I got the impression that Channel 5’s news was just coming straight from CNA inclusive of the latter’s brand, so the fact that News Tonight is branded in, at least, a neutral way (I’m sure it’d still be simulcast on CNA, or at least the CNA domestic feed) caught me a little off guard.
The whole branding idea’s certainly not a horrible look (though not exactly “wow” either), and I guess it was only a matter of time that the various domestic brands got interlinked with the Mediacorp logo. Almost a surprise they hadn’t done that earlier, although the 60th anniversary of Singapore TV is certainly a good time to do it.
Disney’s trend of removing the Fox branding globally continues. This time, it is happening in the Fox Greek channels (Fox and Fox Life, broadcasting to Greece, Cyprus and Malta); however, these channels are rebranding as FX and FX Life, respectively. The reason for such move is the inability to use the Star Channel brand in Greece, as one of the national commercial channels already brands as such; however, the graphics are well in line with the branding already used in Latin America and Finland. The rebrand happened on March 15.
Around Europe, Denmark commercial-state broadcaster TV 2 is to adopt a new brand identity at the end of March, replacing their long-used symbol, simplified over the years, since their launch:
![[Image: 77b5b300-08c4-41a5-8580-43137332a988-w_960.jpg]](https://via.ritzau.dk/data/images/00843/77b5b300-08c4-41a5-8580-43137332a988-w_960.jpg)
In their own words:
Our new appearance must make it clearer to users that they are in contact with TV 2’s content, regardless of where they meet us. Today, Danes meet TV 2 across our streaming service, channels, apps, news site and podcasts. Therefore, we need a strong and unifying identity, which is created for both current and future generations of digital media users, says managing director at TV 2 Anne Engdal Stig Christensen.
TV 2 delivers credible news journalism and quality Danish content, and we are here to inform and engage the Danes in the community. It remains our most important task, even when we are moving from traditional TV to streaming in these years. Therefore, it is also visually important to emphasize that you can expect the same from TV 2, regardless of where you meet us. The red color has followed us for several years, and with it we carry on our history and DNA, says Anne Engdal Stig Christensen.
Alongside this new rollout is a new youth-oriented channel Echo, merging the original Echo and Zulu into a single service:
[Update] The resulting package:
Identity done by local agency Kontrapunt.
RTL in Belgium rebranded their television, radio and streaming brands a few days ago, adopting the same corporate style used in RTL info:
https://soirmag.lesoir.be/sites/default/files/dpistyles_v2/ls_16_9_864w/2023/03/27/node_503655/29991421/public/2023/03/27/B9733857099Z.1_20230327164348_000+GTLMFVRUC.1-0.jpg
This occured after RTL-TVI was bought out by Rossel and DPG Media (who also owned VTM), though they reached a deal with RTL Group in using the name for 10 years. The signature balloon is hence kept, though much modified, as a unifying element to all TV channels:
If the red hot air balloon in the logo of RTL TVi and bel RTL ensures a certain continuity with the past logos, the new visual, which will be applied from Tuesday morning, will be more surprising for RTL club and RTL plug which are respectively adorned with yellow and green, testifying to the dynamism of these channels. As for the RTL brand, it will continue to appear in capital letters, whereas tvi, club, plug and bel will now appear only in lowercase.
“Graphically, our brands are aligned to reinforce the striking force of the three golden letters of the RTL acronym”, explains Laurent Montastruc, creative director at RTL Belgium. "Each medium uses lowercase letters to mark its differentiation. It’s as if they were the first names of members of a family, whose name would be RTL. Each has its own personality, but they are all connected to each other to others and share the same DNA.”
(Here)
A big 72 hours in American broadcasting, alongside the high-profile sackings of Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon… first, NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell has been sacked. He has been ousted on allegations of “inappropriate relationship” and sexual harassment against CNBC presenter and Senior International Correspondent (based in Abu Dhabi) Hadley Gamble. Comcast senior management (led by Mike Cavanagh) is temporarily helming the company as a successor is being selected. Shell, who replaced Steve Burke before the pandemic, was the mastermind behind Peacock.
And now, the second wave of culling of Disney executives has started, and a big pretty number of executives have been let go, specifically in the ranks of programming, marketing and music.
