Participant Media plans to launch new cable channel

MUMBAI: Production company Participant Media revealed its plans to start its own cable channel by combining the assets of two channels, The Documentary Channel and Halogen TV.

Participant Media is a production house that has churned out films like ?An Inconvenient Truth,? ?Food, Inc.? and ?Waiting for ?Superman?.

The company said it was aiming to start the yet-to-be-named channel in the summer of 2013. The channel reins will be handled by Evan Shapiro who was earlier president at IFC and the Sundance Channel. He joined Participant Media last spring.

On launching, the new channel will reach 40 million homes owing to its recent channel acquisitions. The company said on Monday that it had completed a deal to acquire The Documentary Channel, which is available in about 25 million homes, and was working on a deal to take over Halogen TV?s channel position in about 15 million homes.

Participant Media founder Jeff Skoll was quoted in the New York Times, ?The goal of Participant is to tell stories that serve as catalysts for social change. With our television channel, we can bring those stories into the homes of our viewers every day.?

The content of the channel could include documentary films made by Participant Media and other producers. The company also revealed that the channel will have original programming.

Shapiro informed that the channel will target viewers under the age of 35 that cable and satellite distributors are ?most at risk of losing.? Participant Media might try to get the channel picked up by pitching it as a way for distributors to retain young subscribers.