows ("Alfred Hitchcock Presents") and films ("The Shining," "Psycho"), many of them from the old MCA library. But Gaspin said the cabler also has acquired programming from other congloms, including 20th Century Fox TV, Sony, Warner Bros. TV and Lionsgate.

"We've gone beyond our library and licensed content from all the major players," Gaspin said.

Other programming assets include "Twin Peaks," "Tales From the Crypt," "Freddy's Nightmares" and "Friday the 13th: The Series."

Chiller will be targeted at both men and women 18-34.

While Chiller is the first cable channel dedicated to the horror genre, it's got some competition in the form of FearNet. That's the video-on-demand/Web site partnership among Comcast, Lionsgate and Sony.

Gaspin said he doesn't consider a VOD/Web site to be "in competition" with Chiller, though he said there's "a chance they will become competitive" if Comcast decides to add a linear FearNet cable channel.

NBC U first explored the idea of an all-horror channel more than a year ago but opted instead to launch Sleuth, a cabler focused on crime programming. Nonetheless, a complete business model was drawn up, and NBC U even locked up the rights to the Chiller name.

Chiller was put on the back burner until just a couple months ago, however. That's when NBC U became aware of DirecTV's desire to add more HD channels to its lineup.

"Just launching this as an HD channel didn't make much economic sense for us," Gaspin said. NBC U was able to strike a deal with DirecTV to put Chiller on a regular programming tier, however, giving NBC the incentive to greenlight the channel.

"We'd done all the legwork already, so it wasn't difficult to ramp this one up," he added.

Chiller will follow the same basic business model as Sleuth, initially relying on library product before slowly adding some original content. Indeed, less than two years after launch, Sleuth is already profitable -- and Gaspin expects Chiller to start making money for the Peacock in two years or less.

"While everyone's talking about the new media and all these other platforms, the fact that we've been able to sneak in a couple of these emerging networks is impressive," Gaspin said. "Our distribution team gets a ton of credit for making these kinds of deals. They represent a significant source of revenue" for NBC U.

In addition to overseeing Chiller on a day-to-day basis, Harrison also oversees Sleuth and Universal HD.

'Freddy's Nightmares' and 'Friday the 13th: the Series'... COUNT ME IN!

Will they show movies? And if they do will they be uncut and commercial free, or will they edit the shit out of them like Sci-Fi? Probably the latter.

I'm stuck with Time Warner. We never get any of the new channels.

Especially with all the new HD channels that DirecTV is going to be rolling out, I really want to switch, but they don't offer any network channels in HD in my area. Hell, my cable company only offers ABC and CBS. Once Direct offers locals in HD in my area, I'll definitely make the switch.

The Monster HD Channel on Dish Network is awesome. Not sure this would do much for me when they edit down most movies, though.

At first it will seem like a cool channel when they are airing stuff like Friday the 13th the Series and Monsters. But a year later they will start using late hours for infomercials and then they will start adding stuff like CSI and Murder She Wrote

Good money says that if they last five years the only things they'll be showing by then are wrestling and reality shows.

theres a channel here in Canada called scream, when it first started it had some good movies. now it just plays 2 movies a day and repeats them til death.
i take it the same will happen with this channel.

that what will happen %100.

How in the hell is Braveheart scary!

Sci-Fi channel airs 'Passions', the soap opera. That's all I have to add .

I read about that in a magazine once, didn't it have vampires & some other supernatural stuff in it. I've never seen it, but I assumed that's why they were airing it.

I am wondering if the Alfred Hitchcock Presents will be the old one or the new one (or both?). While the old one wasa great series, I am hoping I can see the one from the 80's instead. I am dying to see the episode called "Final Escape" where the woman tries to break out of prison. That final scene still haunts me to this day.

If they show stuff unedited, I'm all for it. If everything is cut up...no reason even to have the channel...especially a horror one.

In the very least, it would nice if they did something like Comedy Cental's Secret Stash... show the unedited versions after a certain time on Friday and Saturday nights.

I hope DirecTV doesn't have a satellite exclusive because I'd like to see Dish pick this up.

You think they'll use the six fingered hand from the old Chiller Theatre as the logo. I'm hoping for some old 50's B movie atomic horror movies. I'm also hoping that my cheap-ass cable provider willl not require me to subscribe to the $125 month tier in order to get the channel. I can dream, can't I?

Will AMC go bankrupt if Chiller manages to get the broadcast rights to Halloween 4 and 5 away from them?

If they can put Friday the 13th the series on this channel, why can't they put on DVD????

Slighty off topic, but does anyone know how Dish's 'Monster HD' is? I'd love to have a decent all horror channel.

You would think that a horror channel would be highly successful. Think about how many profitable horror movies are made each year. Obviously it is more complicated than that or else we would all have a horror channel or two.

I have been petitioning my cable company to add a horror channel for years. Maybe one day....fingers crossed.

To those that care (and have DirecTV), DTV is doing a "sneak preview" this weekend for the Chiller programming on channel 101.

I just saw they are going to be showing a shortlived USA show called Good vs Evil (GvsE). I loved that show!!

If this promo is an accurate representation it looks like the original Alfred Hitchcock Presents, movies in OAR and an HD simulcast.

Chiller Promo Reel

one good thing is they may get into some original programming. That just puts more stuff out there. Remeber Stargate is a Sci Fi original.