Sky Replay is a British
pay television
Pay television, also known as subscription television, premium television or, when referring to an individual service, a premium channel, refers to Subscription business model, subscription-based television services, usually provided by multichan ...
channel operated by
Sky
The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from outer space.
In the field of astronomy, ...
as a sister channel to
Sky Max
Sky Max is a British pay television channel which launched on 1 September 2021 along with Sky Showcase. It is owned and operated by Sky Group, a subsidiary of Comcast.
The channel was announced on 28 July 2021 to replace Sky One, which had been ...
and
Sky Witness
Sky Witness is a British pay television tv channel, channel owned and operated by Sky Limited, Sky, a division of Comcast. The channel primarily broadcasts drama shows from the United States, aimed at the 18–45 age group. An Italian version ...
. The current channel began broadcasting (as Sky One Mix) in December 2002. The 'Sky 2' name and format had earlier been used for a similar service which broadcast on analogue platforms for a year from 1996. On 27 August 2020, the service rebranded as Sky Replay. The channel broadcasts repeats of programmes from
Sky Max
Sky Max is a British pay television channel which launched on 1 September 2021 along with Sky Showcase. It is owned and operated by Sky Group, a subsidiary of Comcast.
The channel was announced on 28 July 2021 to replace Sky One, which had been ...
(formerly
Sky One
Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non-terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...
) and
Sky Witness
Sky Witness is a British pay television tv channel, channel owned and operated by Sky Limited, Sky, a division of Comcast. The channel primarily broadcasts drama shows from the United States, aimed at the 18–45 age group. An Italian version ...
.
Branding and presentation
Sky One Mix launched on 9 December 2002 as a Sky One sister channel. The channel used a logo and presentation design similar to that used by Sky One at the time, but with a yellow and black theme as opposed to the orange and white used by Sky One at the time.
Sky One Mix was rebranded Sky Mix in 2004, at the same time as Sky One moved away from the orange logo (Sky Mix retained the yellow theme carried over from its previous identity, but stripped of any reference to 'Sky One'.) Instead of using a yellow logo, it used a dark green logo.
In November 2005, in tandem with the launch of
Sky Three
Pick (formerly Sky 3 and Pick TV) is a British free-to-air television channel, owned by Sky UK.
History
Sky Three launched on 31st October 2005. It was essentially a barker channel for Sky's main entertainment channel Sky One and its other s ...
(now Pick), Sky Mix was relaunched as Sky Two and began using Kaktus Films' animated idents in line with those introduced on Sky One the prior year.
On 31 August 2008, the channel adopted a revised branding of Sky 2, when Sky's entertainment channels relaunched with numeric names and shared branding elements, utilising blue solids (Sky 1), green liquids (Sky 2) and pink particles (Sky 3).
[Sweney, Mark]
"David Boreanaz stars in Sky ident as channels given new look"
''guardian.co.uk
TheGuardian.com, formerly known as Guardian.co.uk and ''Guardian Unlimited'', is a British news and media website owned by the Guardian Media Group. It contains nearly all of the content of the newspapers ''The Guardian'' and ''The Observer'', ...
'', 6 August 2008
On 1 February 2011, Sky refreshed the presentation on many of its channels. Sky Two's new idents would follow along the same themes as Sky One's, but the action is in close-up, featuring a small metal '2' icon (in contrast to Sky One's giant '1' symbol). Sky One would later switch to programme-themed idents, whilst Sky Two largely continued to use the 2011 sequences; in April 2016, when Sky One got new animated identity sequences, Sky Two received a revised version of its 2011 films, with a larger Sky Two logo caption appearing at the end of the sequence, and the backing music changed to that previously used by the Sky One versions of the films.
Whilst it initially enjoyed a prominent position on the Sky guide close to Sky One, Sky Two had since 2011 progressively been moved down the programme guide on the Sky satellite platform to make room for other services. In February 2011, to make way for the relaunched
Sky Living
Sky Living was a British pay television channel owned and operated by Sky. The channel's programming was aimed mainly at women and young adults. It originally launched as UK Living in 1993 and closed 25 years later, being replaced by Sky Witness.
...
, Sky Two moved to channel 129, previously home to
Syfy
Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...
. On 21 February 2012, it moved up to 121, previously owned by Sky Living +1. In 2015, with the re-combination of Sky Arts into a single channel and its move up the grid, Sky Two moved back to 129. And in summer 2017, the relaunch of
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is a group of British subscription sports channels operated by the satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It ...
into genre-based channels saw the move of Sky Sports Mix into the entertainment guide, resulting in the relocation of other services including Sky Two. On 1 May 2018, Sky Two moved up to channel 123 as part of another reshuffling by Sky. It replaced
ITV Encore
ITV Encore was a British drama pay television channel in the United Kingdom that was owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. The channel was exclusive to Sky (United Kingdom), Sky's digital satellite platform, Sky Go, Now TV (Sk ...
