Sky Three to launch, Sky Mix to become Sky Two

Alberon · 22/09/05 - 09:38

Media Guardian is reporting that Sky Three will launch next month, not only on SkyDigital, but also on Digital Terrestial Freeview.

Sky Three will offer a mixed schedule including programmes already shown on Sky One and original lifestyle commissions and travel documentaries from Sky Travel. It will be available to 13m homes, 5.2m of them via Freeview.

The third run of Kiefer Sutherland drama 24, which has already aired on Sky One, will be one of the highlights of Sky Three's launch schedule. Other programmes transferring from Sky One will include crime drama Cold Case and I Can Change Your Life, featuring hypnotist Paul McKenna.

At the same time Sky Mix will become Sky Two, but there's nothing in the article to suggest that it will turn into the oldstyle Sky Two, instead it will probably continue offering different chances to view the big shows shown on Sky One that week.

pje1979 · 22/09/05 - 10:08

Any idea what Sky Three will be showing?

Otis · 22/09/05 - 10:19

All the dross that used to be on Sky One before BskyB threw money at it ...

[Deleted User] · 22/09/05 - 10:33

So Sky still view Freeview as a shop-window then, showing old episodes of exclusives like 24 to try and encourage people to upgrade.

television2004 · 22/09/05 - 10:36

richtayls wrote:

So Sky still view Freeview as a shop-window then, showing old episodes of exclusives like 24 to try and encourage people to upgrade.

Will it be 3 or subscription?

IanP · 22/09/05 - 10:40

I wonder if Sky 3 will be free on satellite or a subscription channel. If it is free will it be free to air or free to view? With ITV joining the BBC Freesat the Freesat from Sky free to view package has been weakened, so it wouldn't surprise me if Sky 3 is free to view. If it's subscription only then Freesat from Sky will look like a joke.

[Deleted User] · 22/09/05 - 10:45

Yeah, I would expect FTV, especially as this gives a key differentiator between Freesatfromsky and other Freesat offerings.

[Deleted User] · 22/09/05 - 14:22

Good idea by sky putting Sky 3 on Freeview ... get the ads on there for the big channels !

Richard John · 22/09/05 - 14:56

So content from Sky One goes to Sky travel, Sky Two and Sky Three. then Sky three takes content from Sky Travel.
Result - Exactly the same as Sky Mix, which sky can't even fill at the moment.

timo_w2s · 22/09/05 - 15:08

Even if Sky Three was to show mainly the same old stuff as Sky Travel it sounds more appealing. Sky Travel just sounds like a travel shopping channel to me and not something I'd bother to look at on Freeview. Sounds like a good move from Sky. It should mean it can compete better with the other general entertainment channels, like ITV2 and ftn.

D-J-S · 22/09/05 - 15:29

If Sky play it right Sky 3 could easily (IMHO) blow ITV2 out the water. I still can't understand the popularity of ITV 2 or 3. Must be my age :rolleyes:

Caxton · 22/09/05 - 16:46

pje1979 wrote:

Any idea what Sky Three will be showing?

Yet more repeats of programmes that have already been repeated ad nauseum on Sky One upteen times and then on Sky Mix

[Deleted User] · 22/09/05 - 17:17

Caxton wrote:

Yet more repeats of programmes that have already been repeated ad nauseum on Sky One upteen times and then on Sky Mix

So true.... SKY ONC isn't viewed much anymore.. and if skys; plans to make it a PPV channel go thru.. it will definately be bye-bye sky..

Alberon · 23/09/05 - 09:34

I reckon the main highlights of Sky Three will be the US programmes Sky co-produces. That should mean the FTA premieres of Battlestar Galactica, the 4400 and Threshold.

Up until now Sky has mostly sold on the FTA rights to the shows it buys from the US to the five terrestial channels. Now it has it's own digital terrestial FTA channel that might change. In future the likes of Stargate might go from Sky 1 to Sky 3 rather than to C4 and Five.

DEmberton · 23/09/05 - 11:34

I think Sky might be shooting themselves in the foot with this. One of the arguments you always hear from people who don't want to subscribe is that everything ends up on terrestrial eventually, so why not just wait a year and save money. I thought Sky had realised this and were keeping things like 24 for themselves, rather than selling it on to the free channels as they'd always done in the past.

[Deleted User] · 23/09/05 - 14:03

Hi, i actually think that Sky thinks they have to offer more with Sky Three, because they see ITV4, More4 and ABC1 as 24 hour Channels as a threat, maybe they will add more shows later, i think it might be interesting to follow the start and see what they make out of it!

[Deleted User] · 23/09/05 - 17:08

Alberon wrote:

Media Guardian is reporting that Sky Three will launch next month, not only on SkyDigital, but also on Digital Terrestial Freeview.

At the same time Sky Mix will become Sky Two, but there's nothing in the article to suggest that it will turn into the oldstyle Sky Two, instead it will probably continue offering different chances to view the big shows shown on Sky One that week.

Just a thought, try doing a search before posting only if you did you would of found out that this was posted a month or so back when someone noticed the license applications for sky2 & 3.

Hey there!

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Sky Three to launch, Sky Mix to become Sky Two

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