The Music Factory (TMF) was an originally Dutch
brand
A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...
of television and radio channels operated focusing on
pop music
Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...
. It was similar to the American
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
which took over TMF in 2001.
TMF operated channels in the
Netherlands
)
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, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
(TMF Nederland) as well as in the
UK with
TMF UK
TMF (The Music Factory) was a music video and entertainment channel in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The channel was owned by Viacom International Media Networks and was originally a Dutch channel. Formed after the two other TMF stations, whic ...
and
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
with (
TMF Australia
''MTV Hits'' is an Australian and New Zealand subscription music channel focused on hit music. The channel first launched in Australia in April 2007 (as ''The Music Factory''), and later launched in New Zealand on 1 December 2011.
The channel ...
). The brand is owned by MTV Networks International (part of the
Viacom Viacom, an abbreviation of Video and Audio Communications, may refer to:
* Viacom (1952–2006), a former American media conglomerate
* Viacom (2005–2019), a former company spun off from the original Viacom
* Viacom18, a joint venture between Par ...
conglomerate). It shows only
pop videos and locally produced live programming in Belgium and likewise with TMF Netherlands before its closure, the British TMF aired some of MTV's and VH1's programmes like ''
Cribs'', ''
Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica'', ''
Hogan Knows Best
''Hogan Knows Best'' is an American reality documentary television series on VH1. The series debuted on July 10, 2005 and centered on the family life of professional wrestler Hulk Hogan (Terry Bollea). Often focusing on the Hogans' raising of th ...
'' and ''
Run's House
''Run's House'' is an American reality television series that debuted on October 13, 2005. The series chronicles the family life of former Run–D.M.C. rapper and hip-hop music pioneer Joseph Simmons, also known as Rev Run.
Background
The ser ...
''.
The channel operated until 26 October 2009 in the UK and Ireland, 1 September 2011 in the Netherlands and 1 November 2015 in
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
. The brand is owned by
Viacom International Media Networks
Paramount International Networks (PIN) is the international division of Paramount Global. The division oversees the production, broadcasting and promotion of key Paramount's brands outside of the United States. These brands include Paramount Net ...
, the international arm of
Viacom Viacom, an abbreviation of Video and Audio Communications, may refer to:
* Viacom (1952–2006), a former American media conglomerate
* Viacom (2005–2019), a former company spun off from the original Viacom
* Viacom18, a joint venture between Par ...
.
TMF Nederland
TMF Nederland was launched on 1 May 1995 as the only local pop station in the Netherlands. It was founded by Lex Harding and the
Arcade
Arcade most often refers to:
* Arcade game, a coin-operated game machine
** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade game's hardware
** Arcade system board, a standardized printed circuit board
* Amusement arcade, a place with arcade games
* ...
company. The station gradually began to get better viewer figures than MTV, so in 2002, MTV bought shares in TMF. Since 1996 headquartered in
Bussum
Bussum () is a commuter town and former municipality in the Gooi region in the south east of the province of North Holland in the Netherlands near Hilversum. Since 2016, Bussum has been part of the new municipality of Gooise Meren.
Bussum had a ...
, the channel was notable for its dance music mixes. In 2005, three new channels, plus a radio station began broadcasting in the Netherlands under the TMF brand:
*
TMF Dance
TMF Dance (formerly TMF Party) was a digital theme channel part of MTV Networks Benelux.
The channel, along with the channels TMF Pure, TMF NL, and Nick Jr.
Nick Jr. (known on-air as the Nick Jr. Channel) is an American pay television chann ...
- specialised in German, British, French, Belgian and Dutch
trance
Trance is a state of semi-consciousness in which a person is not self-aware and is either altogether unresponsive to external stimuli (but nevertheless capable of pursuing and realizing an aim) or is selectively responsive in following the dir ...
and
house music
House is a music genre characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 120 beats per minute. It was created by Disc jockey, DJs and music producers from Chicago metropolitan area, Chicago' ...
. Formerly known as "TMF Party".
*
TMF NL
TMF NL was a digital music television channel of MTV Networks Benelux that broadcast on all major digital platforms in the Netherlands and Belgium from 2005 to 2011. The station was presented along with three other digital channels of MTV Networ ...
