VH1 (European TV channel)

VH1 (referred as VH1 Europe) is a European music television channel owned by ViacomCBS Networks EMEAA. It plays a wide variety of music programs on a daily or weekly basis, and various VH1 original series. VH1 Europe in 2013 was the only major music channel in Western Europe still broadcasting in the 4:3 ratio while others were broadcasting in 16:9. Since 28 May 2014, VH1 Europe is broadcasting in 16:9.

VH1
Broadcast area
NetworkMTV
Slogan"The home of more" (2013–2020)
"Sing It Loud" (2020–present)
HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
Programming
Language(s)English
Picture format1080i HDTV
(downscaled to 16:9 576i for the SDTV feed)
Ownership
OwnerViacomCBS Networks EMEAA
Sister channelsMTV
Club MTV
MTV 80s
MTV 90s
MTV Hits
MTV Live
MTV Music
History
Launched1995 (1995) (2 separate feeds in the UK and Germany)
June 1999 (1999-06) (as VH1 Export)
2001 (2001) (as VH1 Europe)
7 October 2020 (2020-10-07) (HD feed launch; launch in Latin America)

On 7 October 2020 at 13:28 CET, VH1 Europe changed its on-screen graphics to graphics VH1 Italy has been using since 2018. The new slogan is "Sing It Loud".

Also, ever since the branding changed, the artist and song name info is now up for most of the duration of the song, instead of the beginning and the end only. This is much like the decade-based Now channels and Clubland TV (although these channels did also display these graphics in the larger font at the start and the end of the song).

The HD version of VH1 Europe began broadcasting on 7 October 2020. This signal replaced VH1 HD in Brazil and Latin America.

The SD feed of VH1 Europe received in Latin America is similar to the channel's feed that is distributed in Russia and ex-Soviet republics (that means that the special programme idents are not aired), with the difference being not airing age ratings, in compliance with Russian television laws. Meanwhile, the channel's HD feed aired in Latin America airs the same content as the main channel in Europe.

History

It appeared for the first time in the UK and Germany in Spring 1995 and the version airing in the UK was subsequently distributed across the whole of Europe as VH1 Export from June 1999. However, its current pan-European feed was officially launched in 2001 by merging VH1 Export and VH1 Germany, hence becoming a separate service from the UK-aimed VH1 channel.[1]

Programming

This European version of VH1 is very different from its American counterpart, since it has never ceased to be a proper music channel, playing a wide variety of music programs on a daily or weekly basis. VH1 Europe covers many styles of music through a comprehensive selection of music videos ranging from the 1970s to today, using MTV Networks Europe's London-based music video library. In 1995–1999 and since 2014, there was the 1984–1987 and 2011–present American VH-1 logo.

One Pan-European feed

Since 5 August 2010, most of the European feeds of VH1 are one common music channel which airs commercials. Starting this date, VH1 started to air the first commercial in some regions, thus following the trend of the regional resellers (cable companies) to air specific language and area commercials. The regional cover-up aspect of VH1 by this date has been less aggressive as it did not have commercial and shopping shows. The revenue came only from subscribers and since then the change in its politics means VH1 now allows third parties to overlap commercial clips with regional commercials. This increases the revenue by an additional percentage and it cannot increase the low audition percentage it has on the TV market.

Themed shows

Until early 2008, VH1 Europe's schedule was largely based upon music programming, although some shows imported from VH1 US or MTV US (including classic episodes of Beavis & Butt-head, Pop-Up Video and The Osbournes) could be seen during primetime hours as well. In February 2008, the station received a major makeover in its timeslot programming, with further specialist shows being added to the already existing ones, featuring selections of music videos linked by common themes (VH1 Themed, Smells Like The 90s, VH1 Pop Chart, Boogie Night, Flipside, Chill Out, So 80s, Viva La Disco, Sunday Soul, VH1 New, VH1 Rocks, Top 10, Final Countdown, Then & Now, VH1 Classic, Smooth Wake Up, Saturday Night Fever, Best Of Charts, Greatest Hits, Aerobic, Espresso, VH1 Oldschool, Cover Power...). In January 2010, the only daily hour of non-music related programming on VH1 Europe – formerly airing between noon and 1 p.m. – was replaced by music video-based programming. The channel's schedule now purely consists of music programming.

VH1 Jukebox

For 2 hours each day, between 18.00 and 20.00 CET, the channel played selections of videos submitted by viewers via the channel's website on a show called VH1 Jukebox. The show was cancelled in summer 2010.

Regular programming on VH1
Main article: List of programs broadcast by VH1 (Europe)

Prior to August 31, 2020, the channel broadcast the following series:

  • VH1 Shuffle
  • Hits Don't Lie
  • Guess the Year (1980.-2009.)
  • This Week's VH1 Top 10
  • We Love The: 00s
  • We Love The: 10s
  • Artist: The Hits
  • Top 50

After the mentioned date, the schedule has been adapted to broadcast songs from year 2000, onwards:

  • Songs of the Century
  • Class of 2000-2019
  • We Love The: 00s
  • Guess the Year
  • Artist: The Hits (with new musicians)
  • Top 50
  • Shuffle
  • Hits Don't Lie

Availability

VH1 broadcasts from MTV Networks Europe's premises in Camden Town (London, UK) to Europe, except San Marino, and covering also the Middle East and Africa. On 1 June 2010, it became officially available in Russia as well, replacing the former local version VH1 Russia. On 1 October 2012, Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina got their regional version of VH1 called VH1 Adria, which replaced the pan-European feed until 1 February 2015 at 6 AM CET, when it was replaced again by VH1 Europe. On 1 February 2017, programming of VH1 Poland were replaced with VH1 Europe's programming, then on 3 March 2020 VH1 Poland was replaced by VH1 Europe.

VH1 is available in almost every digital platform in the above-mentioned areas. VH1 covers countries from Europe, Middle East, Latin America and Africa.[2]

Logos
  • 1st logo (1995-1999).
  • 2nd logo (1999-2004).
  • 3rd logo (2004-2014).
  • 4th logo (2014-2020).
  • Current logo (2020 - present)

References
  1. Chalaby, Jean K. (2009). Transnational Television in Europe: Reconfiguring Global Communications Networks. I.B.Tauris. p. 129. ISBN 9780857717474.
  2. "RRTV" (PDF). RRTV. 6 October 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 March 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
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