Astral pay, specialty services announce lineups
Astral Media Inc.’s The Family Channel, The Movie Network, Mpix and Viewer’s Choice properties recently unveiled their 2006/2007 programming schedule. Dexter, a crime thriller series produced by the US’ Showtime service, will debut on the Montreal broadcaster’s The Movie Network (TMN) pay TV service this fall, while heavyweight Mafia series The Sopranos will return in 2007 along with other HBO fare such as Rome, Big Love and Entourage. On the Cancon front, TMN will also air two original series: Bon Voyage, which will air in November; and Durham County, a six-parter slated to begin in the spring of 2007.
On kid-friendly specialty channel The Family Channel, viewers will be treated to new series such as Hannah Montana, Cory in the House and The Replacements, as well as new seasons of returning favourites such as Life With Derek, Naturally Sadie, Zoey 101 and Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide. The channel will also air movies obtained from the Disney Channel including The Cheetah Girls 2: When in Spain and Halloweentown 4: Witch U. Finally, the Mpix classic movie channel and the Viewer’s Choice pay-per-view channel will feature vintage favourites such as Saturday Night Fever and Smokey and the Bandit as well as live sports events such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship and TNA Wrestling.

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