GEM misses starting time
It was cheekily promised to screen before 7mate's launch, but GEM fails to arrive as promised today.
- Published by David Knox
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- Filed under News
Nine’s new digital channel GEM has missed it’s promised starting time of 12 midday today.
The channel, aimed at women over 35, was due to “soft-launch” with classic movie Singin’ ‘in the Rain.
But at midday Channel 90 was still simulcasting the Nine signal, showing The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
A Nine spokesperson told TV Tonight the channel will now arrive as per its official launch, 6am Sunday morning.
Nine was understood to be working up until the eleventh hour to get the channel to air today but technical issues with a playout centre in Newcastle meant it could not arrive on time.
GEM was cheekily planned by Nine to hit screens ahead of 7mate’s official launch tomorrow.
Fans of NRL will be able to see games in HD before Sunday as a result of GEM’s late delivery.
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- Tagged with NRL, The Ellen DeGeneres Show
70 Responses
Dragons won’t need HD to whup the Tigpies!
Channel 9 must now be the joke of Australian TV. How about the government just take back their digital spectrum and give it to someone who can give us quality, and timely, television. Channel Nine – Welcome home to nothing.
If GEM is launching at 6am it’ll be the same time as 7mate launches.
Given that the advertising and promotion of Gem has been virtually nil (beyond insider websites like this one), I don’t think anybody will be missing it much. I can’t say I’ve even seen a promo for it on any 9 station yet (not that we watch much ch9 in this house).
If anything they’ve done me a favour… I won’t have my old man ringing me up asking why the football “isn’t bloodywell on channel 90!”.
@Andrew b lets hope you are correct about the dragons whipping the tigers
Does this mean the league tonight and tomorrow will be in HD on channel 90?
How embarrassing for Ch9 after promising to have Gem on air from Midday today. Channel 7 will be thanking their lucky stars that they’ll get in launch 7mate the day before Channel 9 launch Gem. 🙂
and who can guarantee it will even start on sunday !
See, this is what happens when you try and launch a channel at the last minute just so you can say you’ve one-upped a rival. It becomes a half-assed mess with no-one knowing what’s going on and all the TV guides being wrong so no-one knows what’s on.
Ummmm…. there’s a playout centre in Newcastle?
Andrew keep dreaming mate. The Tigers will prevail.
Serves them right. Why be so insecure by trying to ‘beat’ 7mate. It won’t make any difference to their ratings.
Well it’s good to hear that the NRL will be in HD but nine did a terrible job at trying to put GEM ahead of 7mate for the people who were excited for GEM.
Yeah. What’s new? Just more scheduling changes. I have so little faith in these guys now.
hilarious, Gyngell and his cocky i am beating you dance seems to have greatly backfired.
As long as it starts this Sunday i’ll be happy.
If I didn’t visit sites like this, I wouldn’t even know this channel existed. Poor planning, poor programming, and poor promotion. Gem seems to be a failure before it has even begun.
Will anything be screened in HD on GEM?
Kinda glad though I can see St George whip the Tigers in HD tomorrow night.
Excellent news. NRL in HD.
another screw up by the Nine Network, did not see that coming
That’d be the mother of all programming amendments from Nine.
You’d reckon they would send out a press release to clarify the situation.
A bit embarrassing for Nine. Online TV guides seem to be all over the place in showing GEM or 7Mate. Some have the old channels listed, some show one or the other, others hide 7HD/9HD as well as no 7Mate or GEM.
Hope those with recordings on PVRs aren’t too affected by the chaos.
In the words of the great Gene Wilder, “You lose! Good day sir!”
The launch has been listed as Sunday on the NineMSN website since at least yesterday (and not just the hard/full launch).