A British television staple is set to bite the dust after four decades.
In late July 2021, UK satellite broadcaster Sky bared plans for its channels, particularly the end of ‘one’ and the start of a showcasing model. Majorly affected is Sky One, the flagship channel of Sky’s network.
Launched in 1982 as the Satellite Channel, One was rebranded to its current name in 1989, as Sky began its journey towards becoming a regional satellite TV empire in Europe. In the years following Sky One’s debut, Sky Two and Sky Three were born, where both were later rebranded as Sky Replay and Pick, respectively.
But as Sky shifted focus to genre-specific channels in recent years, it became clear the Sky One’s days were numbered. True enough, by this year Sky One will be no more. A decision that was handed down despite the good ratings and reviews that the channel got amidst the pandemic and challenge brought by streaming services.
Replacing the iconic Sky One brand will be the tag-team of two new products: Sky Showcase and Sky Max. The former will be taking over the channel space and the distinction of being the network’s flagship channel, which are both to be vacated by Sky One. Showcase will be home for all the curated content across the Sky network. This simply means select shows from Sky Arts, Sky Documentaries, Sky Nature, Sky Witness, among others, can now be seen in one channel.
Meanwhile, the latter will be a dual-use brand, as it will first lauch as a TV channel for what the company calls ‘blockbuster entertainment.’ Down the line, Sky Max will be introduced as a streaming service as well.
Original comedies previously found on Sky One will now move over to Sky Comedy, a channel that was launched in January 2020 to cater to a slate of foreign comedy shows from Sky.
Sky Showcase will be available on the channel space currently (as of press time) occupied by Sky One — which is channel 106 on Sky. Sky Max, on the other hand, will be on Sky’s channel 113. Both will also be available on Virgin and BT, and on-demand via Sky’s NOW.