TWO channels are set to disappear from linear TV next month affecting how viewers access a number of beloved shows.
The pair are due to cease broadcasting the traditional way on Sky and Virgin Media, as well as Freeview.
But you can continue to watch in other ways.
The two channels are POP and Tiny POP, which have been much-loved favourites for kids since 2003.
It started out as Toons&Tunes, before being rebranded as POP.
The channels show big name titles including Elmo’s World, Dragon Ball Super and Masha and the Bear.
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Now owners Narrative Entertainment have revealed to The Sun exactly when POP will disappear from Sky and Virgin.
And the date is December 31.
The POP Player and website will close down too.
Instead, the channel will exist only as a web stream that internet-connected Freeview boxes can access, as well as smart TVs like Samsung TV Plus and LG Channels.
But for Sky and Virgin boxes, they will no longer be accessible.
The move means CBBC and CBeebies will be the last free-to-air linear kid’s channel left in the UK, following the closure of CITV in September 2023.
It comes amid stiff competition from streaming, led by YouTube.
Ofcom data for 2024 shows that one in five young viewers aged from four to 15-years old go straight to YouTube as their first port of call on TVs.
In an unexpected twist, Sky recently revived the Disney Junior channel back to TVs, five years after it was axed.
The channel returned to the Sky Kids package last week.
WHY IS DISNEY JR COMING BACK?
By Jamie Harris, Assistant Technology and Science Editor at The Sun
A number of TV channels have been closing in face of tough competition from streaming.
So it’s quite surprising to hear of a reversal, with Disney Jr returning to linear TV five years after it was axed.
But it turns out putting all your eggs into the streaming basket isn’t necessarily the best way to do business.
Interestingly, this return from the dead only includes Disney Jr, and not the main Disney Channel.
Disney Jr taps into the 2-6 age range.
Some parents don’t want kids this young venturing on YouTube just yet, so Disney Jr fills that gap.
And with continued channel closures and the arrival of HBO Max next year that will shake-up Sky’s premium offering, it’s more important than ever for Sky to provide as much reason as possible for viewers to stick with them.
