David Farnor | On 19, Sep 2016

Vice is entering the UK TV arena on Monday 19th September, with a new channel called Viceland.

The new channel marks the first time the media giant has launched a channel in the UK, with Viceland already having launched in the USA and Canada.

“Over the past decade, Vice has been making game changing video content on the internet and in doing so, transformed the way people make shows about food, news, fashion, culture, tech and more,” Viceland’s creative director Alex Miller tells the RadioTimes.

“Just as we changed the way everyone thought about online video, Viceland will change the way we think about a TV channel. We’re launching with a slate that we think fulfils our goal: to make Viceland the the most original and important TV channel for young people in the country.”

The launch this September marks almost the opposite of BBC Three’s shift from an offline TV channel to an online digital hub. With the pair both targeting younger viewers, will Viceland be able to steal some of that audience still looking for linear TV?

One obstacle will be Viceland’s availability: the channel will be available exclusively on Sky, with customers getting on-demand access to the first episode of selected series 24 hours ahead of their linear premiere. For non-Sky customers, streaming service NOW gives users contract-free access to Viceland (but only on-demand, not live), alongside a bunch of Sky channels (including Sky Atlantic – Billions – and FOX UK – The Walking Dead) for £6.99 a month.

Despite its pay-TV approach, though, Vice’s new TV channel has some strong talent on-board, with Being John Malkovich director Spike Jonze overseeing the channel’s development and British hosts Clive Martin, Grace Neutral and Jamali Maddix lined up, along people such as Elliot Page.

Now, Viceland has given us the first glimpse of what’s in store, with a new video on its YouTube page.

“A new TV channel for everyone curious about the world. VICELAND is here for music, food, art, sex, drugs, fashion, film, sports, technology and everything else that makes up life today,” says the video’s description.

What’s on Viceland?

Original programming available through the channel will include…

Gaycation (with Elliot Page and Ian Daniel)

Huang’s World (with Eddie Huang)

Noisey (with Zach Goldbaum)

F*ck, That’s Delicious (with Action Bronson)

Weediquette (with Krishna Andavolu)

 

The channel will launch with The Viceland Census, a one-off film studying young people’s attitudes towards politics, sex, drugs, crime and food – all the big topics.

Other UK content will include Big Night Out, a factual series hosted by Clive Martin, who explores Europe’s underground party scenes, Hate for Beginners, in which Jamali Maddix befriends extremists, and Needles & Pins (working title), which sees Grace Neutral investigate global tattoo culture.

The Rule Brittania documentary series will also be on the channel, shining a light on underground and forgotten corners of the UK, and Black Market, hosted by Michael K Williams, investigating the world’s underground economies. (They like using the word “underground” a lot.)

The channel’s launch in the UK arrives as Vice enjoys awards recognition, with Vice News earning Emmy nominations for four documentaries.

The channel is available from Monday 19th September on Sky Channel 153. For more information on NOW, hit the button below.

 

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