Timeline of children's television on other British TV channels

This is a timeline of UK children's programming on Channel 4, Channel 5 and other UK TV channels.

1980s

• 1982
  • 1 November – S4C launches and programming for children is included as part of its remit with its programming block named Clwb S4C.
  • 2 November – Channel 4 launches and programming for children is included as part of its remit.

• 1984
  • 1 September – The Children's Channel launches. It broadcasts during the daytime hours, timesharing its cable slot with evening-only services.

• 1985
  • 20 July – Sky Channel launches a weekend morning children's programming block called Fun Factory .

• 1986
  • 1 September – The DJ Kat Show launches on Sky Channel as a weekday children's programming block. It airs at breakfast and in the late afternoon.

• 1989
  • March – The Children's Channel starts broadcasting free-to-air on Astra 1A, ^[1] airing from 5 am to 10 am on weekdays and from 5 am to 12 noon at weekends, time-sharing with Lifestyle.

1990s

• 1990
  • 17 September – S4C's children's block is renamed from Clwb S4C to Slot Meithrin.

• 1991
  • Following the launch of the Astra 1B-satellite, The Children's Channel's hours expand and it is now on the air until 5 pm each day.

• 1992
  • The Children's Channel launches an early evening block showing programming of greater interest to older children and teenagers. The segment, called simply TCC, airs from 5 pm to 7 pm.

• 1993
  • 1 September
    • The start of Sky Multichannels sees the launch of Nickelodeon. It is on air each day between 7 am and 7 pm.
    • The Children's Channel hours are cut back to 6 am to 5 pm to allow The Family Channel to share its space. This day also sees it become a pay television channel.
  • 17 September – Cartoon Network Europe launches, broadcasting from London. Broadcasting as a free-to-air channel, it is twinned with TNT and ran from 5 am to 7 pm. ^[2]

• 1994
  • 11 September – After nine years on the air, the final edition of the children's programming block Fun Factory is broadcast.
  • Live presentation launches on Nickelodeon and is branded as Nick Alive!.

• 1995
  • May – Flextech completes its acquisition of The Children's Channel when it acquired the remaining 25.1% stake in Starstream for £15m. ^{[3] [4]} By that time, the channel is known on air as TCC and the year also sees the launch of a block of programmes for pre-school children called Tiny TCC, which airs each day between 6 am and 9 am.
  • 1 October – The Disney Channel launches. It is on the air as a premium channel as part of the Sky Movies package and airs between 6 am and 10 pm.
  • 31 December – Sky One's children's programming block The DJ Kat Show is axed after almost a decade on the air due to low viewing figures.

• 1996
  • August – Cartoon Network begins broadcasting for an extra two hours until 9 pm, with TNT's hours moving to 9 pm until 5 am.
  • 2 October – Fox Kids launches. It broadcasts each day between 6 am and 7 pm and airs live-action and animated comedy, drama and action-adventure programmes for children of all ages, Fox Kids also broadcasts up to seven hours of advertisement-free educational series each week.
  • October – Children's programming on Sky One is reduced following the launch of Fox Kids Network and most of the programmes shown on Sky One move to the new channel.

• 1997
  • 3 February
    • The programmes targeting older children that The Children's Channel was airing are split off into a new channel called Trouble with TCC reverting to the original name of The Children's Channel.
    • Tiny TCC is transferred to UK Living and renamed Tiny Living with its airtimes changing to 7 am to 9 am on weekdays and 7 am to 10 am at the weekend.
  • 31 March – The launch of Channel 5 the previous day sees children's programming forming part of the output, including a 90-minute breakfast block called Milkshake! , which runs on weekdays between 7:30 am and 9 am; this day also saw the first episode of Teletubbies airing on BBC2.
  • August – Nickelodeon's start time is pulled back to 6 am, giving it one more hour of broadcasting.

• 1998
  • 3 April – The Children's Channel closes down in the UK and Ireland whilst TCC's Nordic channels followed in October 2000.
  • 17 September – S4C's children's block is renamed from Slot Meithrin to Planed Plant .
  • 1 October – The launch of Sky Digital sees Nickelodeon's broadcast day ending three hours later at 10 pm.
  • 15 November – The public launch of digital terrestrial TV in the UK takes place with the launch of OnDigital and as part of the 19-channel line-up, Carlton creates three new channels for the platform, including a daytime channel for children, Carlton Kids. Cartoon Network also launches on OnDigital broadcasting as a 24-hour service.
  • December – Cartoon Network launches as part of the Sky Digital satellite platform.

• 1999
  • 1 September
    • Nick Jr. launches on Sky, allowing the channel to broadcast all day rather than just as a daytime programming block on the main channels, which had been the case since 1995. It also airs on Sky's analogue service for the next year or so, airing between 6 am and 10 am alongside Sky Sports 3, although this schedule would sometimes be altered if sports were being covered in the early morning.
    • A one-hour timeshift channel from Nickelodeon launches. It is called Nick Replay.
  • 28 September – Playhouse Disney launches on The Disney Channel as a programming block aimed at the under-fives.
  • 15 October – Cartoon Network officially splits from the pan-European feed.

