LOS ANGELES, June 13 (UPI) -- A Lionsgate Entertainment representative says 38 TV Guide Channel staffers have been cut along with the U.S. TV series "TV Watercooler."
The unidentified representative, whose company acquired the TV Guide Channel four months ago, said the decision to cut staff members and take "Watercooler" off the air effective June 22 represents a shift in network priorities, The Hollywood Reporter said Friday.
"This is a shift in programming resources and priorities," the representative said. "We're reducing existing in-house made shows to spend more on acquiring new product."
The TV Guide Channel series "Hollywood 411" and "Infanity" are being downgraded as part of the network priority shift.
As of June 26, "Hollywood" will shift from a daily series to a weekly show, while "Infanity" will go from a weekly offering to a series of TV specials.
The Reporter said most of the staff cuts are from the three series impacted by the network's change in direction.