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| Country | United Kingdom andIreland |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | United Kingdom andIreland |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Picture format | 1080iHDTV (downscaled to16:9576i for theSDTV feed) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Paramount Networks UK & Australia |
| Sister channels | Channel 5 5Star 5USA 5Select 5Action |
| History | |
| Launched | 12 February 2019; 6 years ago (2019-02-12) |
| Closed | 6 January 2023; 2 years ago (2023-01-06) |
| Links | |
| Website | www |
Smithsonian Channel was a Britishfree-to-air television channel that was launched as the UK version of the US documentary networkSmithsonian Channel. It launched on 12 February 2019 and closed down on 6 January 2023.
The content of the channel, much of which is drawn from the US station, comprised predominantly original non-fiction programming covering a range of historical, scientific and cultural subjects.
Test transmissions for the new services began with the addition ofHD and subsequentlySD broadcast capacity on theAstra 2G satellite in late 2018.
The channel was officially made available on 12 February 2019. Ahead of the launch, it had been suggested that the network would begin on satellite, then launch onFreeview in the spring, though it launched on all four platforms, along withFreesat.
On December 15, 2022, it was announced that the channel would be closing on January 6, 2023 after nearly four years on air. Its programming shifted online to other Paramount Global presences, includingParamount+,My5 andPluto TV.[1]
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