Vice to launch new TV channel

Oscar-winning director Spike Jonze, has been overseeing the development of the new channel. 

Zlata Rodionova
Thursday 05 November 2015 16:03 GMT
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Vice Media, known for its edgy reporting, is getting its own 24 hours cable channel in February next year, the company announced this week.

Vice has partnered with global content company A&E Networks on the new channel called “VICELAND” It will reach some 70 million households with hours of completely in-house developed and new programming.

Oscar-winning director Spike Jonze, a long-time VICE partner and creative director for the company, has been overseeing the development of the new channel.

“It feels like most channels are just a collection of shows,” said Spike Jonze. “We wanted VICELAND to be different, to feel like everything on there has a reason to exist and a strong point of view,” said the director.

The channel follows the success of the Emmy-award winning TV show ‘VICE on HBO with Bill Maher as executive producer. The show show fourth season is due to air in 2016.

Vice also partenered with MTV for “The Vice Guide to Everything” in 2010 which feature Vice films as well as new material

The trailer for Viceland released on Wednesday includes clips from 10 original shows that Vice had been prepping for TV.

From the highlights released by the company we catch a glimpse of Gaycation with Ellen Page, where the actress explores LGBT communities. Michael K. Williams of the Wire exploring car theft craze in New Jersey in Black Market With Michael K. Williams and music centred documentary series Noisey with Snoop Dogg and Kendrick Lamar exploring their upbringing in Compton, California in the first episode.

Vice Media received a first $250 million investment from A+E more than a year ago, and has since planned to launch a network with the media company.

The launch of VICELAND coincides with VICE’s growth across online and mobile with traffic across Vice's web properties up to 96 million unique visitors in August, according to measurement firm comScore.

“This network is the next step in the evolution of our brand and the first step in our global roll-out of networks around the world,” said Shane Smith, VICE co-founder and CEO.

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