, which closed on the same day. On 22 October 2018, the channel moved down to 151, swapping places with
E!. On 1 October 2019, the channel moved down to 170 following the closure of
Real Lives and launch of
Sky Crime
Sky Crime is a British pay television channel owned and operated by Sky, a division of Comcast. The channel launched on 1 October 2019, replacing Real Lives. Sky Crime broadcasts crime dramas from Oxygen, HBO, Jupiter Entertainment and Woo ...
, and moved again to 168 on 19 November 2019 following the closure of
YourTV
YourTV was a television channel owned by Fox Networks Group, a unit of Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer and International. It began broadcasting on 1 October 2015 in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
History
On 3 September 2015, Fox International C ...
.
On 9 October 2017, the branding and presentation on Sky's entertainment channels was revised again; as part of this the names Sky One and Sky Two were reintroduced nine years after the switch to numerals. Sky Two dropped its previous filmed idents in favour of using an animated sting featuring the new channel logo.
Whereas Sky One had been available in
HD since the launch of Sky HD in 2006, both Sky Two and Sky Three were available in standard-definition only.
On 27 August 2020, Sky Two was rebranded as Sky Replay and moved to Sky channel 145 as a result, while its previous owner, Sky Sports Mix, moved to channel 416.
On 8 November 2022, Sky Replay swapped channel numbers with
Challenge.
Programming
Sky Replay is in many ways a catch-up service for Sky's main entertainment channels,
Sky Witness
Sky Witness is a British pay television tv channel, channel owned and operated by Sky Limited, Sky, a division of Comcast. The channel primarily broadcasts drama shows from the United States, aimed at the 18–45 age group. An Italian version ...
and
Sky Max
Sky Max is a British pay television channel which launched on 1 September 2021 along with Sky Showcase. It is owned and operated by Sky Group, a subsidiary of Comcast.
The channel was announced on 28 July 2021 to replace Sky One, which had been ...
(formerly the now defunct
Sky One
Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non-terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...
) broadcasting their popular shows. Doing so, Sky Two is described as a ''time shuffle'' channel, so called to distinguish it from
timeshift channel
A timeshift channel (sometimes referred to as a +1 channel) is a television channel carrying time-delayed reruns of its "parent" channel's programming. This channel runs alongside their parent: the term "timeshift" does not refer to a network br ...
s, which rebroadcast their principal channel, delayed by one hour.
Following the closure of the original
Sky Real Lives
Sky Real Lives was an in-house channel from BSkyB that showed extensive programmes about travel, adverts for travel agencies and documentaries. The channels closed on 19 August 2010.
History
Sky Real Lives first launched as Sky Travel on 3 Octobe ...
in 2010, some of its factual and reality programming was relocated to Sky Two. Following the closure of Bravo in 2011, Sky Two adopted some of its programming, particularly in the science-fiction, drama and documentary fields.
With the retooling of Sky Living into the crime-focused
Sky Witness
Sky Witness is a British pay television tv channel, channel owned and operated by Sky Limited, Sky, a division of Comcast. The channel primarily broadcasts drama shows from the United States, aimed at the 18–45 age group. An Italian version ...
, some former Sky Living programming (such as ''
Four Weddings
''Four Weddings'' is a British reality television series that premiered on Sky Living, on 6 July 2009. It has become popular enough to have inspired the creations of versions in other countries. One episode included the real-life wedding of ...
'', ''
My Kitchen Rules
''My Kitchen Rules'' (often abbreviated as ''MKR'') is an Australian competitive cooking game show broadcast on the Seven Network since 2010. The show is currently hosted and judged by chef Manu Feildel, who has appeared in every season of the s ...
'' and ''
Most Haunted
''Most Haunted'' is a British paranormal reality television series. Following complaints, the broadcast regulator, Ofcom, ruled that it was an entertainment show, not a legitimate investigation into the paranormal, and "should not be taken ser ...
'') has transferred into the Sky Replay daytime schedule.
Sky One timeshift experiment
From 10 May to 9 August 2010, Sky conducted an experimental revision of service, under which Sky Two ceased to run its own full-time programme schedule, and instead predominantly operated a one-hour
timeshift Time shift or Timeshift may refer to:
* ''Timeshift'' (TV series), a BBC documentary series
* ''TimeShift'', a video game released in 2007
* Time shifting, a form of personal consumer media recording
* Timeshift channel, used in the time-delayed r ...
of programming on Sky One. Sky Two would, however, retain standalone branding. A Sky spokesperson said: "We are experimenting with different channel schedules to bring maximum value to our customers."
Some programmes were excluded from the timeshift device and replaced by alternate content on Sky Two during this period; shows which weren't shown on the time-delay included the premiere of Sky One's ''
Terry Pratchett's Going Postal
''Terry Pratchett's Going Postal'' is a two-part television film adaptation of ''Going Postal'' by Terry Pratchett, adapted by Richard Kurti and Bev Doyle and produced by The Mob, which was first broadcast on Sky1, and in high definition on S ...
