Sky3

Sky3
Sky3 logo from 2008
Launched	31 October 2005
Owned by	BSkyB
Picture format	576i (SDTV 16:9, 4:3)
Audience share	0.8% (July 2009, BARB)
Country	United Kingdom
Formerly called	Sky Three (until August 2008)
Sister channel(s)	Sky1, Sky2
Availability
Terrestrial
Freeview	Channel 11
Satellite
Sky Digital	Channel 108
Cable
Virgin Media	Channel 123
IPTV
Tiscali TV	Channel 35

Sky3 is a free to view British television channel, available on Sky Digital as well as Freesat from Sky (where it is available free to view), Freeview (where it is free to air), Virgin Media and Tiscali TV (provided as part of the base pack). The channel was launched on 31 October 2005 and is the first free to air general entertainment channel from Sky.

Programmming and content

When Sky Three launched, it was essentially a "shop window" service for Sky's main entertainment channel Sky1 and its other subscription services. Today, the channel broadcasts some popular Sky1, Sky Real Lives and Sky Travel shows on a long delay after their original airing.

Early highlights from the channels schedule included Futurama, Cold Case, Tru Calling, Relic Hunter, Road Wars, the Inside stand of documentaries, Brainiac: Science Abuse, 35mm from Sky Movies (which looks at upcoming films in the cinema and on Sky's premium movies service Sky Movies) and Dream Team. Sky Three has shown the free to air premieres of some of Sky One's more prestigious shows such as season 3 and 4 of 24, Rescue Me, The 10th Kingdom, Hex and the latest remake of Battlestar Galactica.

Sky3 has also premièred screenings of certain shows including the hairdressing reality show Shear Genius. From time to time, movies are shown on the channel however these are not the blockbuster films from Sky Movies but low budget or made for TV movies. Recently the channel has taken to showing some older Channel 4 programmes such as Coach Trip and Searching for My Son. Whilst older ITV programmes such as Redcoats and Airline are regularly shown on the channel.

Over the last few months there has not been much content from sister channel Sky1 on the channel. However recently, Sky1 shows are re-appearing on the schedule. The next major programme to air on the channel from Sky1 currently is Journeyman and Kate Thornton's Hello goodbye in July. In June, Deadwood began a repeat airing having already been shown on Sky3 previously.

Sky's Free Weekend Pass

On the weekend of 18-20 September 2009, Sky3 broke away from its normal programming schedule and showed the programs and programming available subscribers of Sky's subscription service, Sky Digital. Channels such as Sky1, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, Living, ESPN and MTV among other channels contributed programming to the weekend. Some of the major highlights of the weekend was the UK terrestrial TV premiere of the 2007 hit film, I am Legend from Sky Movies (which was interruption and commercial free, like movies shown on the Sky Movies channels) and the live broadcast of a Guinness Premiership rugby match - between the Leicester Tigers and the Newcastle Falcons from Sky Sports. This is the first time that such programs and programming has been available to viewers on the Freeview and Freesat from Sky services.

Rebrand

On 31 August 2008^[1] Sky Three, along with its sister channels Sky One and Sky Two, rebranded. The logo changed from the written "three" to the number "3" as well as a tweak to the Sky part of the logo. It retained it's pink logo. There was a fresh set of idents with complementing the rebrand. At the Edinburgh Television festival, Richard Woolfe said in an interview to Digital Spy^[2], Sky3 will become female orientated and be home to bigger entertainment shows and dramas. Since the rebrand Richard Woolfe has moved to Five and the new director of channels Danny Cohen is wanting to change the focus of the entertainment channels towards comedies. The Idents feature pink particles, Sky1 has blue gem solids while Sky2 has Green liquid.

References

External links

• TV Listings at sky.com