Discovery sees Red with new UK free TV net

Discovery Communications is launching Quest Red in the UK, its second free-to-air channel in the territory.

Billed as ‘the home of irresistibly real TV’ the female-skewing channel will sit alongside Discovery’s existing free TV channel in the UK, Salvage Hunters channel Quest.

Discovery CEO David Zaslav gave notice of the UK launch earlier this week, and the name and further details followed this morning.

The channel will, Discovery said in promotional materials, be programmed with shows featuring ‘big personalities, extraordinary worlds, gritty reality, thought-provoking medical, investigative documentaries and real crime’.

It will roll out on March 15 on the Freeview, YouView, BT TV, Talk Talk and Virgin Media platforms, and will also be on Sky after the pay TV operator and Discovery resolved a bitter carriage dispute covering the UK and Germany.

In the wake of that reworked Sky deal, Zaslav has touted the greater range of opportunities available in the UK, Discovery’s biggest international market.

In pay TV Discovery already targets female viewers with its TLC net. In free TV the Quest Red launch line-up includes Is OJ Innocent? The Missing Evidence, Jo Frost: Nanny on Tour, Long Lost Family US, Martin Kemp’s Detective, Vogue Williams Investigates and Paranormal Lockdown with Nick Groff.

“Bright, welcoming and straight talking, Quest Red is ‘the home of irresistibly real TV’ and brings something entirely new to free-to-air television for a female skewing audience,” said Clare Laycock, VP, head of channels at Discovery Networks UK and Ireland.

“With a vibrant fusion of fascinating stories, captivating lifestyles and compelling crime, we’re really excited to launch a new real life entertainment channel tailor-made for audiences who love great TV.”