Dead Sky channels. Gone but not forgotten.

Closed and re-branded services.

 

The table below lists most of the channels that have fallen by the wayside on the Sky Digital platform over the last few years. A quick glance shows that the main reason for a channel failing appears to be financial - the money runs out and the investors refuse to pump any more into a financially derelict channel. The other main reason for channels to dissapear is simply a channel is either rebranded, or is taken over by another.

The current record holder for fastest closedown seems to be Mobile Crazy TV, which launched on EPG 691 on 10th November 2003. The money had run out before the end of the year, and the lights were turned out on Christmas Eve! 

There are almost certainly mistakes and omissions on the table - especially in the fast changing world of the shopping & porn channels. If you find any, please let me know, and I'll make the necessary changes. Exact start dates are difficult to come by for many of the channels, but the info will be added if / when I run across it in my research.The closedown dates are generally the dates the service was removed from the epg. The epg number is the ones the channel was occupying when it ceased transmissions.

If anyone has any definitive dates for the opening or closing of channels currently marked by "?" or you notice a glaring error in my information,  please let me knew - credit will be given of course :)

 

The epg was completely overhauled on 28 / 2 / 2006, and most channels above #120 moved to new numbers

 

Sky Digital launched on 1st October 1998

EPG

Station

 Launched Closed

Reason for Closure
118 Granada Plus 1 / 10 / 1998? 1 / 11 / 2004 Replaced by "ITV3"
133 Discovery Home & Leisure ? 8 / 5 / 2005 Rebranded "Discovery Real Time"
134 Discovery Home & Leisure +1 ? 8 / 5 / 2005 Rebranded "Discovery Real Time +1"
136 Granada Breeze 1 / 10 / 1998 31 / 1 / 2002 ?
142 Sky Soap 1 / 10 / 1998 30 / 4 / 1999 Poor viewing figures
149 Travel Channel 2 ? 25 / 4 / 2005 Rebranded "Travel Channel +1"
151 UK Arena 1 / 10 / 1998 31 / 3 / 2000 Poor viewing figures, replaced by "UK Drama"
154 Discovery Health ? 8 / 5 / 2005` Rebranded "Discovery Home & Health"
160 BBC Choice 1 / 10 / 1998 9 / 2 / 2003 Relaunched as "BBC 3"
160 Life TV ? 4 / 2 / 2005 technical problems - returned 14 / 2 / 2005
166 Overload TV 1 / 3 / 2004 5 / 2005 Rebranded "TTV" - Transact TV
166 TTV 5 / 2005 23 / 1 / 2006 Rebranded "iPlay"
172 Game Network ? 20 / 2 / 2006 Replaced by "Babestation"
178 Tara TV 1 / 10 / 1998 30 / 4 / 2002 Financial difficulties
180 You TV 3 22 / 8 / 2005 6 / 9 / 2005 ??
193 Channel Health 26 / 6 / 2000 5 / 2 /2003 Poor viewing figures / Financial problems
202 Liberty TV ? 5 / 10 / 2001 Relaunched as "Life TV"
205 Rapture TV 27 / 11 / 1999 31 / 10 / 2001 Financial problems
