History Television will launch a new look, design elements and programming on Sunday — unveiling a brighter logo and new on-air packaging that evokes gaming and graphic novel styles.

‘History means different things to different people, and that’s reflected in this new look,’ says History exec Kevin Watson. ‘It’s the perfect time to update our on-air branding to reflect the new programming and direction of the channel.’

New on-air elements make use of events both past and present — a space landing, a historic battle or the death of a modern-day celebrity. The elements were produced in-house by the Canwest Broadcasting Creative Agency.

New programming includes Final 24, a Canadian series examining the final day in the life of famous (or infamous) people, that begins on May 9. The military drama NCIS begins May 19, followed by a Monday night film block that begins June 16 and features Hollywood blockbusters including Alexander and Kingdom of Heaven.

The addition of NCIS — a series about criminal investigations in the present-day U.S. military — is curious considering the channel was last year reproved by the CRTC for airing the like-themed CSI: NY, which the commission said fell outside History’s mandate. The show has since been pulled from History, and now airs on its sister channel Showcase.

The airing of more modern programming such as CSI: NY contributed to the channel’s average-minute audience growth of 15% for viewers aged 25-54 since the winter of 2006. Programs including Rome, Aftermath and Dogfights have also helped increase numbers in younger demos, growing the 18-49s by 28% in the past two years and women aged 25-54 by 46% in the same period.

From Media in Canada