DOZENS of channels have disappeared from boxes in the last 12 months – and an expert warns more are likely to follow.
UK broadcasting giants including Sky and Virgin have oversaw huge shifts in 2024 with the continued growth of streaming.
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Big closures this year include the end of several music channels, with The Box, 4 Music, Kiss, Kerrang and Magic disappearing in June.
The Box had been on air for 32 years.
At the start of the year, entertainment channel E! went off air in the UK.
Numerous shopping and international channels have also gone.
And a big chunk of old SD (standard definition) channels closed on satellite too to make way for HD (high definition) only, including BBC, ITV and Channel 4.
As a result, Sky and Virgin Media have embraced so-called FAST – free ad-support TV – that are beamed into homes via the internet.
There have been a huge expansion in FAST channels this year as a free alternative to Netflix, Prime and other streaming giants.
Even the traditional big players in broadcasting are taking a more streaming first approach, with ITV making Corrie and Emmerdale available on ITVX first every morning ahead of their evening slot on ITV1.
Meanwhile, Freeview is preparing for an internet-based TV future, launching Freely earlier this year which can work without an aerial.
An industry expert told The Sun that more channel closures are likely in 2025 and beyond as the trend continues.
“This is inevitable, more broadcasters will cull broadcast/linear TV channels as viewers are flocking to streaming services,” Paolo Pescatore from PP Foresight said.
“The big TV switch off is around the corner, with all programming set to be delivered via the internet.
“Viewers are now spoilt for choice with how and where they watch the TV shows they love across a range of connected devices.
“To respond, broadcasters need to be prepared and work more closely with telecom providers to ensure a seamless experience for users.”
Which channels could go next?
Analysis by Jamie Harris, Assistant Technology and Science Editor at The Sun
CBBC and BBC Four are big names at risk for 2025.
The BBC announced in 2022 that the pair would disappear as traditional linear channels in a few years and go digital only via iPlayer.
When Channel 4 announced the closure of The Box and other music channels it owned in January, the broadcaster hinted that more could come.
At the time the company said it was proposing to “close small linear channels that no longer deliver revenues or public value at scale, including the Box channels in 2024 and others at the right time”.
So which could the “others” be? It really depends what Channel 4 considers “small” but its other channels include More4, E4, E4 Extra, Film4 and 4Seven.
