he History Channel is moving from real to reel life. The channel that till now concentrated on documentaries has begun telecasting movies. Among the multi-million dollar films it has lined up for viewers are The Rise of Evil, Helen of Troy and Nero, Escape from Sobibor. This is part of the strategic shift the channel - with its new tagline, Live The Story - has taken.

The movies will be telecast prime time on Fridays, followed by a documentary on the same subject or vice versa, while Mondays to Thursdays will see drama. There will be thrillers (partly fiction and fact) and mini series during weekends. However, Joy Bhattacharya, senior vice president, programming, The History Channel clarifies, "We will stick to the theme of history, where we have already proved our credibility but there will be more to it."... more