Think the Oneness 2.0 idents in BBC Chameleon was a baby step in a station’s identity? Well, wait until you see the new RTE One idents in Ireland this morning!
The O animation is still the same, and at least two of them are still using similar live action footages since 2014, which itself was an evolution of an ident package back in 2006!
2006:
2014:
RTL continues to expand its new “RTL United”. With virtually no warning, RTL Télé Letzebuërg launched the new look Tuesday night, even adopting it immediately into its news programming, unlike Germany (where the new look appeared over a year later) and Hungary (where news programming won’t rebrand until they make the move to new facilities in Budapest next year). Magazine shows also got the block treatment. The big difference is that their logo uses red tones and don’t embrace as much the color-picking treatment. The radio station (airing in Luxembourgian and French) have also adopted the new logo, as well as streamer RTL Play (no RTL+ there given they focus on unscripted fare and local news).
The final countries left are the Netherlands and France; the Dutch RTL will drop their existing brand (designed by Mark Porter and Dylan Griffith through Smörgåsbord Studio, based on their look for RTL Nieuws) and adopt the more understated branding with a more flow-based experience. Although they adopted the corporate brand, they are improving their station logos and retaining their very nice graphics (although they are now going for the brand multiverse strategy). The new look might debut by May 1, but there’s still no confirmation. Additionally, no word if the RTL+ streamer might come to the country (RTL has two VOD offerings, ad-supported RTL XL and subscription-based Videoland, if the brand appears, they might be forced to merge). No word too if RTL Nieuws will be rebranded or just get some updates (their current graphics and EDM music by Martijn Schimmer are still really good and haven’t aged still).
In the case of France, RTL does own a radio station (generally the most-listened to in France, but now competing and frequently beaten by PSB France Inter), but it is now operated by M6; they could easily get the new brand, but RTL listeners are mostly aged and very picky to change. Other RTL-branded services are no longer owned by RTL (e.g. cable channel RTL9 is now owned by Mediawan).
The rebrand debuted today across all channels, including their digital channels Crime, Lounge and Telekids:
RTL5:
RTL7: A different promo endboard and menu styles.
RTL8:
RTLZ: Interesting frame animation! Wonder if similar things can be used on their news.
RTL Crime: The strip animation reminds me of the BBC’s…
RTL Lounge:
RTL Telekids: Not sure if the reduction of the colours in their symbol is a good thing.
Some more changes coming on the Benelux borders today, as VRT Eén in Belgium is to be identified as VRT 1 again, 18 years after their change to the spelt-out name:
Judging from their Instagram promo (that weirdly isn’t on other social platforms), looks like the idents would be toying with various materials on the 1 numeral, a drizzle of celebrity faces, and a giant VRT symbol front and centre:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CrsKTv3M0ki/
[Update] Here they are, in glorious 16:9:
Looks a bit more fun than their predecessor, but announced on an awkward place as their Instagram and Facebook handles are still Eén, versus the rebranded one on Youtube.
And here’s the final moments on the i-Cable TV channels (not exactly ending at the same moment).
Several things to note here:
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Top left: Cable News Channel, simulcasting the first few minutes of rolling news with Hoy Infotainment (Ch.78) and Cable Finance & Information Channel. Put the wrong breakoff card for a few seconds (intended for blocking footages usually related to sports rights), before showing the goodbye card and fading out the ticker.
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Top right: Cable Sports Channel, one of the crown jewels in the i-Cable package since the group’s genesis. In decline since mid-2000s, they still aired a final tribute to their legacy, the Hong Kong athletes, before bowing out with a tearful goodbye.
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Bottom left: Cable Family Entertainment Channel, one of the few i-Cable channels available FTA, pre-HoyTV, in selected areas. A repeat of old filler content, before showing their ident one final time.
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Bottom right: Cable HD Ch.603, more commonly known as Cable Channel 18, focused on racing content. Launched a bespoke box set and app streaming package after the closure announcement.
and the Finance channel simulcast:
Catalonia’s regional/national PSB CCMA (Corporació Catalana de Mitjans Audiovisuals), which owns TV3/Televisió de Catalunya and Catalunya Ràdio, has announced a throughoutful rebrand of all of its main services as 3Cat. The rebrand is part of a plan to boost its existing OTT offering (3alacarta, one of Europe’s first AVOD services, launched in 2004) into a more contemporary and interactive service, which will take the new corporate brand and be the most visible symbol of the new PSB strategy.
