Trouble to close on April 1

Virgin Media Television is closing youth-focused channel Trouble on Wednesday 1 April as it seeks to expand its Living brand.

The broadcaster will rebrand and refocus Living2 and look into the launch of a new Living-branded channel later this year.

VMtv said in a statement: “To make way for Living’s expansion, Virgin Media Television confirms today that youth-focused channel Trouble will close on Wednesday 1 April.

“In the short term, Trouble will be replaced on the Sky Digital and Virgin TV EPGs with a new two-hour timeshift of the main Living channel (Living+2). Trouble+1, which occupied a second slot, was replaced in February by Living2+1, a one-hour timeshift of LIVING2.

Jonathan Webb, managing director of VMtv, said: “Our strategy this year is to consolidate our portfolio and develop our powerhouse brands to live on every screen – not just TV.

“These changes will optimise the value of our EPG slots and will strengthen our proposition for our advertisers, our platform customers and, of course, our viewers.”

Claudia Rosencrantz, director of television for VMtv, said: “The Living world of channels is having a brilliant year so far, with record-breaking ratings and commercial impacts up 18% year-on-year.

“We now have a fantastic opportunity to cement Living’s position as the strongest brand in multichannel television.”