AB3

**AB3** is Belgian entertainment television network owned by Mediawan Thematics. The channel broadcasts series, entertainment and sports programmings.

## History

André Kemeny and Xavier Debatty, consultants in the audiovisual sector, submitted in 1995 an application for a broadcasting license in the French community of Belgium to Laurette Onkelinx, Minister-President of the Government of the French Community. In August 2000, **Youth Channel Television** was officially created to become operator of this new proposed television channel. The project envisages the creation of a generalist channel, and not thematic, with as main target the young people under 35 years old. The broadcast of films, entertainment, reports and a 20-minute daily newscast are announced.

The government of the French Community agreed to **YTV** in March 2001 to broadcast on its territory, but requested that the English name of **YTV** project (for **Young TV**) be changed to a French-language name. The convention is signed by the Minister of Audiovisual, Richard Miller, on April 6th. **Youth Channel Television** chooses the name **AB3** (for **Antenne Belge 3**), which at the same time refers to AB Groupe, which holds 25% of the shares of this new channel as of July 5, 2001. Alain Krzentowski, president of the channel, declares that it has not set a specific target in terms of audience, adding that it would already be satisfied if the 5% mark of market share was exceeded.

On October 6, 2001 at 18:30, **AB3** began to broadcast its programs on the cable networks of the French Community of Belgium and thus upset the historical balance of the Belgian audiovisual landscape shared so far between RTBF and RTL Group. The first program broadcast by **AB3** is the television news broadcast live by Vanessa Boularès and directed by Erik Silance. A month after its launch, the channel's audiences seem promising: **AB3** achieves an average of 4.5 to 5% market share in the 15-34 age group, and 3.5 to 4% in the 18-44 age group.

In January 2002, **AB3** plans to invest in the field of teleshopping: the channel submits a request in this direction to the **CSA**. The opinion of **CSA** finally turns out to be favorable, although it draws attention to the hardly perceptible match between the target audience of **AB3** (15-35 years old) and the usual target of teleshopping programs. The intention of the channel is to broadcast its teleshopping program during the morning, up to 2 hours per day.

On 17 December 2003, **AB3** broadcasting license was renewed for nine years by the **CSA** effective 1 January 2004.

Since the beginning of 2007, **AB3** and AB4 programs have been broadcasted from AB Groupe headquarters in La Plaine Saint-Denis in the Paris suburbs, in order to create greater synergy between Group's channels and reduce staff costs in Belgium in the face of a still average audience. Dissemination is between the two countries via new digital technologies. This decision is not unrelated to Groupe TF1's entry into AB Groupe's capital.

Since May 2009, Groupe TF1 has grown from 33.5% to 49% of holdings in Holding **WB Television** which runs the channels **AB3**, AB4 and Vidéoclick.

The new and more up-to-date website is online on September 17, 2009.

The channel was upgraded to 16:9 on April 28, 2011 at 6:45.

In June 2014, the group announced that the channel **AB3** will be in HD.

On March 27, 2015 around 11:00, **AB3** goes into High Definition on Proximus.

## Programmings

### Series

* ***7th Heaven***
* ***112: Sie retten dein Leben***
* ***Alarm für Cobra 11: Die Autobahnpolizei***
* ***Alex Santana, Négociateur***
* ***All Saints***
* ***Braquo***
* ***Cas de Divorce***
* ***Clara Sheller***
* ***Cold Squad***
* ***Dawson's Creek***
* ***Demons***
* ***Desperate Housewives***
* ***Diane, Femme Flic***
* ***Dinotopia***
* ***Docteur Sylestre***
* ***Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman***
* ***Drop Dead Diva***
* ***Edgemont***
* ***ER***
* ***Friends***
* ***Gaston***
* ***Gilmore Girls***
* ***H***
* ***Heartbreak High***
* ***Hélène et les Garçons***
* ***Home and Away***
* ***Law & Order: Criminal Intent***
* ***Law & Order: Special Victims Unit***
* ***Le Jour où tout a Basculé***
* ***Le Miracle de L'Amour***
* ***Les Filles d'à Côté***
* ***Les Mystères de L'Amour***
* ***Les Vacances de L'Amour***
* ***L'Instit***
* ***Malaterra***
* ***Medicopter 117: Jedes leben Zählt***
* ***Monk***
* ***Salut les Musclés***
* ***NCIS***
* ***Nos Chers Voisins***
* ***One Tree Hill***
* ***Pep's***
* ***Premiers Baisers***
* ***Private Paractice***
* ***Samantha Oups!***
* ***Série Rose***
* ***SK Kölsch***
* ***Sleepover***
* ***SOKO Leipzig***
* ***Sous le Soilel***
* ***Switched at Birth***
* ***The O.C.***
* ***Un Paso Adelante***
* ***Une Femme D'Honneur***
* ***Water Rats***
* ***Wicked Science***
* ***Wire in the Blood***
* ***Without a Trace***

### Entertainment

* ***90' Enquêtes***
* ***Adam recherche Ève***
* ***Baby Boom***
* ***Cauchemar en Cuisine***
* ***C'est mon Choix***
* ***La Villa des cœurs Brisés***
* ***Le Bigdil***
* ***Les Enquêtes Impossibles***
* ***Pascal, le grand Frère***
* ***Reporters***
* ***Super Nanny***
* ***Tous Ensemble***
* ***The Island, seul au Monde***

### Sports

* ***WWE RAW***
* ***WWE SmackDown***
* ***WWE Main Event***
* ***WWE Pay-Per-View***

## Logos

First logo (2001-2004)Second logo (2004-2009)Third logo (2009-2015)Current logo (2015-present)
## External links

* Official website

* Current brands
* Former brands