 | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Picture format | 16:9576iSDTV |
| Timeshift service | 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; 13 years ago (2011-04-07) (original) 10 September 2019; 5 years ago (2019-09-10) (relaunch) |
| Replaced | Original Film 24(SET) Open Access 3(SET +1) Relaunch True Entertainment |
| Closed | 6 February 2018; 7 years ago (2018-02-6) (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 |
Great! TV (stylized asGREAT! tv)[1][2] is aBritish-English language general entertainment channel in theUnited Kingdom owned 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.
BT agreed a deal with Sony Pictures Television to offer its programmingon-demand onBT Vision from 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 channel was 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 Channel on 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 Entertainment from 10 September 2019.[7][better source needed] The channel replaced True Entertainment on all platforms (Freeview 48, Sky 157,Freesat 142, 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! Player streaming service on Freeview channel 63.
The 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 seriesHustle andHotel Babylon, along with the last season ofLas Vegas and 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 City began airing on Sony Entertainment Television.[13]
On 16 May 2012, Sony Entertainment Television began showing BBC Spy dramaSpooks from series 1.[14] It was announced on 2 August 2012, that Sony Entertainment Television acquired the rights to broadcastHot in Cleveland in the UK and Ireland, and it showedseason 3 on 14 September 2012,season 1 andseason 2 had already been broadcast onSky Living.[15] The channel also broadcast the American sitcomCommunity,[16] ITV'sSecret Diary of a Call Girl and the BBC's highly successfulAshes to Ashes andLife on Mars. The channel started to broadcast the UK TV premieres of various other programmes includingThe Night Shift,Saving Hope,Younger,Satisfaction andOrange Is the New Black. Paranormal content on the former channel includedGhost Hunters,Ghost Hunters International andCelebrity Ghost Stories. In 2017, the channel began to broadcast repeats ofAmerica's Got Talent.
The 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.
 | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Picture format | 16:9 576i or 1080i |
| Timeshift service | Great! Real +1 |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Narrative Entertainment UK Limited |
| History | |
| Launched | March 20, 2024; 11 months ago (2024-03-20) (linear channel) October 2024; 5 months ago (2024-10) (FAST) |
| Replaced | Tiny Pop |
| Closed | August 20, 2024; 6 months ago (2024-08-20) |
| 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.
In February 2024, it was announced that Narrative Entertainment UK Limited would launch a new channel concept calledGreat! Real in March, featuringreality television content. 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 Pop to terrestrial distribution. It later returned in October as a FAST channel service.
Great! Mystery is a British terrestrial TV channel operating as a FAST service, along with Freeview availability on channel 61 carrying mystery films and series.[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]
Sony-owned entertainment channel True Entertainment will be relaunched as Sony Channel.
