Movie cable channel formerly known as Moviewatch has an official launch date of September 27, after securing deals that extend its subscribers to 28 million. The network, will be renamed to ReelzChannel, announced made by Hubbard Broadcasting in October 2000.

After six years of planning, backers of ReelzChannel think they have one: They'll announce Monday that their 24-hour service for movie lovers will be begin Sept. 27. Hubbard said his company started work on Reelz shortly after Hubbard Broadcasting sold its stake in United States Satellite Broadcasting to Hughes Electronics, now The DIRECTV Group, in 1999 for $1.25 billion.

Its initial availability is "the biggest launch in history of a cable and satellite network," says ReelzChannel President Rod Perth, a veteran programmer probably best known as the CBS executive who lured David Letterman from NBC.

Stanley Hubbard, CEO of Hubbard Media Group, the sole equity holder says while most initial distribution will come from DirecTV and EchoStar's Dish Network, ReelzChannel is poised to find slots quickly on local cable systems since it has template deals in place with the largest operators, including Comcast and Time Warner.

"Where a lot of these new networks get into trouble is, they launch before they have critical mass," Hubbard says. "We’ve held on because the idea is right; the industry is ready for it."

More information is available on the Reelz Network web site, www.reelznetwork.com.

Programs under development include: a daily talk program featuring stars, directors and producers; a daily review/court show; a daily movie-trivia game show; a weekly debate program about movies; a biography series with unique points of view