ROME – Launched March 22, 2017, A+E Networks Italy’s BLAZE Italia celebrates its first birthday following a year of solid ratings and steady audience growth.
Mirroring the success A+E Networks Italy has achieved with its Crime+Investigation and HISTORY channels, Blaze continues to grow its audience. In the October 2017 – February 2018 period, all slots saw double-digit growth vs. five previous months. Growth was +52% in total day and +27% in prime time. Average Time Spent (ATS) also increased +17%*. Online activities showed increases as well, with social media engagement experiencing double-digit growth.
The channel has benefited from innovative factual entertainment programming featuring the best of both local and imported U.S. productions. Broadcast in HD on the Sky Italia pay-TV, Blaze programs range from reality shows to docu-series and include several genres, from clip shows to survival competition series such as Alone, and from motoring to food. Blaze is also the Italian home of transactional genre including Storage Wars, Pawn Stars and American Pickers, which are the channel’s highest-rated series.
In terms of local content, in January Blaze produced some short videos to introduce the Red Bull Soap Box Race show. The videos were hosted by the Actual, a comic duo who is very popular on the internet and social networks in Italy. The channel is also preparing two Italian mini docu-series, that will be broadcast in the next months.
To celebrate its birthday the channel is going to schedule several marathons dedicated to some of its most iconic shows (i.e. Storage Wars, Alone, etc.).