 Final logo used from 1 May 2018 to 7 January 2020 | |
| Programming | |
|---|---|
| Picture format | 1080iHDTV (downscaled to16:9576i for theSDTV feed) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | ViacomCBS Networks UK & Australia |
| Sister channels | |
| History | |
| Launched | 30 September 1994 |
| Closed | 7 January 2020 |
| Replaced by | MTV Classic (Virgin Media UK) |
VH1 was a British and Irish pay television channel that was owned byViacomCBS. The channel was based on theAmerican channel of the same name. The channel ceased broadcasting on 7 January 2020.
VH1 UK launched on 30 September 1994[citation needed] as a complementary network to the youth-orientatedMTV. It originally took the same focus at launch as the main American network of a focus on mainlyadult contemporary artists for an audience between 21-44, with a broad playlist involvingmusic videos from the 70s to the present day along with weekly countdowns, a format maintained until around 2008.
Between 1994 and 2002 Paul King (UK) and Pip Dann (NZ), familiar faces from MTV Europe 1989-1994, were the channel's main videojockeys. Paul King hosted VH1's Album Chart Show (also broadcast on VH1 Europe in 2002) and Pip Dann had her own special shows.
Besides the American network's features and programming (including programme marathons such asPop-Up Video), a unique feature of the network wasTen of the Best, in which an artist's video is played, then the artist's personal top ten list being played with explanations from the artists for their choices. The same concept was also carried by VH2, but with their alternative artists.
From 24 November until 26 December 2017, VH1 was renamed temporarily as VH1 Christmas.
On 1 May 2018, VH1 moved to Sky channel 174 and as a result, the channel took on a general entertainment focus, matching the American network, though due to the American VH1's programmes being licensed to other networks or broadcasters, it carried content fromChannel 5 orMTV. VH1 completed its transition to a general entertainment format in October 2018 with VH1 US programs, includingLove & Hip Hop: Miami andRu Paul's Drag Race, though music programmes continued in non-prime timeslots. VH1 Christmas moved toMTV Rocks.[1]
In March 2019, VH1, along with sister channelBET movedEPG numbers on Sky. VH1 moved to 160 and BET moved to 173, swapping places withPBS America andTogether TV respectively.
In December 2019,BT TV announced that VH1 would be leaving the UK market along withUniversal TV and that the channel would close on 7 January 2020, the same day as sister channel5Spike.[2] The EPG channel slot was pulled from all platforms except Virgin Media UK, whereMTV Classic replaced it after a ten-year absence on that platform.
VH1 inspired two spin-off channels, both of which have since switched to MTV spin-offs: