Mojo HD, the male-targeted, ad-supported programming outlet, is being shut down by In Demand Networks, the distributor confirmed.
“The Mojo HD channel was originally conceived as a way to satisfy consumers’ thirst for true high definition programming,” In Demand, owned by three big cable operators, said in a statement. “While Mojo HD accomplished this goal, there is a wealth of HD programming now available and thus we have chosen to discontinue the service.” In Demand said it had no other comment but confirmed the channel would go dark by about Dec. 1, with some variability among systems carrying it.
In Demand – owned by Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Cox – relabeled its former INHD channel Mojo HD in May 2007, after consolidating two INHD channels into one. In addition to the In Demand owners, Mojo has carriage on Cablevision, Bright House Networks, Mediacom and Charter systems, a little more than 10 million subscribers in all.
It has the cable HD rights to NBC hit Heroes and a roster of original shows aimed mostly at upscale male viewers. Popular ones include I Bet You, labeled a game show slash buddy comedy; After Hours, in which chef Daniel Bouloud visits posh restaurants; Three Sheets (pictured below), a pub-crawl program hosted by Zane Lamprey; and Pressure Cook, which sees chef Ralph Pagano visit foreign locales with a one-way ticket and three days to earn enough cash, via what he learns of local cuisine, to earn his passage home.
The channel's launch rubbed independent programmer Wealth TV the wrong way. Wealth TV's owners filed a complaint against Time Warner Cable at the Federal Communications Commission last December, claiming TWC officials "jawboned" Wealth TV in carriage talks and then "stole our idea" about an upscale HD channel, which became Mojo. Time Warner Cable acknowledged talking to Wealth TV about carriage but said Wealth TV's claims were inaccurate.
Mojo, programmed by VP of original programming Emilio Nunez, is a relatively small part of the In Demand operation. The company principally distributes pay-per-view and on-demand movies and sports packages, plus subscription VOD offerings such as Howard Stern’s Howard TV On Demand.
In Demand also is working with Time Warner Cable (and ThePlatform) on the new Road Runner Video Store download service.
