A significant shake-up is hitting UK television screens, with eight channels scheduled to disappear from Sky and Virgin Media platforms in the coming days.
Which Channels Are Disappearing?
The festive season marks the end for several well-known stations. NOW XMAS will cease broadcasting on December 27, followed by MTV XMAS on December 29. The latter will be replaced by the return of MTV 90s, but this reprieve is short-lived.
In a major blow for music television, the entire suite of MTV music channels will depart in the New Year. This includes MTV Music, Club MTV, MTV 90s, and MTV 80s.
Pop Channels Go Digital-Only
In a parallel move, the children's channel brand Pop is shifting to a digital-only model. This decision means four channels will lose their traditional broadcast slots on satellite and cable.
The affected services are Pop, Tiny Pop, Pop+1, and Tiny Pop+1. They will cease broadcasting on both Sky and Virgin Media. Furthermore, the last over-the-air channel, Pop on Freeview Channel 205, will convert into a streaming-only FAST channel.
This transition also spells the end for the dedicated Pop Player. The Pop Player app and website will shut down completely across all platforms, including smart TVs, mobile devices, and Freeview Play, removing its on-demand library of content from Pop, Tiny Pop, and Pop Max.
An Era Comes to an End
The closure of the MTV music channels has prompted emotional reactions from those who helped build the brand. Former MTV VJ Simone Angel, who worked for MTV Europe and MTV UK in the 1990s, expressed her sadness to the BBC.
"I'm really sad, and I'm a little bit in disbelief, and I know it's been a long time coming," she said. Angel described the channel's heyday as a "wild" time, likening it to "being on a school trip without any teachers."
She highlighted MTV's pioneering role, stating MTV Europe was "really the forerunner to the internet" with an astounding 100 to 150 million viewers at its peak. "MTV was the place where everything came together. So it really does break my heart," she added, calling for continued support for artists and shared musical experiences.
These changes underscore the accelerating shift in how audiences consume content, moving away from linear scheduled broadcasting towards on-demand and streaming services.
