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Sky adds FIVE delayed channels to TVs at no extra cost following wave of closures
One of the channels is devoted to Christmas hits - see the full list below
FIVE channels have landed on some Sky TVs today after an unexpected delay to their launch last month.
Viewers were left disappointed when a bunch of channels billed to arrive on November 20 never showed up.
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It turned out there was a technical problem which delayed their launch.
Sky has bolstered its offering lately to fill the void from closures earlier in the year, which was a massive blow for music lovers.
Long-running channels The Box, Kerrang, Kiss, 4Music and Magic all closed over the summer as owners Channel 4 made cuts.
The Box was the longest running of them all, having been on-air for 32 years.
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It was a move that not only affected Sky but Virgin Media, Freeview and Freesat too.
As a result, a large gap was left in the music section of TV services - especially Sky Glass and Sky Stream.
The internet-based TV platform has fewer music channels than traditional satellite on Sky Q, meaning it was left with only four channels all from MTV.
However, plans were underway to bring the music channels on Sky Glass and Sky Stream up to scratch, by introducing the NOW channels that are already available on Sky Q.
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NOW music channels derive from the nostalgic Now That's What I Call Music brand of compilation CDs.
The company operates five channels, including a Clubland TV channel for dance music.
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It's full list include NOW 70s, NOW 80s, NOW ROCK, NOW 90s and 00s and Clubland TV.
NOW 90s and 00s is currently unavailable on all TV services as it's been temporarily rebranded to NOW XMAS for the festive period.
More than two weeks after the channels were supposed to land on Sky Glass and Sky Stream, they have now appeared.
See the full list of channel numbers below:
- 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
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.
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