2000s

• 2000
  • 31 January – Carlton Kids stops broadcasting. ^[5]
  • 1 February – Discovery Kids launches on the OnDigital platform as a direct replacement for Carlton Kids.
  • 27 May – Boomerang launches to broadcast classic cartoons from the Hanna-Barbera, MGM and Warner Bros archive programme library, as well as freeing up its sister network of many classics in the schedule. ^[6]
  • 29 September – Playhouse Disney launches as a standalone channel alongside Toon Disney and Disney Channel +1 on the Sky Digital platform. ^[7]
  • Channel 5 launches a new programming block for older children. The Core is aimed at children ages 8 to 15 and airs on Saturday afternoons. A number of originally commissioned programmes are created for the block, such as Harry and Cosh and Atlantis High , which are aired alongside imported teen shows.

• 2001
  • 15 January – A new Jim Henson co-production called The Hoobs debuts on Channel 4 with early-morning repeats until 2014.
  • 30 April – As Sky begins closing its analogue satellite services, Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. cease broadcasting on Sky Multichannels.
  • 30 June – The analogue feed on Astra 1C of Cartoon Network and TCM ceases broadcasting.
  • July – Disney acquires Fox Family Worldwide from News Corporation and Haim Saban, which gave Disney 76% ownership of Fox Kids. ^[8]

• 2002
  • January – Channel 5's older children's programming block The Core is renamed to Milkshake! FM, taking its name from the established Channel 5 pre-school age slot Milkshake! . This block airs from 9 am to 12 noon on Saturdays and Sundays, while a number of programmes aired during The Core continue to be broadcast during Saturday afternoons.
  • 22 July – Nicktoons was launched, airing only cartoons.
  • 16 September – Milkshake! FM is rebranded again as two separate blocks, Shake! and Milkshake! Toons as Channel 5 is rebranded Five.
  • 14 October – CNX launches, targeting older children during the day and young adults during the evening. The station primarily aired anime, extreme sports and dramas, principally action/crime series such as The Shield and Birds of Prey . The channel's film telecasts predominantly consisted of martial arts films, anime films and action/drama.

• 2003
  • 29 May – Toons & Tunes launches, broadcasting a mix of music videos alongside animated programming, aimed at 4 to 9-year-old children. ^[9]
  • June – Toons & Tunes is relaunched as Pop.
  • 8 September
    • Pop launches Pop Plus, which is aimed at children aged 7 and under. ^[10] It broadcasts between 6 am and 8 pm.
    • Toonami replaces CNX and moves from channel 244 to 621 on Sky and channel 148 to channel 732 on Telewest Broadband.
  • November – Fox Kids begins broadcasting 24 hours a day, seven days a week. ^[11] Fox Kids began broadcasting 24 hours a day, seven days a week ^[12]

• 2004
  • Due to music videos becoming more adult in their content, the music video element of Pop is reduced with the animated content increased.
  • 31 May – Nick Jr launches a nighttime programming block dedicated to classic British children's programmes from the 1970s under the title Noggin ^[13] running every day from 8 pm to 10 pm.
  • July
    • The transition of Fox Kids to Jetix begins when a Jetix-branded block starts operating every day from 3 pm to 7 pm. ^[14]
    • The Playhouse Disney block on The Disney Channel ends.
    • Pop Plus is relaunched as Tiny Pop and the main channel is now aimed at slightly older children.
  • September – The Jetix block on Fox Kids becomes part of the morning line-up between 7 am and 9 am.
  • October – Nicktoons TV extends its broadcasting hours by another 3 hours with a new block aimed at older children. The new slot is called Toonz2Nite and has a separate, distinct presentation from the main channel.

• 2005
  • 1 January – Fox Kids is fully relaunched as Jetix, a year after Fox Kids International had originally announced plans to rename its operations to Jetix, which implied action and adventure. ^[15]
  • 5 September – Noggin is rebranded as Nick Jr. Classics.
  • 30 September – Tiny Living comes to an end after 9 years as a breakfast pre-school slot on LivingTV.
  • October – Toonz2Nite is extended by an hour and is now on air until 11 pm.

• 2006
  • 6 March – Boomerang launches a +1 timeshift channel.
  • 16 March – Changes are made to Disney services in the UK. Disney Channel and Playhouse Disney stop being premium add-on channels. ^[16] Disney Cinemagic is launched to take on the Disney slot in the Sky Movies premium bundle and replaces Toon Disney. Disney Channel +1 closed and was replaced with Disney Cinemagic +1.
  • 24 April
    • Nick Jr. 2 launches. Rather than operating as a timeshift channel, it airs the shows broadcast on the main channel but on a different schedule.
    • Cartoon Network Too launches as the sister station of Cartoon Network, airing programmes a while after they are shown on the main channel. It airs from 3 am to 7 pm, sharing a broadcast frequency with TCM 2 from TCM. Initially it mainly broadcasts cartoons made by Hanna-Barbera.
  • 26 June – Disney Channel +1 is relaunched.
  • 4 September – Cartoonito launches as a programming block on Cartoon Network Too running from 6 am to 3 pm.
  • 16 October – Channel 5 launches Five Life and its pre-school slot Milkshake! airs each day between 9 am and 1 pm, beginning transmissions when Milkshake! ends on the main channel.

