What's on: Happy holiday viewing

It’s the most wonderful time of the year again, and we’re bringing our customers a large helping of Christmas cheer by offering our traditional Free Preview over the holidays.  From December 21 to January 2, everyone can enjoy the full line-up in our Deluxe, Super and Variety Tiers as well as all 32 of our Premium channels on HBO; Cinemax; Showtime; TMC and MaxPack  — home of the two SportsMax channels. Pay-Per-View selections and paid programming on VOD are not included, but there will be some HD, and the rest is yours to explore.

A treasure chest of entertainment awaits you, including networks like Showtime Family; Thriller Max; The Sundance Channel and HBO Family, to name just a few.  Please remember to use your parental control features during this Free Preview, in order to prevent your children from viewing inappropriate content. Set-up instructions can be found on our website (www.cablevision.bm). If you really want to get into the Christmas spirit, I’ve found a website just for you — www.merrychristmastv.net. The site features a full calendar of Christmas-themed TV shows in one convenient location. Disney,  TCM, UP and Lifetime are offering a wide selection of movies, new and old, while Hallmark’s Countdown to Christmas still has more than 500 hours of Christmas-themed programming to show betwen now and the end of the year, inlcuding more than a dozen original movies.

Here are just a few picks to consider:

• A Snow Globe Christmas –  December 14 at 11pm on Lifetime 

• Scrooge – The 1970 version – airs December 19, at 9pm on TCM

• Scrooge – The original 1935 version – airs December 20, at 12:30 am

• Christmas in Washington – December 20, at 9pm on TNT. This year’s special will be hosted by Hugh Jackman and will include performances by Backstreet Boys; Sheryl Crow; Anna Kendrick; Janelle Monae and Pat Monahan. The event is attended each year by the US President and First Lady.

• Meet Me in St. Louis – This 1945 classic airs December 23 at 9pm on TCM

• The Bells of St Mary’s – December 23, at 11pm on TCM

• A Christmas Story – December 25, all-day marathon on TBS.   

Finally, what would the holidays be without all your favourite music? Right now, on Channel 733 – Sounds of the Season – you’ll find non-stop holiday music to put you in the spirit. Perfect for holiday entertaining.

Just this week, we’ve added five more music channels to our line-up, bringing the total to 50 channels of non-stop, commercial-free, CD-quality music, in dozens of genres, from jazz  to classical to reggae.

Here are the new additions:

• 747 – Teen MC: This hyper-focused pop channel targets teens and features just the music they love; Core artists include: Selena Gomez; Lady Gaga; Imagine Dragons; Fall Out Boy; Justin Timberlake; Katy Perry and Macklemore.

• 748 – Pop Rhythmic: This channel brings a non-stop mix of up-tempo and mid-tempo songs from the worlds of Pop, Hip Hop and dance, creating a consistent mix of party music that appeals to the younger crowd (18-25). Core artists include: Justin Timberlake; Drake; Rihanna, Calvin Harris, Miguel, Macklemore, Lil Wayne.

• 749 – Pop Country: Blended channels have been the new trend now that huge country artists have crossed over into Pop. Core artists on this channel include: Hunter Hayes; Taylor Swift; Florida Georgia Line; Justin Bieber; Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez.

• 750 – Y2K: This new ‘decades’ channel (for the 2000s) builds on the 70s, 80s and 90s channels already in the line-up. Featuring up-tempo Top 40 hits, this channel offers a   mix of Pop, lighter themed-Hip Hop and friendlier Rock. Core artists include: Britney Spears; NSYNC; Christina Aguilera; Pink; and Justin Timberlake.

• 751 – Love Songs: This mood-based channel delivers all the best of today’s love songs, featuring mid to down-tempo with a sprinkling of mid to up-tempo monster love songs.  Love and romantic themed titles dominate the channel. Core artists include Bruno Mars; Maroon 5; Adele and more.

Happy viewing, happy listening and Happy Holidays to all.