FREEVIEW has announced that it will close two popular channels for millions of viewers.
The UK children’s TV landscape is about to shrink drastically in a huge blow to parents before the holidays.
Narrative Entertainment has confirmed that its free-to-air networks POP and Tiny Pop — along with the POP Player streaming app — will shut down completely this December.
POP and Tiny Pop, once launched by CSC Media Group in 2003, went on to become staples on Freeview, Sky and Virgin.
Their departure leaves only the BBC’s CBBC and CBeebies, plus the preschool strand Milkshake ! on Channel 5, as the main free-to-air options for kids.
Narrative says the decision was forced by plummeting viewing figures as the kids’ TV sector is now worth just 4% of what it was a decade ago.
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However, the sister FAST channel Pop Up will remain, as will the Pop and Tiny Pop FAST channels.
The director of the Pop channels, Francesca Newington, will still be in charge of the FAST channel portfolio.
Tiny Pop was removed from linear TV in March 2024 in a bid to serve its audience better but was reinstated five months later.
The most recent action follows the shutdown of sibling linear channel Pop Max, which moved its programming to Pop and Pop Player after leaving Freeview in December 2024 and Sky in January of this year.
It comes at a time when children are quickly switching from traditional linear viewing to streaming platforms and social media.
Narrative MD Paul Dunthorne told C21: “With commercial value across the UK kids’ TV market now just 4% of what it was 10 years ago, we’ve taken the decision to close our linear Pop channel at the end of the year.
“We understand the importance of offering high-quality kids’ TV, and we’ve done everything that we can to maintain Pop.
“But free-to-air channels for this audience are simply not commercially viable without public service broadcaster-style funding.
“We will retain our Pop presence on FAST channels in the UK on Freeview, Samsung, LG and other platforms, and internationally, as these continue to offer commercial opportunities.”
