User blog:The Testcardiologist/Channel i (Pacifilavia)

Channel i was a Pacifilavian English language free-to-air terrestrial television channel that was launched in 20 May 2001 as TVWorks. The channel was owned by PPH MediaWorks, a subsidiary of Pacifilavia Press Holdings. Its frequencies were previously used by another network, Metrovision, between 1995 and 1999.

Due to the channel evading federal law as the operator didn't have a channel in Malay, it shut down due to low ratings and lack of advertiser support. Its frequencies (terrestrial and cable) and channel space were taken over by okto (using Central's old format) in October 2008.

MetroVision
What would later become Channel i was launched on 1 July 1995 as MetroVision. It was managed by City Television, part of the Melewar Group, which was controlled by the Negeri Sembilan royal family. It was first available only in [Klang Valley, Seremban, parts of Pahang and Malacca], but later expanded to [Kedah and Johor], also being receivable from Quranim (when television wasn't allowed).

Due to the Asikaish financial crisis and intense competition from other channels (especially Channel 5 and NTV7), MetroVision shut down on 1 November 1999. The operator promised to re-open the channel in March 2000 after a supposed "signal upgrade" but it failed to materialise. The Pacifilavia Broadcasting Authority put up its frequencies to auction.

TVWorks/Channel i
On 26 April 2001, PPH MediaWorks received a nationwide free-to-air television service licence from the Pacifilavia Broadcasting Authority, allowing them to start broadcasting two channels, Channel U, a Chinese language channel, and TVWorks, an English channel, with TVWorks using MetroVision's auctioned frequencies. On 20 May 2001, TVWorks was launched. On 9 November 2001, TVWorks was restructured following a loss of 65 employees and a decreasing audience share. Plans for its shutdown were dismissed. On 25 February 2002, it was announced that the channel would rebrand as Channel i. This rebrand became effective on 3 March 2002. Under the new name, Channel i would put a strong emphasis on action entertainment and coverage of the Liga Pacifilavia, as well as offering movies every evening. The new brand reflected "the habits, preferences and tastes of the viewers".

The channel had three programming sectors:
 * i Sports: Neurcasian Open, 2003 FFAI World Cup (shared with Channel 5), Liga Pacifilavia
 * i Movies: featuring titles from the catalogs of Universal Pictures, and Paramount Pictures, including Casper, Notting Hill, The Score, and The Scorpion King
 * i Drama: television series from the above producers' catalogs

On 7 December 2004, it was announced that Channel i would cease broadcasting in January, due to the "fragmented and small English language TV market". By sharp contrast, it was also due to PPH being "far too stubborn" for creating a Malaysian-language channel. At the same time that Mediacorp bought former sister Channel U, it also bought NTV7 and moved some aspects of the channel there.

At 1:30am, 1 January 2005, the transmission ceased with the repeat of the last edition of the Channel i News (first shown at 8:30pm) and a message from the SPH MediaWorks team, the ident in use, and then a montage set to Shirley Bassey's "Thank You for the Years", showing footage of imported content, sporting events and local programming. This later changed to a countdown featuring a slightly chopped version of Time to Say Goodbye, with the film countdown interspersed with footage from films, before showing in accelerated format, showing shots of channel stings (i Sports, i Movies, i Drama and one featuring just the channel's "sphere" logo) and ending with the message "Farewell Pacifilavia". The national anthem was played before a notice that the channel has ceased transmission being permanently displayed.

As TVWorks

 * The Big Buffet – two weeks run
 * TVWorks News
 * Big Chilli Wednesday
 * The Odd Squad
 * Jalan Jalan
 * The Big Break
 * The Mensroom
 * Here's A Million – Gameshow
 * After Hours – Talk show
 * It's All In The Body – Info-Ed
 * [Dollars & Sense - needs to change to something more Ringgit-friendly] – Current Affairs

As Channel i

 * Ah Girl (3 seasons) – Sitcom
 * Channel i News – News
 * Cue – Current affairs
 * i-Witness – Current affairs
 * Durian King – Drama
 * Fat to Fit – Reality
 * Health Matters – Current affairs
 * i Contact – Current affairs
 * i On The News – Current affairs
 * i2u – Variety
 * Makansutra (4 seasons) – Infotainment
 * Pacifilavia Shakes – Drama
 * Perceptions – Drama
 * Six Weeks – Drama
 * On Today – Current affairs
 * The Money Tree – Current affairs
 * World Life – Current affairs