SKY has plugged a big gap on its TV guide with the arrival of five extra channels for some accounts.
Music lovers were devastated to lose a load of much-loved channels earlier this year, including The Box and Kerrang.
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They – along with Kiss, 4Music, Magic – disappeared from TVs over the summer due to cuts by Channel 4, who operated the staple of channels.
The Box was the longest running of the lot, having been on-air for some 32 years.
This left a huge void in the music channel section of all TV service providers including Sky and Virgin Media.
But it was particularly noticeable on Sky Glass and Sky Stream, Sky’s internet-based alternative to the traditional satellite dish.
Sky Glass and Sky Stream don’t quite have as many music channels as Sky Q.
After Channel 4 closed its music channels down, only four were left all run by MTV.
From today, Sky Glass and Sky Stream will find five new music channels on their devices, taking the total back up to nine.
The full list of channels can be found below.
- NOW 70s
- NOW 80s
- NOW ROCK
- NOW XMAS
- Clubland TV
As viewers may notice, the brands come from the classic NOW That’s What I Call Music compilation CD.
NOW XMAS is a temporary channel that’s usually called NOW 90s and 00s.
In the New Year, it will revert back to being NOW 90s and 00s.
The channels are available on Sky Glass and Sky Stream from today at no extra cost.
Here’s the full list of music channels now available on the platform:
- MTV Music – 350
- MTV Hits – 351
- MTV Xmas – 352 (temporary name, reverts to MTV 90s in 2025)
- MTV 80s – 351
- Clubland TV – 354
- NOW 70s – 355
- NOW 80s – 356
- NOW XMAS – 357 (temporary name, reverts to NOW 90s and 00s in 2025)
- NOW ROCK – 358
More ways to get free music on Sky Glass and Sky Stream
If you’re still wanting more music on your TV, there are some freebies hiding in plain sight.
Xumo Play is an app on Sky Glass and Sky Stream that provides access to an extra 70 or so channels.
Among them is a host of music channels.
There’s also the Vevo app that lets you select and play music videos on demand.
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Why have music channels disappeared?
Analysis by Jamie Harris, Assistant Technology and Science Editor at The Sun
Music channels were once the highlight for teens to catch iconic videos with MTV, VH1 and The Box among the many names on screens.
Who remembers paying a couple of quid to request a song? Only to wait ages for it to appear.
Those days are long gone thanks to instant internet access to any song or video you want.
And so with it, the music channels have slowly died off.
VH1 disappeared from the UK years ago, as did Smash Hits – then we lost The Box, Kerrang, Kiss, 4Music and Magic.
Despite dwindling numbers there is clearly still an audience for music video lovers on TV – even if it’s just background filler – with the expansion of the NOW channels.