The improved OTT service will launch on late Autumn, and the new brand will be applied in stages. The TV3 and Catalunya Ràdio brands will be retained in the interim, but the plans are to drop these in favour of the new 3Cat branding, which will be applied from the outset to programming, with social media and digital following (in conjunction with the launch of the new OTT platform). Additionally, from September, Catalunya Ràdio will adopt a new (temporary) branding as Catràdio, with a simplified and significantly modernised version of its existing branding.
Press release (in Catalan):
Next on the RTL United rebrand: German cable channel Super RTL, which would be renamed to RTL Super in August.
“Under a strong umbrella brand RTL, we combine the entire diversity of good entertainment and independent journalism across all channels, genres and offerings,” Julian Weiss, Chief Marketing Officer of RTL Germany, explained the move to DWDL.de. “In doing so, the umbrella brand RTL will always be in first place as the central promise, followed by the respective product differentiation.” So the “Super”, which has been in front so far, will have to be subordinated in future.
[…]
The new name RTL Super, including the new appearance, will come into effect on 15 August, as the channel confirmed to DWDL.de. Irrespective of this, the children’s entertainment brand Toggo is to be retained.
From DWDL.de, which also has a teaser for the rebrand (the video tag doesn’t work here somehow).
Possibly the main reason behind their delayed relaunch, which was announced back in January to celebrate their 50th anniversary as a public broadcaster:
As part of the celebration, KBS will unveil its new Corporate Identity design in March, 2023, the first-ever change of its brand image since the foundation 50 years ago. Other anniversary events include:
● to host the 2023 Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) Seoul General Meeting and Associated Meetings
● to produce special programming on the History of KBS : Public Broadcasting over 50 Years
● to select and review 50 people who have contributed to KBS
That’s all we know about it until early July, when a new symbol was submitted to the Korean trademark offices. The globe symbol was more rounded and angled, while the wordmark was changed to a san-serif, akin to what PBS had done a few years back:
(Reuploaded from here)
From what I gathered, it’s not announced publicly yet, so there might be some changes when it’s official. Logopedia also has a full-coloured one with light and purplish blue, but I couldn’t find it on the application.
Alas, it’s just sad to see almost every government around the world is up in arms with the public broadcaster…
Around the South Americas, TV Azteca in Mexico will be reorganizing their pay TV lineup with a streaming focus (specifically looking into FAST channels):
They’re also rebranded, with the most notable case being TV Azteca Mundo, renaming as TV Azteca Internacional after 9 years. Other channels, meanwhile, had their wordmarks redesigned.
TV Azteca Internacional: Really don’t like the shinny CGI symbol - looks very cheap and amateur.
Telenovelas channel Corazón:
Mexican movie channel Cinema:
Lifestyle channel Clic:
Brazilian state/public broadcaster EBC rebranded themselves today, dropping the Bolsonaro-era green and yellow for an encircled outline of the continent - a more visible step in reverting to their inaugural vision of shaping after respected public broadcasters worldwide, instead of a medium for propaganda.
As part of the EBC, TV Brasil changed their look as well:
At the administration level, meanwhile, it was more felt at their sister channel, TV Brasil 2. The channel was a result of the merger between EBC and NBR in 2019, the latter was a brodcaster dedicated to government communications. Taking NBR’s former air space, TV Brasil 2 shared most of the programming with the main channel, which was interrupted almost daily by the president’s whereabouts. This blurred the lines between TV Brasil’s inaugural vision of independent, public broadcasting, with potential propagandist effect from the telecasts.
Under the new government, the channel started to undo the Bolsonaro influences. The daily interruption would only appear if Lula was present, then journalistic programmes were excluded from it starting in May, before dropping the entire practice altogether in June.
As with many public broadcasters worldwide, however, budget and manpower constraints prevented TV Brasil to change radically at once. A de-merge of the two channels on screen was planned alongside the end of the interruptions in May, but it was delayed until last week (24/7), when TV Brasil 2 was renamed Canal Gov, with a completely different image from the main channel and EBC:
And breathe. Hope I’m not boring everyone with all the text! Most of them came from this Piaui article, which also detailed the management challenges and job cuts in between, and it seems like this is far from the final step in the reformation…