my community channel

Community Channel has signed a content deal with Joost™, the world's first broadcast-quality Internet television service. Joost has also pledged to sign up to the Channel’s Joint Declaration. 

All of the major UK broadcasters pledged to help support Community Channel by signing a Joint Declaration in November 2004.  Joost has pledged its commitment to joining this list of signatories, signalling its support for the Channel and its mandate to give an even louder voice to the voluntary sector.

Alongside this commitment to the Joint Declaration, Community Channel and Joost have agreed a content deal to showcase some of the Channel’s most popular shows on Joost.

The initial tranche of programming includes: Summit about the Boy, Giving Nation TV Challenge, Together We Can, Louie, Me and Hepatitis C, No Limits and Charge. This line up will be bolstered with regular monthly updates of fresh content from the channel.

Dedicated to reflecting the voices and stories of the voluntary and charity sectors, Community Channel inspires viewers to get involved with the causes, social initiatives and organisations showcased on the channel. Joost’s community-orientated features, like instant messaging, the ability to rank content and the shared viewing experience, perfectly compliment Community Channel’s continued drive to build wider socially active and engaged communities.

Nick Ware, controller for Community Channel commented:  “This is a really significant partnership for Community Channel, both with the signing of this major content deal, but also to have Joost’s commitment to signing up to the Channel’s Joint Declaration. It’s fantastic news that they are backing the Channel in this way and share our vision to promote social and community issues”.

Yvette Alberdingk Thijm, executive vice president, content strategy and acquisition for Joost added, “We are delighted to launch Community Channel on Joost and we look forward to signing the Joint Declaration. Community Channel offers our viewers a bold and distinctive programming mix, which gets to the heart of many issues that matter to communities across the UK.”

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Notes to Editors

About Community Channel:
Community Channel is dedicated to engaging audiences with the charitable and voluntary sector, showcasing stories and issues that inspire action and encourage involvement.  Broadcasting original shows, the best of terrestrial TV and showcasing the work of new directors and community programme makers, Community Channel is the place for real-life stories from communities around the world. The channel is a free-to-air TV station available to 16.5 million digital households in the UK. Around 1.2 million people tune in every month (source: BARB) and we receive more than 12,000 responses a week from viewers.

About the Joint Declaration:
BBC Director General Mark Thompson and Sky's CEO James Murdoch agreed to a Joint Declaration of support for the Community Channel along with eight other major players in the British media industry - Channel Four, Five, ITV, ITN, Discovery, Flextech, GMTV and the independent's body PACT.  The broadcasters renewed the agreement, launched on 1st November 2004, on 6th July 2006, with additional signatories - MTV, BT Vision, Disney and Turner.

The Broadcasters' declaration helps the channel as it strives to give a louder voice to the voluntary sector. As well as committing to give a higher profile to such content the broadcasters have pledged to promote the channel when editorially relevant.

Broadcasters' Joint Declaration of Support
"We agree to make the Community Channel a key external TV partner in our efforts to bring news, information and enthusiasm about the work of the voluntary, charitable and community sectors to our viewers.

"Wherever possible we undertake to make relevant programming available to the Community Channel once it has fulfilled its uses on our own services.

"Wherever editorially relevant we will use on-air references and pointers to inform viewers about the programming and information available on the Community Channel. We will develop a marketing plan jointly with the Community Channel to help viewers to find it. We will work with regulators and others to ensure that effective information can be given about the Community Channel."

Agreed by BBC, BSkyB, Channel Four, Five, Flextech Television, Discovery Networks Europe, GMTV, ITN, ITV, Pact, MTV, BT Vision, Disney and Turner.