Channel Devoted to Same-Sex Marriage to Launch on Broadband, IPTV

Pink Weddings, a UK company that specializes in wedding/civil union planning services for same-sex couples, contacted [itvt] Tuesday to let us know that it is planning to launch a channel called TogetherTV that will be devoted to gay and lesbian weddings, on September 1st. The company says that the channel will be launched as a "sub-channel" on TV Polari, which is billed as the first UK-launched and globally broadcast lifestyle IPTV channel for a gay and lesbian audience. TV Polari, which launched in 2007, is available both online and--via IP set-top boxes connected to the Global Digital Broadcast platform--on living-room TV sets (note: Global Digital Broadcast, which is based in Brighton, offers what it bills as an end-to-end IPTV solution that includes middleware, an IP set-top box, an online "virtual set-top box" application, secure age verification processes, and an app called MyPVR which allows users to save and access previously viewed programs). Other sub-channels on TV Polari include the PLANitGay travel channel and Top Gayer.

According to Pink Weddings, TogetherTV will offer gay and lesbian wedding-themed documentaries, movies and news, alongside coverage of actual weddings of same-sex couples in the UK and abroad. "We are constantly seeking new ways to let same-sex couples know about the unique and different ways they can show their love and commitment," Pink Weddings founder, Gino Meriano, said in a prepared statement. "It will also go further to break down stereotypes and build a more inclusive society. I am very excited about the launch and a chance to finally have a channel that is the voice for same-sex couples, their families and friends." According to Pink Weddings, over 30,000 UK same-sex couples have entered into civil partnerships since 2005, generating an additional £10 million per year for the wedding services industry.