Great! Movies

Last updated

Great! Movies
Country United Kingdom
Broadcast areaUnited Kingdom
Ireland
Headquarters London, England
Programming
Picture format 1080i HDTV
(downscaled to 16:9 576i for the SDTV feed)
Timeshift serviceGreat! Movies +1 (replaced with Great! Mystery +1)
Ownership
Owner Sony Pictures Television (2012–2021)
Narrative Entertainment UK Limited (2021–present)
Sister channels Great! TV
Great! Action
Great! Christmas
History
Launched3 May 2012;13 years ago (3 May 2012) (Linear)
9 November 2022;2 years ago (2022-11-09) (FAST)
Replaced Movies4Men 2 (Sky)
Movie Mix (Freeview)
Closed4 September 2025;12 days ago (2025-09-04) (Linear)
Replaced byGreat! Mystery (Linear)
Former namesSony Movie Channel (2012–2019)
Sony Movies (2019–2021)
Links
Website greatnetwork.com/movies
Availability
Terrestrial
Freeview Channel 61
Streaming media
Samsung TV PlusChannel 4991

Great! Movies (stylised as GREAT! MOVIES) [1] [2] is a British FAST television channel (and previously a free-to-air linear channel) owned by Narrative Entertainment UK Limited that broadcasts across the UK and Ireland showing films and related content. The channel was transmitted on most of the major broadcast platforms in the UK - terrestrial, satellite and cable. It was broadcast in standard-definition on satellite, cable, and terrestrial, was also broadcast in high-definition on Sky Glass and eventually commenced broadcasting on Samsung TV Plus and Rakuten TV in November 2022.

Contents

History

Launch and transmission on satellite

The Sony Movie Channel brand was made available outside the US for the first time when a British version of the station launched on the Sky platform in the UK and Ireland on 3 May 2012. [3] [4] To release Sky guide slots for the launch of SMC and its +1 timeshift, Movies4Men 2 and its +1 service were closed (and thus lost by Freesat viewers).

At launch and until 2018, SMC was broadcast on a free-to-view basis, meaning that access to channel was only available to those with a Sky viewing card, and although no subscription payment was required to view the channel, it was unavailable to Freesat devices.

On 10 January 2017, Sony Movie Channel was added to Freeview and Virgin Media, replacing Movie Mix, which already broadcast some of the same content. [5] In preparation for the switch, Movie Mix and SMC had been broadcasting an identical schedule in the final days prior to the transition.

Sony Movie Channel became fully free to air on satellite on 13 August 2018, in preparation for its full launch on the Freesat programme guide on 9 October 2018. [6] To permit SMC's launch on Freesat, Sony reorganised their other movie channels on the guide: Movies4Men +1 was no longer listed on the Freesat guide as a result of the addition of SMC, though remains freely available for manual tune-in. Encryption was also removed from Sony Movie Channel +1 at the same time, though this was not added to the Freesat full guide.

On 24 July 2019, it was announced that the channel will be renamed as Sony Movies from 10 September 2019. [7]

Great! Movies

On 25 May 2021, the channel rebranded as Great! Movies as the channel was acquired by Narrative Capital/Narrative Entertainment. [8]

On 9 November 2022, Narrative Entertainment UK Limited announced the launch of a FAST version of Great! Movies, to stream on Samsung TV Plus, the new FAST network has the same branding as the linear channel, but a different schedule. A FAST version of Great! Movies Christmas was also launched. [9]

In June 2023, the channel launched an on demand service known as Great! Player, available via the red button on Great! Movies on Freeview. [10]

On 18 October 2023, Great! Movies +1 was replaced by Great! Movies Extra on Freeview channel 61. On 20 March 2024, Great! Movies Extra was replaced by Great! Real on Freeview channel 61.

On 4 September 2025, the channel was replaced by Great! Mystery on Freeview, Sky & Virgin. [11] The Great! Mystery FAST variant was replaced by a FAST version of Great! Christmas on Samsung, Rakuten and Netgem TV, but on Freeview it was replaced by the FAST version of Great! Movies. [12]

Logos

References

  1. ↑ "New network GREAT! launches in the UK". 17 May 2021. Archived from the original on 27 May 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  2. ↑ "Sony Movie Channel has been renamed Great! But how? And why?!". the Guardian. 26 May 2021.
  3. ↑ "Sony planning UK film channel". Broadband TV News. 29 February 2012. Archived from the original on 25 August 2017. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  4. ↑ "Sony Movie Channel – Almost here!". Sony Entertainment Television UK. 28 March 2012. Archived from the original on 3 May 2012. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  5. ↑ "Sony Movie Channel to replace MovieMix on Freeview and Virgin". SEENIT. 6 January 2017. Archived from the original on 31 May 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  6. ↑ Sony Movie Channel joins Freesat Archived 16 October 2018 at the Wayback Machine a516digital 8 October 2018. Retrieved 16 October 2018
  7. ↑ "Sony Pictures Television Revamps Entertainment Portfolio And Launches UK's First Free-To-Air Movie Network". Sky Media. 24 July 2019. Archived from the original on 29 August 2019. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
  8. ↑ "Sony Pictures Television U.K. Channels Sold to U.S. Investment Firm Narrative Capital". Variety. 14 May 2021. Archived from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  9. ↑ Snow, Nick (9 November 2022). "Narrative Entertainment launches into FAST TV market". Archived from the original on 9 November 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  10. ↑ "GREAT! player". Archived from the original on 3 June 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  11. ↑ Thornham, Marc (26 August 2025). "Freeview, Sky and Virgin channel update next week to make way for Christmas channel". RXTV. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  12. ↑ Thornham, Marc (4 September 2025). "Great! Network unveils bold new look". RXTV. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
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