Sony Channel (British and Irish TV channel)

Sony Channel is a general entertainment channel in the United Kingdom from Sony Pictures Television (SPT). The original launched on 7 April 2011.[1] However, it was closed on 6 February 2018 and replaced by Sony Crime Channel. It was brought back for a second time on 10 September 2019 when it replaced True Entertainment. The current Sony Channel has different idents and programming than the former due to inheriting some programming from its predecessor True Entertainment.

Sony Channel
CountryUnited Kingdom
Programming
Language(s)English
Picture format576i 16:9 SDTV
Timeshift serviceSony Channel +1
Ownership
OwnerSony Pictures Television
Sister channelsCourt TV
Pop
Pop Max
Sony Movies
Sony Movies Action
Sony Movies Classic
Tiny Pop
History
Launched7 April 2011 (original)
10 September 2019 (relaunch)
ReplacedOriginal
Film 24 (SET)
Open Access 3 (SET +1)
Relaunch
True Entertainment
Closed6 February 2018 (original)
Replaced bySony Crime Channel (original)
Former namesSony Entertainment Television (2011–16)
Links
Websitewww.sonychannel.co.uk
Availability
Terrestrial
FreeviewChannel 49
Channel 61 (+1)
(Manchester only)
Cable
Virgin MediaChannel 189
Satellite
FreesatChannel 142
Channel 143 (+1)
SkyChannel 157
Channel 257 (+1)
Astra 2F
28.2°E		11306 V 27500 5/6
11306 V 27500 5/6 (+1)

History

BT agreed a deal with Sony Pictures Television to offer its programming on-demand on BT Vision from 1 March 2010.[2] The move marked Sony's debut in the UK market, over a year ahead of the launch of the Sony Entertainment Television channel. Sony Entertainment Television also appeared on TalkTalk TV during the YouView platform launch in 2012, but was later removed.

Sony Pictures Television acquired channel 157 on Sky's EPG, previously owned by Film 24, in November 2010.[3] A one-hour timeshift channel was also available from launch after the purchase of Open Access 3's Sky EPG slot on channel 190. Both Film 24 and Open Access 3 closed on 4 April 2011, to make way for previews of Sony Entertainment Television. On 15 December 2011, Sony Entertainment Television was added to Virgin Media.[4] On 2 April 2012, Sony Entertainment Television +1 moved to Current TV's former Sky EPG slot on channel 183, with channel 190 used to launch Men&Movies +1. On 3 July 2012, Sony Entertainment Television +1 moved to channel 181.

The channel was rebranded as Sony Channel on 12 January 2016, but closed on 6 February 2018 to be replaced by Sony Crime Channel on Sky and Virgin Media. The last programme on the channel was an episode of Saving Hope.

On 24 July 2019, it was announced that Sony Channel would be relaunched and would replace its predecessor True Entertainment from 10 September 2019.[5] The channel replaced True Entertainment on all platforms (Freeview 48, Sky 157, Freesat 142, Virgin 189), with the last programme shown on the True Entertainment channel being an episode of Highway to Heaven.

Programming

Original

The original channel was aimed at women aged between 25 and 54 and broadcast a range of dramas and comedies, including Hawthorne, Huff, and 'Til Death.[6] Sony Entertainment Television also brought UK series Hustle and Hotel Babylon, along with the last season of Las Vegas and reruns of Crossing Jordan, Dawson's Creek, My Boys, Ned and Stacey, and NewsRadio.[7] It also showed movies from SET's parent company Sony Pictures Entertainment, such as The Da Vinci Code, All the King's Men, Marie Antoinette, and Philadelphia. From September 2011, Holby City began airing on Sony Entertainment Television.[8] On 16 May 2012, Sony Entertainment Television began showing BBC Spy drama Spooks from series 1.[9] It was announced on 2 August 2012, that Sony Entertainment Television acquired the rights to broadcast Hot in Cleveland in the UK and Ireland, and it showed season 3 on 14 September 2012, season 1 and season 2 had already been broadcast on Sky Living.[10] The channel also broadcast the American sitcom Community,[11] ITV's Secret Diary of a Call Girl and the BBC's highly successful Ashes to Ashes and Life on Mars. The channel started to broadcast the UK TV premieres of various other programmes including The Night Shift, Saving Hope, Younger, Satisfaction and Orange Is The New Black. Paranormal content on the former channel included Ghost Hunters, Ghost Hunters International and Celebrity Ghost Stories. In 2017, the channel began to broadcast repeats of America's Got Talent.

Relaunch

The relaunched version retained some programming from its predecessor channel True Entertainment, but added more Sony-owned programmes to the schedule.

Current

Former

References
  1. "Sony to launch UK channel". Broadband TV News. 8 March 2011. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
  2. "SPT channels on BT Vision". Broadband TV News. 4 March 2010.
  3. "Sony acquires Film24's Sky EPG slot". Digital Spy. 19 November 2010.
  4. "SET comes to Virgin media platform!". Sony Entertainment Television. 15 December 2011. Archived from the original on 24 April 2012. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
  5. "Sony Pictures Television Revamps Entertainment Portfolio And Launches UK's First Free-To-Air Movie Network". Sky Media. 24 July 2019. Sony-owned entertainment channel True Entertainment will be relaunched as Sony Channel.
  6. "Sony to launch new TV channel in April". Digital Spy. 9 March 2011.
  7. "Sony TV launches in the UK, and becomes the first branded TV station to do so". The Hollywood News. 15 March 2011.
  8. "Holby City comes to Sony". Sony Entertainment Television. 6 September 2011. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011.
  9. "Spooks to be broadcast again from the very start". Radio Times. 30 April 2012.
  10. "Sony Entertainment Television Acquires UK Rights To Hot In Cleveland Season Three". TVWise. 2 August 2012.
  11. Jeffery, Morgan (25 February 2015). "Community season 6 to air on broadcast TV in UK". Digital Spy. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
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