• by Wayne Friedman , November 10, 2006

Channel Lab, a new TV and media company, intends to launch TV programming blocks under one roof--as opposed to starting up niche-oriented cable networks. The company will initially help TV and cable companies with under-realized assets come together by pooling resources.

Founded by veteran TV executive Lee Helper, with TV and media executives David Simon, Michael Kassan and Andy Orgel, Channel Lab will launch next spring with a 25 million to 30 million subscriber network that will house four or five programming blocks in one 24-hour/7-day-a-week channel.

USFR Media Group's America One Television Network, which has been programmed as an old-style independent TV station, will be the cable distribution platform for the initial channel.

Channel Lab says it has developed or entered into joint ventures with 11 proposed channels, with working titles such as: Connect (a relationship-romance); Sports Eye; Animation World Net; Space TV; TEN (The Entrepreneur Net); Waterbaby!; AWTV (Aces Wild TV Network); LXLV; PSI; Your Studio; and World Life Network.

"We intend for Channel Lab to be the next-generation Liberty Media," says Lee Helper, managing partner, board chairman and president of Channel Lab. Since the late 1980s, Helper and Dean Bender have run the TV and media, PR and marketing agency, Bender/Helper Impact.

To defray start-up costs, Channel Lab wants TV and cable partners that contribute distribution, content, library and ad services. USFR Media will be a partner, as will post-production company, The Post Group, Bender/Helper Impact, investment banker Watch Hill Partners LLC, TV technology company Fusion Communications, and a number of other firms.

David Simon, former Walt Disney Television, Fox Television Station and Tribune Broadcasting executive, will be the chief executive and strategic officer of Channel Lab. Michael Kassan, former Initiative Media Worldwide president/vice-chairman, will serve as the company's senior partner/equity advertising and sponsorship development.

Robert Bubeck, former senior marketing executive for Comcast and other cable operators, will be Channel Lab's senior partner and chief distribution officer. Andrew Orgel, former senior cable executive with MTV, A&E and Video Jukebox, will be director and chairman of the company's advisory board.

"Channel Lab's real approach is to develop television-based media brand--brands that start out as TV brands but need complementary assets," says Andy Orgel, whose Global Media Ventures, is also a partner at Channel Labs. "There are a lot of digital channels that are not programming [effectively]."

The 'lab' part of Channel Lab will be figuring out new ways--mostly from the Internet--to determine what works with consumers.

David Simon says Channel Lab is taking its cue from how TV users use television: "People can program their own channels now. They can fast-forward through commercials. We are trying to find those areas that aren't being taken seriously."

Channel Lab intends to launch as many as 50 new digital-television type cross-media businesses/channels over the next three years. Channel Lab estimates it will have first-year gross revenues of more than $100 million.