- specialised in local Dutch music.
*
TMF Pure
TMF Pure was a digital TV channel of MTV Networks Benelux.
The channel launched together with three other digital channels of MTV Networks on 1 May 2005. This channel, TMF NL and TMF Dance were among the first digital theme channels in the Net ...
- specialised in Soul, and
R&B music
Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...
.
*
TMF Hit Radio - Launched on 27 December 2006 and later dropped the TMF branding which soon after became 'Hit Radio'
On 1 September 2011, TMF Nederland ceased broadcasting in the Netherlands entirely, and on 31 December 2011 all digital channels ceased operations.
TMF Flanders
TMF Flanders (TMF Vlaanderen) was the first international extension of the TMF brand, broadcast to viewers in the
Belgian
Belgian may refer to:
* Something of, or related to, Belgium
* Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent
* Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German
*Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...
region of
Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...
. TMF Flanders first day on air was October 3, 1998. TMF Flanders was the first Flemish-specific channel that was dedicated to video clip broadcast. VJs at the beginning included Stijn Smets, Yasmine, Inge Moerenhout and Katja Retsin. In the early few years, the broadcasts of TMF Flanders were conducted from the same Dutch studio facility that operated TMF Netherlands.
Until 2010 its broadcast were entirely in
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
with local
Flemish
Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...
presenters. From the start, TMF Flanders is being distributed via
cable-TV
Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with broa ...
(analog and/or
digital) and
IPTV
Internet Protocol television (IPTV) is the delivery of television content over Internet Protocol (IP) networks. This is in contrast to delivery through traditional terrestrial, satellite, and cable television formats. Unlike downloaded media, ...
. Founded in 1998, its headquarters were in
Mechelen
Mechelen (; french: Malines ; traditional English name: MechlinMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical contex ...
but moved to
Lint and later (after the re-alignment of VIMN Northern Europe) to
Antwerp
Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504, (local office) and
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
(channel operations). It is the sole TMF channel that is currently still in operation, but it has dropped all its presented programs in 2012. Since 2014
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programming ...
airs on its channel after 10pm. On November 1, 2015 TMF Vlaanderen ceased broadcasting. The channel was replaced by Comedy Central Vlaanderen, ending the TMF-era. In 2007, a second channel was launched and began broadcasting under the TMF brand:
*
TMF Live HD
TMF was a Belgium, Belgian pay television channel whose programming was centred towards Music video, pop music videoclips. TMF was operated by Viacom International Media Networks Northern Europe, Viacom International Media Networks.
Originally an ...
- specialised in live music.
On 31 July 2010, TMF Live HD ceased operations.
On 1 November 2015, TMF Flanders ceased broadcasting in Belgium entirely, making
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programming ...
a 24 hours channel.
TMF UK & Ireland
![TMFUK&Australia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/TMFUK%26Australia.gif)
TMF launched on 30 October 2002 as a counter against
EMAP
Ascential plc, formerly EMAP, is a British business-to-business media business specialising in exhibitions & festivals and information services. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.
History
Ric ...
's
The Hits
The Hits was a music video channel broadcast in the United Kingdom and Ireland, owned by Box Television. On 15 August 2008 it was rebranded as 4Music.
Overview and availability
The channel showcased a range of pop centred on chart hits and cur ...
request music channel on
Freeview Freeview may refer to:
* Freeview (Australia), the marketing name for the digital terrestrial television platform in Australia
* Freeview (New Zealand), a digital satellite and digital terrestrial television platform in New Zealand
*Freeview (UK), ...
. The channel was also available on
Sky Digital and
Virgin Media
Virgin Media is a British telecommunications company which provides telephone, Cable television, television and Internet access, internet services in the United Kingdom. Its headquarters are at Green Park in Reading, Berkshire, Reading, Engla ...
. The channel, alongside its music output, showed reruns of successful
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
and
VH1 shows such as ''
Pimp My Ride
''Pimp My Ride'' is an American television series produced by MTV and hosted by rapper Xzibit, which ran for six seasons on MTV from 2004 to 2007. In each episode, a car in poor condition is both restored and customized. The work on the show w ...
