Sky TV's new channel - all you need to know

Action sci-fi series Defiance will feature on The Zone.

Sky today announces a new channel to its line-up. "The Zone" is aimed at fans of sci-fi, horror and fantasy and will be on screens in November.

With it comes the first (non-dodgy download) chance to see Guillermo del Toro's new horror series The Strain, just started in the United States.

The channel is programmed by Chris Philpott, who, in a previous life was a television blogger on nzherald.co.nz.

We asked him to tell us just why sci-fi, horror and fantasy fans should be freakin' out about The Zone?

We're putting together a helluva line-up

Our full schedule will be released over the coming weeks, but these first three shows are a great start - Defiance is an action sci-fi mash-up with a surprisingly broad appeal, evoking shows like Firefly or Babylon 5 and giving them a modern spin, and anchored on a brilliant turn from Grant Bowler; From Dusk Till Dawn is that rarest of birds, an adaptation that enhances the story on which it's based, and which actually improves with each new episode; and The Strain is a no-brainer, a quality show that entertains and terrifies in equal measure, which boasts one of the most incredible premiere episodes of any show in quite some time - this will be one of the year's biggest hits thanks to Guillermo Del Toro, one of the genre's most iconic auteurs.

We're going to show genre television some love

Sci-fi and fantasy shows have been mistreated over the years, scheduled in ungodly timeslots and yanked around the schedule without warning. Some great titles have been passed over entirely. Those shows are our focus and we'll be giving them a new lease of life.

We're fan-driven

There is a huge community built around this content, a community which is inclusive and welcoming to anyone interested. We'll be active online and we want to interact with fans, both old and new, because we think The Zone is as much your channel as ours.

We're going to be quick

The Zone is committed to getting the biggest shows we can find to viewers, as fast as possible. I like to call it superfastifying. We may need to work on that name.

• The Zone will be available to Sky customers as part of the Sky basic package and will stream live on the Sky Go app.