Great! TV(stylized asGREAT! tv)[1][2]is aBritish-Englishlanguage general entertainment channel in theUnited Kingdomowned by Narrative Entertainment UK Limited. It originally launched as Sony Entertainment Television on 7 April 2011.[3]However, it was closed on 6 February 2018 and replaced by Sony Crime Channel. It was brought back for a second time on 10 September 2019 when it replacedTrue Entertainment.The relaunched Sony Channel had different idents and programming than the former due to inheriting some programming from its predecessor True Entertainment and on 25 May 2021, following Narrative Capital's acquisition of Sony's channels, it was rebranded as Great! TV.
 | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Picture format | 16:9576iSDTV |
| Timeshiftservice | Great! TV +1 |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Sony Pictures Television(2011–21) Narrative Entertainment UK Limited (2021–present) |
| Sister channels | Pop Tiny Pop Pop Max Great! Movies Great! Action Great! Romance |
| History | |
| Launched | 7 April 2011(original) 10 September 2019(relaunch) |
| Replaced | Original Film 24(SET) Open Access 3(SET +1) Relaunch True Entertainment |
| Closed | 6 February 2018(original) |
| Replaced by | Sony Crime Channel(original) |
| Former names | Sony Entertainment Television (2011–16) Sony Channel (2016–21) |
| Links | |
| Website | greatnetwork.com/tv |
| Availability | |
| Terrestrial | |
| Freeview | Channel 50 |
History
editBTagreed a deal with Sony Pictures Television to offer its programmingon-demandonBT Visionfrom 1 March 2010.[4]The move marked Sony's debut in the UK market, over a year ahead of the launch of the Sony Entertainment Television channel. Sony Entertainment Television also appeared on TalkTalk TV during the YouView platform launch in 2012, but was later removed.
Sony Pictures Television acquired channel 157 onSky'sEPG,previously owned byFilm 24,in November 2010.[5]A one-hourtimeshift channelwas also available from launch after the purchase ofOpen Access 3's Sky EPG slot on channel 190. Both Film 24 and Open Access 3 closed on 4 April 2011, to make way for previews of Sony Entertainment Television. On 15 December 2011, Sony Entertainment Television was added toVirgin Media.[6]On 2 April 2012, Sony Entertainment Television +1 moved toCurrent TV's former Sky EPG slot on channel 183, with channel 190 used to launchMen&Movies +1.On 3 July 2012, Sony Entertainment Television +1 moved to channel 181.
The channel was rebranded as Sony Channel on 12 January 2016, but closed on 6 February 2018 to be replaced bySony Crime Channelon Sky and Virgin Media. The last programme on the channel was an episode ofSaving Hope.
On 24 July 2019, it was announced that Sony Channel would be relaunched and would replace its predecessorTrue Entertainmentfrom 10 September 2019.[7][better source needed]The channel replaced True Entertainment on all platforms (Freeview48, Sky 157,Freesat142, Virgin 189), with the last programme shown on True Entertainment being an episode of Highway to Heaven.
Due to Narrative Capital acquiring SPT's full UK portfolio on 14 May 2021, the 4 Sony-branded free-to-air channels in the UK adopted the Great! branding on 25 May 2021. As a result, the channel was rebranded as Great! TV.[8]
On 21 June 2023, Great! TV moved from a local TV multiplex on Freeview to the COM6 multiplex, thereby making the channel more widely available in more areas on Freeview.[9][10]
On 20 November 2024, Great! TV +1 was replaced by theGreat! Playerstreaming service on Freeview channel 63.
Logos
edit-
Sony Entertainment Television(2011–2016) -
Sony Channel(2016-2018) -
Sony Channel(2019–2021) -
Sony Channel +1(2019–2021)
Programming
editOriginal
editThe original Sony Channel was aimed at women aged between 25 and 54 and broadcast a range of dramas and comedies, includingHawthorne,Huff,and'Til Death.[11]Sony Entertainment Television also brought UK seriesHustleandHotel Babylon,along with the last season ofLas Vegasand reruns ofCrossing Jordan,Dawson's Creek,My Boys,Ned and Stacey,andNewsRadio.[12]It also showed movies from SET's parent companySony Pictures Entertainment,such asThe Da Vinci Code,All the King's Men,Marie Antoinette,andPhiladelphia.From September 2011,Holby Citybegan airing on Sony Entertainment Television.[13]
On 16 May 2012, Sony Entertainment Television began showing BBC Spy dramaSpooksfrom series 1.[14]It was announced on 2 August 2012, that Sony Entertainment Television acquired the rights to broadcastHot in Clevelandin the UK and Ireland, and it showedseason 3on 14 September 2012,season 1andseason 2had already been broadcast onSky Living.[15]The channel also broadcast the American sitcomCommunity,[16]ITV'sSecret Diary of a Call Girland the BBC's highly successfulAshes to AshesandLife on Mars.The channel started to broadcast the UK TV premieres of various other programmes includingThe Night Shift,Saving Hope,Younger,SatisfactionandOrange Is the New Black.Paranormal content on the former channel includedGhost Hunters,Ghost Hunters InternationalandCelebrity Ghost Stories.In 2017, the channel began to broadcast repeats ofAmerica's Got Talent.