205 Rapture TV 12 / 5 / 2003 ? Financial problems again
208 Showcase TV 9 / 4 / 2001 1 / 3 / 2004 Replaced by "Overload"
211 ACTV 12 / 6 / 2003 7 / 9 / 2004 financial problems - returned to 211 17/1/2005
211 ACTV 17 / 1 / 2005 14 / 2 / 2005 more problems
211 Wellbeing 13 / 3 / 2001 31 / 12 / 2001 Poor viewing figures
217 PlayUK 1999 30 / 9 / 2002 Poor viewing figures - replaced by "UK History"
217 Nation 217 ? 10 / 10 / 2005 rebranded "Quiz Nation"
220 Fashion TV 15 / 5 /2001 19 / 11 / 2004 some sort of dispute with Sky (returned a few weeks later)
223 OBE (Original Black Entertainment) 5 / 11 / 2003 20 / 3 / 2004 Returned to EPG towards end of April 2004
238 Bonanza 23 / 8 / 2004 6 / 12 / 2004 Replaced by "Majestic TV"
241 Soundtrack Channel 1 / 7 / 2004 6 / 9 / 2005 Relaunched as "Action!241"
241 Action!241 6/9/2005 17/11/2005 Relaunched as "Bonanza"
244 CNX 14 / 10 / 2002 7 / 9 / 2003 Relaunched as "Toonami"
247 MBE (Major Black Entertainment) 16 / 2 / 2003 3 / 9 / 2003 Poor viewing figures ?
247 Classics TV 18 / 11 / 2002 10 / 10 / 2005 Replaced by "Dove Vision"
259 Unlimited TV 17 / 11 / 2005 30 / 9 / 2005 Replaced by "The Audi Channel"
262 Simply Nostalgia 9 / 9 / 2002 1 / 5 / 2003 Financial difficulties
277 Sound TV 21 / 2 / 2005 20 / 9 / 2005 Rebranded back to "Information TV"
277 London TV 20 / 9 / 2004 14 / 3 / 2006 relaunched as "Celebrity Shopping"
325 Film 4 World 7 / 4 / 2001 5 / 5 / 2003 Relaunched as "Film 4 Weekly"
326 Film 4 Extreme 7 / 4 / 2001 5 / 5 / 2003 Relaunched as "Film 4 Weekly"
333 Movies 333 21 / 3 / 2005 25 / 4 / 2005 Relaunched as "True Movies"
336 Matinee Movies 25 / 4 / 2005 31 / 1 / 2006 Rebranded "Movies4Men"
339 Bad Movies 25 / 4 / 2005 31 / 1 / 2006 Rebranded "Action Max"
410 The Racing Channel ? 3 / 2 / 2003 Financial problems?
411 Eurosport News 1 / 9 / 2001 10 / 1 / 2005 Replaced by "Eurosport 2"
414 Go Barking Mad 8 / 6 / 2001 19 / 2 / 2003 Relaunched as "Red Button Racing"
414 Red Button Races 19 / 2 / 2003 18 / 6 / 2003 Financial difficulties
417 NASN ? 20 / 2 / 2006 Rebranded "Sentanta NASN"
425 I-Sports TV 17 / 11 / 2003 6 / 10 / 2004 Replaced by "Channel 425"
425 Channel 425 6 / 10 / 2005 6 / 3 / 2006 Rebranded "Channel 854"
428 TWC Reloaded 25 / 10 / 2004 21 / 3 / 2005 Relaunched as "Movies on 333"
432 U>Direct Sport ? 1 / 8 / 2001 Financial difficulties
434 F1 Digital + 16 / 2 / 2002 19 / 11 / 2002 Very poor viewing figures
441 MTV Extra ? 30 / 4 / 2001 Relaunched as "MTV Hits"
455 Vibe TV 17 / 6 / 2002 2 / 9 / 2002 Relaunched as "TV High Street"
461 Whereits.at TV 1 / 5 / 2001 10 / 10 / 2001 Financial difficulties
461 P-Rock 28 / 11 / 2002 24 / 6 / 2003 Financial difficulties
464 Digital Classics TV 26 / 6 / 2001 8 / 8 / 2002 Financial difficulties
469 The Amp 17 / 4 / 2003 2 / 3 / 2006 Replaced by "Bliss"
