http://www.thefutoncritic.com/cgi/p...=20051102nuts01

"Burbank, CA - November 2, 2005 - NBC Universal Cable Entertainment announces the launch of SLEUTH, a 24-hour entertainment cable channel dedicated to the popular - and enduring - crime, mystery and suspense genre. The announcement was made today by Jeff Gaspin, President, NBC Universal Cable Entertainment, Digital Content and Cross Network Strategy and David Zaslav, President, NBC Universal Cable.

SLEUTH, launching January 1, 2006, will be the first network to offer a digital triple pack service, which features a standard definition digital channel (SD), hi-definition simulcast channel (HD), and a video-on-demand (VOD) channel offered as a digital bundle. The SD digital channel will be available January 1, 2006, with the VOD and HD offerings available later in 2006.

At launch the network will have more than 5 million subscribers through distribution deals with Time Warner Cable, the first affiliate to carry SLEUTH.

The new channel will feature crime and mystery classics from NBC Universal's extensive library of feature films, classic television shows, reality series and documentaries. Programming includes popular and cult television series like "Miami Vice," "The A-Team," and "Knight Rider." Crime, mystery and suspense films like "Scarface," "The Jackal," "Casino," "Sneakers" and "Mercury Rising" will be in the SD and HD lineups, with at least 20 hours of content from the channels offered on demand at any given time to consumers. "

Additional info available through the link, above.

I read this too. Does anyone know if Sleuth will be coming to satellite (specifically DirecTV?

No mention of Law and Order on an NBC Sleuth channel? Those deals with USA and TNT must be the culprit.

There's bound to be more Cable, DBS and Telco companies signing up for the channel in the next 2 months. At the fast rate that FiOS Tv has been going, I'd expect them to announce a deal soon.

I see this going the way of the Fox Reality Channel. Do we really need all these specialty networks? Waste of bandwidth, IMHO.

Was this really a channel people were clamoring for?

Why they don't just send a HD channel down is beyond me. If local cable affiliates don't want to carry it as HD, they can down-res it to SD. (The same IMHO goes for TNT - they should just cutover to HD, and let the cable affiliates down-res it.)

Because then cable companies would have to install new, pricey equipment to handle receiving the HD signal and downconverting it. (Granted, that's more of a problem with an already-established channel like TNT -- if they were to switch to HD only, they'd find themselves suddenly gone from many cable systems.)

The normal programming grid:

http://www.nbccableinfo.com/insiden...id_janfeb06.pdf

So, how many new shopping or foreign language channels does DirecTv need to add before they'll get this channel ?

At least it has Karen Cisco.

A-Team > Karen Cisco and I pity the foo who don't know it.

Probably too old, but I'd tune in for Ellery Queen and Banacek.

The HD channel sounds like the already existant Universal HD, already showing SUV, Karen Cisco, etc. What a waste!

directv anyone?

I doubt it - arn't they having problems getting HD locals out to people in order to stop them jumping to cable. I can't imagine them seeing a reason to carry this.

I love that show. Cant believe it only got 10 episodes. Looks great in HD. I think I've seen each episode multiple times on Universal HD.

ps its Sisco. Not like the router company.

http://www.sleuthchannel.com

I found this while trying out various permutations of what the channel's website might be.

I hope DIRECTV gets this but I'm betting they won't.

The usual ratio for DirecTv in adding new channels over the last couple of years has been:

10 Foreign Language,

5 Religious,

2 Shopping,

a Partridge in a Pear Tree (wild card),

and finally one moderately tolerable entertainment channel.

DTV did this with the Horror Channel. I sent them an E-mail asking them to carry it. But I got an email telling me about the other great channels they have.