'', ''
Jackass'' and ''
Cribs''. There was also a
Noggin
Noggin may refer to:
General
* Noggin or gill (volume), a unit of volume
* Noggin (cup), a small cup
* Noggin, slang for head
A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, an ...
strand in the morning for pre-school children.
On Mondays, TMF used to broadcast The Official
UK Top 40
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
narrated by
Phil Clifton
Phil Clifton is a British television and Sony nominated radio presenter, appearing on MTV (UK and Ireland), Radio X and formerly Channel 4.
Career
Radio
Phil began presenting on Xfm London and Xfm Manchester in 2008. He was later nominated for ...
, a day after it was broadcast on
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
. The show featured videos of the singles of the previous week and charts their position in terms of record sales. On 26 October 2009, TMF UK & Ireland was replaced with the UK version of
VIVA
Viva may refer to:
Companies and organisations
* Viva (network operator), a Dominican mobile network operator
* Viva Air, a Spanish airline taken over by flag carrier Iberia
* Viva Air Dominicana
* VIVA Bahrain, a telecommunication company
* ...
.
TMF Australia
MTV Networks Australia launched a local version of TMF as a fully integrated, multi-platform 24-hour music channel in May 2007. TMF focused on the interactive playground and along with a selection of music video clips including programming and viewer-generated content including images, videos, text-based applications and graphics. Furthering the connectivity between the platforms, TMF was the first music channel in Australia to seamlessly connect all platforms as well as simulcast to mobile 24 a day via the
Optus
Singtel Optus Pty Limited (commonly referred to as Optus) is an Australian Telecommunications in Australia, telecommunications company headquartered in Macquarie Park, New South Wales, Australia. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore, Si ...
Zoo mobile portal launched in September 2007.
However, in November 2010, TMF Australia was replaced with an Australian version of
MTV Hits
MTV Hits is a music video-only spin-off cable/satellite television channel of MTV in several international markets, originally based on the pop music format of a defunct programming block on the American MTV itself. It may refer to the following ch ...
.
TMF Awards
The channel organized an annual music award show, the TMF Awards, in the Netherlands and Belgium.
In addition, there were the
TMF Game Awards, an annual awards show for
games
A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (such ...
.
History
In 1995 multimedia company Arcade and former DJ Lex Harding received an idea to set up a Dutch music channel. In contrast to countries like Germany (VIVA) and France (MCM), the Netherlands did not have a national music channel. Harding, at that time director of Radio 538, felt that the time was right. And so within two months by a handful of people, led by Lex, with might and worked on the launch of "The Music Factory". On May 1, 1995 at 16:00 it was so far, TMF started with a spectacular live shows which include all VJs (video jockeys) were asked for and the programming was announced. Only it is called in the very beginning still MC6.
VJs
VJs who were there from the beginning were:
Erik de Zwart
Erik de Zwart (born 16 June 1957 in Amsterdam) is a Dutch broadcaster, former D.J., former Music Box, The Music Factory and MTV V.J. and media entrepreneur.
He was co-founder and shareholder of Radio 538 (1992) and The Music Factory (1995).
P ...
,
Fabienne de Vries,
Jeroen Post,
Isabelle Brinkman
Isabel is a female name of Spanish origin. Isabelle is a name that is similar, but it is of French origin. It originates as the medieval Spanish form of '' Elisabeth'' (ultimately Hebrew ''Elisheva''), Arising in the 12th century, it became popul ...
,
Michael Pilarczyk,
Ruud de Wild Ruud and Rud are surnames of Norwegian origin. Both are also Norwegian place names of numerous farmsteads named Rud or Ruud from Old Norse ''ruð'' meaning clearing. Ruud is also a Dutch masculine given name meaning "famous wolf" although it is also ...
,
Sylvana Simons and
Wessel van Diepen
Wessel Dietrich van Diepen (born 12 November 1966) is a Dutch radio host, music producer, voice actor and former TV presenter. Under the pseudonym DJ Delmundo, he is part of Danski & Delmundo, the production duo behind internationally famous act ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Music Factory
Paramount International Networks
Music organisations based in the Netherlands