'', the station's adaptation of
the author's ''
Discworld
''Discworld'' is a comic fantasy"Humorous Fantasy" in David Pringle, ed., ''The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Fantasy'' (pp.31-33). London, Carlton,2006. book series written by the English author Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat pla ...
'' novel. Also not seen on a timeshift basis was the final ever episode of ''
Lost
Lost may refer to getting lost, or to:
Geography
*Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland
* Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US
History
*Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...
'', which was aired at 5am, as a simultaneous being broadcast with the US transmission. The last episodes of ''
24'' (which Sky showed as a two-part finale) also weren't shown an hour later on Sky Two. The non-timeshifted programming would often be found an alternative slot on Sky Two (''Terry Pratchett's Going Postal'' would be shown later in the week), essentially making Sky Two a
4seven
4seven (commonly stylised as 47) is a British free-to-air television channel which was launched on 4 July 2012 at 7.00 pm. According to Channel 4, it was created in response to its viewers demanding Channel 4 to broadcast old programming f ...
-style 'time shuffle' channel during these periods.
The timeshift trial concluded on 9 August 2010, with Sky Two reverting to its previous scheduling pattern. A full one-hour timeshift of Sky One, as Sky One +1, was introduced on 12 November 2012. However, Sky do not currently offer a
timeshifted version of Sky Two, or Sky Replay.
Virgin Media UK dispute
On Thursday 1 March 2007,
Virgin Media
Virgin Media is a British telecommunications company which provides telephone, Cable television, television and Internet access, internet services in the United Kingdom. Its headquarters are at Green Park in Reading, Berkshire, Reading, Engla ...
blacked out Sky's basic channels, including
Sky One
Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non-terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...
, Sky Two,
Sky News
Sky News is a British free-to-air television news channel and organisation. Sky News is distributed via an English-language radio news service, and through online channels. It is owned by Sky Group, a division of Comcast. John Ryley is the hea ...
,
Sky Sports News
Sky Sports News (SSN) is a British pay television, paid television sports news channel run by Sky Limited, Sky, a division of Comcast.
History
Since 1992, Sky Sports had broadcast sports news, initially a brief ''Football Update'' and lat ...
,
Sky Travel
Sky Travel was first launched on 3 October 1994 (and later in 2003 relaunched as Sky Travel Shop) and showed extensive programmes about travel, adverts for travel agencies, and documentaries, with Sky Travel Shop being the adverts for travel ag ...
and Sky Travel Extra, from their cable television services after a dispute between Virgin Media and
BSkyB
Sky UK Limited is a British broadcaster and telecommunications company that provides television and broadband Internet services, fixed line and mobile telephone services to consumers and businesses in the United Kingdom. It is a subsidiary of ...
caused by the expiry of their carriage agreement and their inability to reach a new deal. At midnight, Sky Two was removed, and the name of the station in the Virgin
EPG
Electronic programming guides (EPGs) and interactive programming guides (IPGs) are menu-based systems that provide users of television, radio and other media applications with continuously updated menus that display scheduling information for ...
was changed to read "Old Sky Two Try
Living
Living or The Living may refer to:
Common meanings
*Life, a condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic objects and dead organisms
** Living species, one that is not extinct
*Personal life, the course of an individual human's life
* ...
".
On 13 November 2008, following the agreement of a new deal Sky Two along with
Sky One
Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non-terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...
,
Sky News
Sky News is a British free-to-air television news channel and organisation. Sky News is distributed via an English-language radio news service, and through online channels. It is owned by Sky Group, a division of Comcast. John Ryley is the hea ...
and
Sky Sports News
Sky Sports News (SSN) is a British pay television, paid television sports news channel run by Sky Limited, Sky, a division of Comcast.
History
Since 1992, Sky Sports had broadcast sports news, initially a brief ''Football Update'' and lat ...
were returned to Virgin Media's television service along with four more Sky channels:
Sky Real Lives
Sky Real Lives was an in-house channel from BSkyB that showed extensive programmes about travel, adverts for travel agencies and documentaries. The channels closed on 19 August 2010.
History
Sky Real Lives first launched as Sky Travel on 3 Octobe ...
and Sky Real Lives 2 (which had replaced the Sky Travel channels on satellite since the dispute began) and
Sky Arts 1 and Sky Arts 2, which had not previously been offered to cable viewers.
International
A version of Sky Replay for Germany launched on
Sky Deutschland
Sky Deutschland GmbH, branded as Sky, is a German media company that operates a direct broadcast satellite Pay TV platform in Germany, Austria and Switzerland (through Sky Switzerland). It provides a collection of basic and premium digital sub ...
and
Sky Ticket on 4 October 2021, replacing the previous local box-set channel Sky Serien & Shows.
"Equipped with repetitions: Sky Replay starts in Germany", 2021-09-08
/ref>
References
External links
TV Listings
at sky.com
{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2014
Sky television channels
Television channels and stations established in 2002
English-language television stations in the United Kingdom
Television channels in the United Kingdom
2002 establishments in the United Kingdom