Portland TV was a British adult television company that provided subscription and pay-per-view services to UK audiences on the Sky UK, Virgin TV and Freeview platforms.
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| TV stations | Television X, Xrated, Dirty Talk |
| Headquarters | London Docklands |
Key people | Chris Ratcliff (managing director) |
| Established | 1995 |
| Dissolved | 2020 |
History
editThe company was established in London Docklands in 1995 as the adult broadcasting division of the British publishing group Northern & Shell. At one point, Portland owned its own broadcasting facilities, but they were transferred to Channel 5, which Northern & Shell also then owned.[1]
In 2016, Portland TV was sold by Northern & Shell in a management buy-out, becoming wholly owned by Neon X, in a deal that saw Northern & Shell's complete departure from involvement in the UK television industry.[2] Portland was reportedly sold for less than £1 million after contributing less than two per cent of group revenues per year over the previous three years, or about £9 million per annum. Portland's managing director, Chris Ratcliff, led the buyout.[3] At the time, Portland was broadcasting five adult channels and two on-demand online services.[4]
In September 2020, MindGeek subsidiary MG Global Entertainment (Europe) Limited (now named Aylo Global Entertainment (Europe) Limited), who owned other adult pay-per-view networks in the United Kingdom, purchased Portland TV and merged it into their own operations.[5]
Channels
editTelevision X was launched in 1995.[6] Additional channels were launched as sub-brands of Television X, and the channel began Internet streaming content in 2007. Red Hot TV was launched in 2000 as an additional set of adult channels; the brand was renamed Xrated in 2017.
Current
edit- Television X (Launched in 1995 as "The Fantasy Channel")
- 40+ (Launched in 2017)
Former
edit- Cream
- Dirty Talk
- Filth
- Extreme Filth
- Erotika
- Erotika 1 (Launched in June 2003, closed on 1 March 2004)
- Erotika 2 (Launched in June 2003, closed on 2 February 2004)[7]
- Erotika 3 (Launched in June 2003, closed on 2 February 2004)[7]
- Erotika 4 (Launched in June 2003, closed on 16 October 2003, replaced with Television X 2)
- Erotika 5 (Launched in June 2003, closed on 16 October 2003, replaced with Television X 3)
- Erotika 6 (Launched in June 2003, closed on 16 October 2003)
- Television X sister channels
- Television X Amateur
- Television X Brits
- Television X FFWD
- Skincity
- Viewer's Wives
Regulatory issues
editIn both 2008 and 2009, Portland was fined by Ofcom for broadcasting material equivalent to BBFC classification R18 on their Television X channels. The fines were £52,500 in total. In the same years, Portland was found to have breached the broadcasting code by advertising R18 website content on Red Hot TV, and on the second such occasion Portland was fined £25,000 by Ofcom.[8]
References
edit- ^ "Richard desmond sells adult tv channels for less than £1m". Campaign. Campaign Live. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
- ^ "Goodman Derrick advises Neon X on Portland TV MBO". The lawyer. 6 April 2016.
- ^ William Turvill (1 April 2016). "Porn-no more for Richard Desmond as he sells adult entertainment network Portland TV for less than £1m". City A.M.
- ^ John Plunkett (1 April 2016). "Richard Desmond sells his adult TV channels". The Guardian.
- ^ "New Television X and Adult Channel Sky subscription bundle". Advanced Television Ltd. 5 October 2020.
- ^ Johnson, Beth; Aston, James; Glynn, Basil (2012). Television, Sex and Society: Analyzing Contemporary Representations. EBSCO ebook academic collection. A&C Black. p. 81. ISBN 9780826434982.
- ^ a b Shelley, Darren (2 February 2004). "Three become one for Erotika". Digital Spy.
- ^ Mark Sweney (18 May 2009). "Richard Desmond-owned TV firms fined by Ofcom". The Guardian.