516 The Money Channel 7 / 2 / 2000 6 / 5 / 2001 Financial difficulties
522 Simply Money 1 / 2000 17 / 4 / 2001 Poor viewing figures - changed to "Simply Shopping"
525 ITN News Channel ? 23 / 12 / 2005 poor viewing figures
553 Discovery Travel & Adventure ? 1 / 2 / 2004 Replaced by "Discovery Travel & Living"
564 UK Horizons 1 / 10 / 1998 8 / 3 / 2004 Poor viewing figures, replaced by "UKTV People" & "UKTV Documentaries"
565 UK Horizons +1 4 / 5 / 2001 8 / 3 / 2004
567 [.tv] 1 / 10 / 1998 2 / 9 / 2001 Poor viewing figures
573 BBC Knowledge 1 / 6 / 1999 1 / 3 / 2002 Relaunched as "BBC 4"
576 Einstein.tv 25 / 1 / 2001 24 / 7 / 2002 Financial difficulties
579 Simply Nature 22 / 7 / 2002 14 / 4 / 2003 Poor viewing figures
580 Simply Nostalgia 9 / 9 / 2002 14 / 4 / 2003 Financial difficulties
581 Simply Einstein 28 / 11 / 2002 14 / 4 / 2003 Poor viewing figures
588 Information TV 1 / 2004 21 / 2 / 2005 Rebranded "Sound TV"
602 Cartoon Network +1 ? 6 / 3 / 2006 Replaced by "Boomerang +1"
609 Fox Kids ? 31 / 12 / 2004 Rebranded "Jetix"
610 Fox Kids +1 ? 31 / 12 / 2004 Rebranded "Jetix+1"
613 Toon Disney ? 16 / 3 / 2006 closed so "Disney Cinemania" could startt
619 Toons n Tunes 29 / 5 / 2003 26 / 6 / 2003 Relaunched as "Pop"
631 TV Travel Shop ? 11 / 4 / 2005 Rebranded "iBuy TV"
632 TV Travel Shop 2 ? 11 / 4 / 2005 Rebranded "iBuy TV 2"
633 Shop! 1998 8 / 4 / 2002 ?
636 Express Shopping Channel 29 / 9 / 2004 3 / 10 / 2005 Replaced by "Pitch TV"
637 Shop America 1 / 12 / 2000 20 / 10 / 2004 Replaced by "Express Shopping"
638 Travel Deals Direct ? 1 / 6 / 2004 Replaced by "Lunn Poly TV"
640 Simply Home ? 11 / 4 / 2005 Rebranded "Superstore TV"
640 Superstore TV 1 / 6 / 2005 3 / 10 / 2005 Rebranded "Downtown Superstore"
641 Simply Health 17 / 12 / 2001 2 / 6 / 2003? Financial difficulties
642 Simply TV ? 4 / 3 / 2004 Rebranded as "The Entertainment Channel"
644 Shop USA 1 / 10 / 2002 18 / 3 / 2003 ?
645 Simply Music 5 / 11 / 2001 14 / 4 / 2003 Poor viewing figures
645 Simply Shopping + ? 1 / 5 / 2003 Financial difficulties
646 Factory Outlet 3 / 3 / 2003 10 / 7 / 2004 (Started on 670) Rebranded "Snatch It!"
646 Gems TV Gold ? 15 / 8 / 2005 Rebranded "Gems.tv"
647 Tell Sell ? 9 / 1 / 2006 Rebranded "Pitch TV Plus"
649 Home Shopping Europe 17 / 10 / 2001 1 / 10 / 2002 Financial difficulties
649 Chase-it.tv 9 / 5 / 2004 24 / 12 / 2004 License revoked by Ofcom
650 Lets Go Shopping 15 / 1 / 2002 21 / 10 / 2003 Replaced by "Best Direct Plus"
654 Simply Jewellery 1 / 10 / 2001 14 / 4 / 2003 Poor viewing figures. Replaced by "Simply Health & Fitness"
656 Shop Smart ? 11 / 12 / 2004 Under investigation by Ofcom. Licence revoked 1/2004
657 Shop Aid TV 30 / 5 / 2002 31 / 10 / 2002 ?
657 Screenshop ? 27 / 7 / 2005 Rebranded "Speed Auctions TV"
658 The Shopping Genie 30 / 5 / 2002 3 / 2 / 2004 Relaunched as "Factory Outlet"
