UK & Ireland version of the music television channel
Television channel
VH1
was a British and Irish pay television channel that was owned by
ViacomCBS
. The channel was based on the original VH1
American channel of the same name
. On 24 November until 26 December 2017, VH1 was renamed temporarily as VH1 Christmas. The channel ceased broadcasting on Tuesday 7 January 2020.
History
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VH1 UK was first launched on 10 October 1994
[1]
as a complementary network to the youth-orientated
MTV
. It originally took the same focus at launch as the main American network of a focus on mainly
adult contemporary
artists for an audience between 21-44, with a broad playlist involving
music videos
from the 70s to the present day along with weekly countdowns, a format maintained until around 2008.
Besides the American network's features and programming (including programme marathons such as
Pop-Up Video
), a unique feature of the network was
Ten 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.
Final format
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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 from
Channel 5
or
MTV
. VH1 completed its transition to a general entertainment format in October 2018 with VH1 US programs, including
Love & Hip Hop: Miami
and
Ru Paul's Drag Race
, though music programmes continued in non-prime timeslots. VH1 Christmas moved to
MTV Rocks
.
[2]
In March 2019, VH1, along with sister channel
BET
moved
EPG
numbers on Sky. VH1 moved to 160 and BET moved to 173, swapping places with
PBS America
and
Together TV
respectively.
In December 2019,
BT TV
announced that VH1 would be leaving the UK market along with
Universal TV
and that the channel would close on 7 January 2020, the same day as sister channel
5Spike
.
[3]
The EPG channel slot was pulled from all platforms except Virgin Media UK, where
MTV Classic
replaced it after a ten-year absence on that platform.
Final programming
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Former sister channels
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VH1 inspired two spin-off channels, both of which have since switched to MTV spin-offs:
- VH1 Classic
(launched 1 July 1999; closed 1 March 2010) played all-time greats from the 1960s to the 1990s. The channel was rebranded as
MTV Classic
.
- VH2
(launched 16 December 2003; closed 1 August 2006) showed mainly music videos and live concerts. It focused on
rock
,
indie
and
punk
music and branded itself as "the alternative to manufactured pop". The channel was replaced by
MTV Flux
, which itself was replaced by MTV +1.
See also
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External links
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References
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Kids and Family Group
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Entertainment and Youth Group
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Premium Network Group
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Other assets
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