Relaunch
editThe relaunched Sony Channel (which later became Great! TV) retained some programming from its predecessor channel, True Entertainment, but added more Sony-owned programmes to the schedule.
Great! Real
edit | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Picture format | 16:9576i or 1080i |
| Timeshiftservice | Great! Real +1 |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Narrative Entertainment UK Limited |
| History | |
| Launched | March 20, 2024 (linear channel) October 2024 (FAST) |
| Replaced | Tiny Pop |
| Closed | August 20, 2024 |
| Replaced by | Tiny Pop |
Great! Real(stylized as GREAT! real) is a British terrestrial TV channel owned by Narrative Entertainment UK Limited which launched in 20 March 2024 and served as a replacement forTiny Pop[17][18]onFreeview,Freesat,Sky and Virgin.
History
editIn February 2024, it was announced that Narrative Entertainment UK Limited would launch a new channel concept calledGreat! Realin March, featuringreality televisioncontent. The network launched test transmissions on 5 March 2024, before an official launch of 20 March, replacing Tiny Pop, which would move to online-only distribution.
The service would only last five months before closing on 20 August 2024 to make way for the return ofTiny Popto terrestrial distribution.
GREAT! real returned as a FAST channel in October 2024.
Great! Mystery
editGreat! Mysteryis a British terrestrial TV channel operating as a FAST service on a number of platforms and as a HbbTV hybrid streaming channel on Freeview channel 61.[19]Great! Mystery originally launched alongside Narrative Entertainment's children's service POP Up in May 2024 via Samsung TV Plus, LG Channels and Plex.[20]
Styled as theHome of the Whodunnit,the service would be used to premiere a number of films new to Great! TV's channels as well as being a channel for murder mystery dramas. On 20 November 2024, the channel joined Freeview as a streaming service launching on channel 61, the former home of Great! Real, with the Great! Player turning up on channel 63.[21]
References
edit- ^"New network GREAT! launches in the UK".17 May 2021.
- ^"Sony Movie Channel has been renamed Great! But how? And why?!".the Guardian.26 May 2021.
- ^"Sony to launch UK channel".Broadband TV News. 8 March 2011.Retrieved13 January2016.
- ^"SPT channels on BT Vision".Broadband TV News. 4 March 2010.
- ^"Sony acquires Film24's Sky EPG slot".Digital Spy. 19 November 2010.
- ^"SET comes to Virgin media platform!".Sony Entertainment Television. 15 December 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 24 April 2012.Retrieved17 December2011.
- ^"Sony Pictures Television Revamps Entertainment Portfolio And Launches UK's First Free-To-Air Movie Network".Sky Media. 24 July 2019.
Sony-owned entertainment channel True Entertainment will be relaunched as Sony Channel.
- ^"Sony Pictures Television U.K. Channels Sold to U.S. Investment Firm Narrative Capital".Variety.14 May 2021.Retrieved14 May2021.
- ^"Major Freeview channel update with nearly 20 changes > RXTV info".21 June 2023.Retrieved21 June2023.
- ^"Event log for Freeview North West network".Retrieved21 June2023.
- ^Laughlin, Andrew (9 March 2011)."Sony to launch new TV channel in April".Digital Spy.
- ^"Sony TV launches in the UK, and becomes the first branded TV station to do so".The Hollywood News. 15 March 2011.
- ^"Holby City comes to Sony".Sony Entertainment Television. 6 September 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 27 September 2011.
- ^"Spooks to be broadcast again from the very start".Radio Times.30 April 2012.
- ^"Sony Entertainment Television Acquires UK Rights To Hot In Cleveland Season Three".TVWise. 2 August 2012.
- ^Jeffery, Morgan (25 February 2015)."Community season 6 to air on broadcast TV in UK".Digital Spy.Retrieved13 January2016.
- ^"Narrative Entertainment launches GREAT! Real".Broadband TV News.28 February 2024.Retrieved12 July2024.
- ^"Narrative launching GREAT! Real channel".28 February 2024.Retrieved12 July2024.
- ^https://rxtvinfo.com/freeview-updates/
- ^https://rxtvinfo.com/2024/narrative-launching-two-new-free-channels/
- ^https://rxtvinfo.com/2024/new-channel-launch-as-part-of-november-freeview-update/