659 Shop 24/7 1 / 7 / 2002 6 / 5 / 2004 Relaunched as "Vector 24/7"
659 JML Direct 1 / 10 / 2002 1 / 3 / 2005 Rebranded "eeZee TV"
660 Auctionworld 10 / 2003 ?? 17 / 12 / 2004 License revoked by Ofcom
663 TV High Street 2002 13 / 8 / 2003 Replaced by "Factory Outlet 2"
663 Factory Outlet 2 13 / 8 / 2003 21 / 5 / 2004 Replaced by "FO - Female Only"
663 FO - Female Only 21 / 5 / 2004 8 / 10 / 2004 Replaced by "Gems.tv"
663 Gems.tv 8 / 10 / 2004 15 / 8 / 2005 Rebranded "Gems.tv 2"
665 Chart Shop TV 14 / 10 / 2002 20 / 3 / 2003 Relaunched as "Video Vault"
666 Phone World TV 31 / 1 / 2003 23 / 10 / 2003 Relaunched as "Shopping World"
666 Shopping World 23 / 10 / 2003 ? Relaunched as "Auctionworld Reserve TV"
666 Auctionworld Reserve TV ? 9 / 5 / 2004 Relaunched as "Chase-it.tv"
668 The Move Channel 13 / 9 / 2004 6 / 12 / 2004 Replaced by "IDMT"
668 IDMT 6 / 12 / 2004 27 / 7 / 2005 Rebranded "We Deliver TV"
669 Going Places TV 18 / 2 / 2003 6 / 5 / 2004 Financial difficulties
670 Factory Outlet 3 2 / 2 / 2004 10 / 7 / 2003 Rebranded "Deal of the Day"
673 Inspiration Network ? 5 / 6 / 2002 Financial difficulties
675 Christian Family Channel ? 27 / 1 / 2004 Replaced by "Daystar"
681 UC Lanka 12 / 10 / 2001 21 / 2 / 2002 ?
681 Jobs TV ? 23 / 12 / 2004? ?
682 Asia 1 TV early 1999 4 / 2 / 2002 Financial difficulties
683 Sonali TV 23 / 10 / 2001 6 / 2 / 2002 Financial difficulties
684 Escape Channel 26 / 4 / 2004 20 / 6 / 2005 Rebranded "Lucky Star"
686 txt me 11 / 12 / 2001 1 / 7 / 2004 Replaced by "The Soundtrack Channel"
687 Open Access 14 / 10 / 2002 16 / 1 / 2005 Replaced by "Authentic TV"
688 Channel East 30 / 1 / 2000 23 / 7 / 2001 Financial difficulties?
689 TX1 1 / 11 / 2002 30 / 10 / 2003 Financial difficulties?
691 Lashkara TV ? 4 / 2 / 2002 Financial difficulties
691 Mobile Crazy TV 10 / 11 / 2003 24 / 12 / 2003 Financial difficulties
692 Gurjari TV 1999 22 / 2 / 2002 Financial difficulties
694 Anjuman 1 / 12 / 2000 22 / 2 / 2002 Financial difficulties
694 Advert Channel 12 / 7 / 2004 28 / 2 / 2005 Rebranded "Your TV"
694 Your TV 28 / 2 / 2005 20 / 2 / 2006 Replaced by "Broadband UK 2"
695 Authentic TV 16 / 1 / 2005 14 / 9 / 2005 Replaced by "Open Access 1"
696 Exchange and Mart TV 21 / 10 / 2003 8 / 8 / 2005 Poor sales??
698 MBI (Minaj Broadcast Intl.) 24 / 10 / 2000 6 / 12 / 2001 Poor viewing figures?
699 One TV Christmas Shop 19 / 9 / 2005 4 / 1 / 2006 Rebranded "GDTV"
747-754 Sky Box Office channels ? 7 / 9 / 2005 ? NB - other SBO channels were immediately shuffled onto these epg numbers.
771 Erotik 1 23 / 6 / 2003 1 / 3 / 2004 Poor viewing figures?
772 Erotik 2 23 / 6 / 2003 2 / 2 / 2004 Poor viewing figures?
773 Erotik 3 30 / 6 / 2003 2 / 2 / 2004 Poor viewing figures?
774 Erotik 4 7 / 7 / 2003 16 / 10 / 2003 Poor viewing figures?
