New NBC U Net a Real Chiller

DirecTV will be the first affiliate to carry Chiller, NBC Universal Cable Entertainment’s new 24-hour entertainment cable channel dedicated to the horror genre.

The network -- set to launch March 1 -- will be offered in what the programmer called “a triple-pack service,” including a standard-definition channel, an HD simulcast channel and a video-on-demand channel, as well as broadband on-demand offerings.

NBC U Cable Entertainment senior vice president of emerging networks will oversee day-to-day operations of Chiller, adding to his responsibilities of running Sleuth and Universal HD.

The programmer said that at launch, Chiller’s programming slate will include TV series Friday the 13th, Twin Peaks, Alfred Hitchcock Presents and Tales from the Crypt, as well as feature films The Shining, Psycho, The Birds, Sphere, Stephen King miniseries The Langoliers, Blade Runner, Believe, The Crew and The Unholy.

“DirecTV is a valued partner of ours and has supported all of our services, and we are thrilled that they are the first affiliate to launch Chiller," NBC U Television Networks Distribution president Bridget Baker said in a prepared statement. "We believe that Chiller and the horror genre is one that all of our affiliates will embrace.”