History
Origins (1992–1997)
UKTV started as a single channel,The launch of the UKTV network (1997)
During 1996,Digital expansion (1998–2007)
With the launch of digital television in the UK brought about by Sky Digital andNetwork rebrand
In 2007, UKTV G2 was renamed 'Dave' and began broadcasting onScripps Networks Interactive acquisition
Virgin Media were in talks, with a number of interested parties, to sell its 50% stake in UKTV. Bidders included Scripps Networks Interactive (a spin-off of theBT Vision deal
On 22 March 2012, it was announced thatCorporate rebrand (2013)
UKTV announced on 18 March 2013 that it would reintroduce its company brand in celebration of its 21st year. The UKTV logo re-design went live across the identities of their channel network and programmes on Tuesday, 26 March 2013 for its 21st birthday.Dispute with Virgin Media
For almost three weeks in summer 2018, the UKTV channels were absent fromSplit of channels between BBC and Discovery
On 1 April 2019, Discovery Inc. (formerly Discovery Communications, which had acquired Scripps Networks Interactive in 2018) announced that BBC Studios would acquire its stakes in the seven entertainment-based UKTV channels for £173 million, along with the UKTV brand, and Discovery Inc. would acquire BBC Studios' stakes in the remaining channels Good Food, Home, and Really. The sale closed on 11 June 2019. The sale was part of a larger agreement between the two companies for international streaming rights to the BBC's natural history programming.Commercials on UKTV channels
In 2003, UKTV announced plans of an experiment which examined the effect of different break patterns on advertising. UKTV teamed up with a number of advertisers to measure the effect of reductions in advertising spots, programme trailers and the number of breaks overall. In February 2004, UKTV reduced the length of its ad breaks in a bid to retain viewers and attract advertisers after results of its research show that shorter breaks produce higher advertising recall levels. From 8 March, Its junctions were limited to a maximum of five minutes, with three-and-a-half minutes of commercial plus one-and-a-half minutes of promotional material, instead of a standard seven-and-a-half minutes. UKTV's move was similar to a solution suggested by PHD executive strategy director Louise Jones at 2003 ''Marketing Week'' TV United Conference, with a view to cleaning up breaks. Her proposal was for broadcasters to reduce spots by 20 percent and to charge a corresponding price increase for them; the theory being clients would not have to boost their media spending, thus improving UKTV hopes a reduction in the length of break junctions would help it to keep viewers and provide advertisers with improved cut-through.Channels
UKTV's channels are available via satellite and cable inCurrent free-to-air channels
UKTV'sW
W is a female-skewing general entertainment channel, and is the flagship channel of the UKTV network. The channel launched as Watch on 7 October 2008. From launch until 2010, the channel's mascot was Blinky the eyeball, who was seen on the idents, logo, and website. A 2012 rebrand saw smoke, hairballs, crystals and liquid flying out of the logo. The channel was later rebranded under its current name in February 2016. In February 2022, ''Dave
Yesterday
Yesterday focuses on history and archive programmes. It originally launched on 30 October 2002 as UK History, as part of the launch of Freeview, and was broadcast on the same EPG bandwidth that formerly housed Play UK. The channel rebranded as UKTV History in March 2004. Hours on Freeview were cut when Dave launched, with transmissions finishing at 18:00, but were restored on 1 June 2010. The channel relaunched as Yesterday in March 2009. Yesterday's main focus is on programmes with historical topics and biographies, nature and wildlife, and some historical fiction, often from the BBC archives.Drama
Current pay-TV channels
UKTV's pay-TV channels are available on Sky and Virgin Media, but not Freeview or Freesat.Gold
Eden
Eden focuses on documentaries and factual programming. The channel launched on 8 March 2004 as UKTV Documentary, as a two-way split from UK Horizons (the other being the defunct UKTV People (Blighty)). The channel airs natural history documentaries such as ''Planet Earth''.Alibi
Catch-up service
In June 2014 UKTV launched a catch-up service, UKTV Play. Launching on iOS in August, on PC,Former channels
UKTV has also had many former channels which have been replaced by others.UK Arena
Play UK
UK Gold Classics
UK Gold Classics was a sister channel to UK Gold that broadcast older comedy programming. It launched on 10 October 1998 as one of two digital-exclusive UKTV channels. The channel was relaunched as UK Gold 2 on 2 April 1999.UK Gold 2
UK Gold 2 was a secondary timeshift service for UK Gold that aired the channel's daytime programming in the evening. It was relaunched from UK Gold Classics on 2 April 1999. The channel closed on 11 November 2003, and relaunched as the younger-oriented and edgier UK G2 the following day.UK Horizons
UK Horizons was one of the original three UKTV network channels, launching on 1 November 1997. The channel focused on airingUKTV People +1
UKTV People +1 was aUKTV Bright Ideas
UKTV Style +2
UKTV Style +2 was aUKTV Gardens
Blighty
Good Food
Home
Home was one of the original three UKTV network channels, launching on 1 November 1997 as UK Style. The channel broadcast home improvement, food, DIY and gardening programmes that are a combination of internally produced shows and repeats of shows mainly from the BBC archive. Eventually, the food programmes were moved onto an offshoot network UK Food (Good Food) in November 2001, and the gardening programmes followed suit onto UKTV Style Gardens in February 2005. It was rebranded as UKTV Style in March 2004, and eventually the channel was rebranded as Home in April 2009. On 1 March 2016, Home became a free-to-air network as it launched onReally
Really focuses entirely on medical crime, real life and lifestyle shows and was another offshoot from UKTV Style. It launched on 19 May 2009, replacing UKTV Gardens. Following the split of the UKTV network fromCCXTV
In October 2020, UKTV Media took over the licence of the Freeview channel CCXTV, a channel which had been set up by Ideal Shopping Direct Ltd as a sister channel to their Create and Craft shopping channel. CCXTV was launched on 15 April 2020 as an entertainment channel and took over Create and Craft's channel number (Freeview 23), broadcasting from 7am till 10pm. Even though Create and Craft still had a shopping slot early on in the morning on Channel 23, the rest of the schedule was made up of imports and re-runs of shows like ''UK Living
UK Living was originally affiliated with UK Gold but did not become part of the UKTV network, instead transferring to Flextech to be operated as a wholly owned company, and it changed its name toGoldText
Also, an analogueOperating names
In theHD channels
UKTV launched its first HD channel; Good Food HD on 31 August 2010. The channel was originally available exclusively onAwards and nominations
See also
* UKTV Car of the Year 2007References
External links
* {{Use dmy dates, date=January 2021 BBC Former Warner Bros. Discovery subsidiaries Television networks in the United Kingdom Mass media companies established in 1992 Companies based in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham 1992 establishments in the United Kingdom Former E. W. Scripps Company subsidiaries