TMF was a music video and entertainmentchannel in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The channel is owned by Viacom International Media Networks and was originally a Dutch channel. Formed after the two other TMF stations, which are based in mainland Europe, the channel was created to counter against EMAP's The Hits channel on the new free-to-airdigital terrestrial television service Freeview in 2002. Upon launch, TMF's description was "TMF is designed to replicate the rhythms of the whole family, playing the best pop videos with the biggest pop stars to become the sound track to the British family life." However, it had since broadened its content to show programmes from its sister channels MTV, VH1, Nick Jr. and Comedy Central, so no longer relied on just music videos. TMF broadcast on Freeview, Sky and Virgin Media and as well as in some Irish cable packages. The channel was the most viewed music video related station in the UK, according to BARB ratings.
Shows on TMF
MTV/VH1 programming
TMF initially launched as a non-stop music channel, though from early 2004 began to show various programmes from MTV and VH1.
Nick Jr on TMF had replaced the strand Noggin on 25 September 2006, but its programming has remained identical. It used the same ident and presentation package as its main sister, Nick Jr. The reason for the change is unknown, but could possibly be due to the fact the Nick Jr brand is more well known in the United Kingdom than Noggin. Programmes shown included LazyTown, Dora the Explorer, Thomas & Friends, and The Backyardigans amongst others.
In January 2007 TMF began showing comedies broadcast on Paramount Comedy, in a strand entitled Comedy Classics. These have included the likes of The Wonder Years, Ally McBeal and Cheers, as well as various Paramount films. During The Friday Movie strand, the channel's DOG changed to an enlarged version, with a re-arranged name displaying "TFM".
Own programming
In August 2005, TMF commissioned two new shows called Pop the Q and Game One. In early 2006 came The Loaded Hour, and in the summer a new live show called TMF Live. With the exception of Pop the Q, none of the shows had a second series.
Replacement and closure
On 14 October 2009, MTV Networks announced plans to replace TMF with a new music and comedy channel. Viva replaced TMF on 26 October 2009. The final music video that was shown on TMF was Whitney Houston's "Million Dollar Bill" at around 5:55am on 26 October 2009. After this, the channel showed its Noggin children's strand, which has been running since TMF launched. This then faded into a promo consisting of music videos at 9am. The last video played on the promo programme Up Your Video was Cheryl Cole's "Fight For This Love" at about 3:55pm on 26 October 2009.