775 Erotik 5 7 / 7 / 2003 16 / 10 / 2003 Poor viewing figures?
776 Erotik 6 7 / 7 / 2003 16 / 10 / 2003 Poor viewing figures?
799 U>Direct film previews 6 / 1999 31 / 7 / 2001 Financial difficulties
800-827 U>Direct 7 / 1999 31 / 7 / 2001 Financial difficulties
814 Ekushey TV 26 / 11 / 2001 1 / 9 / 2003 Licencing problems in Bangladesh
814 Vectone Music 9 / 5 / 2005 21 / 9 / 2005 Replaced by "Vectone Channel i"
814 Vectone Channel I 21 / 9 / 2005 20 / 2 / 2006 Replaced by "Vectone One"
816 Sirasa TV 23 / 1 / 2002 28 / 10 / 2002 ?
820 Art Movies 12 / 8 / 2002 1 / 10 / 2004 Low subscriber numbers
821 Art Music 12 / 8 / 2002 1 / 10 / 2004 Low subscriber numbers
822 MBC 26 / 6 / 2003 1  / 10 /2004 Low subscriber numbers
823 B4U>Direct ? 1 / 8 / 2001 Financial difficulties
823 LBC 12 / 8 / 2002 1  / 10 /2004 Low subscriber numbers
826 Simply Asian 14 / 11 / 2002 1 / 5 / 2003 Financial difficulties
826 Simply Asian 14 / 11 / 2002 1 / 5 / 2003 Financial difficulties.
829 SAB TV ? 6 / 4 / 2005 Rebranded "MATV National"
831 Vectone Hindi / Bolly 15 / 10 / 2003 21 / 2 / 2005 Rebranded "Vectone 4U"
831 Vectone 4U 21 / 2 / 2005 11 / 4 / 2005 Rebranded "Vectone Punjab"
832 Vectone MH-1 6 / 12 / 2005 20 / 2 / 2006 Replaced by "Vectone Two"
844 Bollywood Films 23 / 3 / 2004 23 / 9 / 2004 Low subscriber numbers
882 ART Europe 12 / 8 / 2002 25 / 6 / 2003 Replaced by MBC
909 L!ve TV 28 / 7 / 2003 2 / 3 / 2006 Replaced by "Babeworld"
952 Automotive Channel ? 5 / 2003 ?
952 CPD / Dental TV 7 / 12 / 2001 25 / 3 / 2003 ?
964 BBC Choice Scotland 1 / 10 / 1998 31 / 3 / 2001 Poor viewing figures ?
965 BBC Choice Wales 1 / 10 / 1998 31 / 3 / 2001 Poor viewing figures ?
966 BBC Choice Northern Ireland 1 / 10 / 1998 31 / 3 / 2001 Poor viewing figures ?
976 Red Hot Only 18 ? 1 / 4 / 2005 Replaced by "Red Hot Rears" RHO18 moved to 982
978 Red Hot Films 19 / 6 / 2000 21 / 9 / 2003 Returned Feb 2004 on EPG 993
981 Red Hot UK Talent ? 1 / 4 / 2005 Replaced by "Red Hot Climax"
982 Red Hot Euro ? 1 / 4 / 2005 Replaced by "Red Hot Only 18"
983 Red Hot Films ? 1 / 4 / 2005 Replaced by "Red Hot Movies"
984 Pout Uncut 22 / 7 / 2003 20 / 11 / 2003 Replaced by "Xplicit XXX"
985 Red Hot Euro 19 / 6 / 2000 30 / 6 / 2003 Returned Feb 2004 on EPG 992
994 SportXXXGirls 15 / 11 / 2003 11 / 10 / 2004 Replaced by "XXX Housewives"

 

Radio Channels that have closed down off Sky Digital - more details later

The Mix - replaced by Fun Radio 20 / 2 / 2006
ITN News Radio
Storm Live
Asia Air
Teamtalk 252
Rampage
Purple Radio
Youth fm
The Scene
Total Rock
RWAB
Apna Radio
Talk Gospel
One of the UCB radio stations
Easy Radio
Student Broadcast Network
Big Blue (Chelsea football club service) on 898 ceased operation on 14th September 2005.
The Saint - ceased 1/12/2005

 



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