• 2007
  • 28 February – Discovery Kids closes as it merges with Discovery Wings to Form Discovery Turbo.
  • 24 May
    • BabyTV launches on Sky Digital. ^[17]
    • Cartoonito launches as a full-time channel, running between 3 am and 7 pm in a time-sharing agreement with Turner Classic Movies 2.
  • 6 August – Pop Girl launches, airing each day between 6 am and 9 pm.
  • Pop stops showing music videos and adopts a full-time animated series schedule.
  • Channel 5's older children's programming blocks Shake! and Milkshake! Toons end although teen programmes aired on Saturday morning are no longer under a block of any sort on Channel 5.

• 2008
  • 19 May – Kix! launches. It replaces Pop +1.
  • 23 June – S4C launches a daily morning children's programming block called Cyw .
  • 18 August – Nicktoonsters launches as a spin-off channel of Nicktoons. Targeted to 5 to 11-year-old children and aired mainly older library content from Nicktoons, broadcasting for 12 hours a day from 7 am.
  • December – Disney buys the remaining 26% share in Jetix to acquire full ownership of the company. ^{[18] [19]}

• 2009
  • 4 January – Classic children's TV strand Nick Jr. Classics ends on Nick Jr and on Nick Jr. 2 in 2010.
  • 1 April – Trouble closes down after 12 years on the air. ^[20]
  • 31 July – Nicktoonsters closes after less than a year on the air. It is replaced by Nicktoons +1, known as Nicktoons Replay with Disney Channel focusing more toward girls.
  • 4 October – Following the entry by Channel 5 into a strategic sponsorship with Disney, Shake! returns to air. ^[21] Under the new arrangement, Disney sponsors the block and provides some Disney Channel programming for the slot such as Hannah Montana and Wizards of Waverly Place . ^[22]

2010s

• 2010
  • 26 April – S4C launches Stwnsh , aimed at children between the ages of 7 and 13. It broadcasts on weekdays between 4 pm and 6 pm and on Saturdays between 9 am and 11 am. It replaces Planed Plant , which has been on the air since 1998.
  • 23 August – Nick Jr. begins broadcasting for 24 hours a day.
  • 5 October – Nickelodeon launches a high definition simulcast channel.
  • 18 October – Disney XD begins broadcasting a high definition simulcast channel. ^[23]

• 2011
  • Early in the year, Cartoonito’s broadcast hours are changed and it now airs between 4 am and 8 pm.
  • 11 April – Pre-school programming on 5Star ends and the block is replaced by teleshopping.
  • 7 May – Playhouse Disney is rebranded as Disney Junior. ^[24]
  • September – Cartoon Network HD launches on Sky. ^[25]
  • Channel 5 ends programming aimed at teenagers when it axes Shake! .

• 2012
  • 2 October – Nick Replay and Nicktoons Replay are renamed Nick +1 and Nick Jr. +1, respectively.

• 2013
  • April – A high-definition simulcast of Disney Junior launches on Sky+ HD. ^[26]
  • July – Kix Power launches, replacing Pop Girl +1 on Sky.
  • October – Kix Power is replaced by Kix +1. ^[27]

• 2014
  • 20 March – Pop launches on Freeview but until April 2016 it is only available in areas that have a local television service. ^[28]
  • 1 April – Cartoon Network Too closes and is replaced by Cartoon Network +1. ^[29]
  • June – Kix is revamped to target 7 to 17-year-old boys with a mix of cartoons, sci-fi, and action and adventure series.
  • 3 November – Nick Jr. 2 is renamed to Nick Jr. Too.

• 2015
  • 1 October – Pop Girl closes and is replaced by Kix +1.

• 2016
  • 7 April – Kix begins broadcasting on Freeview, transmitting on the same local-TV multiplex as Pop.
  • July – Nick Jr. HD launches on Sky.

• 2017
  • July – Disney XD's timeshift is rebranded for a month to "Spider-Man Channel" and in September 2017, it is temporarily rebranded as "Mickey and Pals", airing various programming from Disney Junior. ^[30]
  • August – Kix is rebranded as Pop Max, however, none of its programming changes. ^[31]
  • 21 August – Milkshake! returns to 5Star where it airs from 9:15 am to 11 am. ^[32] however, its run is short lived as it is dropped the following year.

• 2018
  • 15 January – Cartoonito begins broadcasting a 24-hour service. ^[33]
  • April – Disney XD is temporarily rebranded as Avengers channel, airing non-stop Avengers Assemble throughout the month as well as exclusive content to promote the release of Avengers: Infinity War . It reverted back on 30 April 2018. ^[34]
  • 21 July – Canadian children's channel ZooMoo launches on Virgin Media. ^[35]

• 2019
  • June – Pop Max moves to the G-MAN multiplex, meaning that Pop Max only broadcasts in Manchester on Freeview. ^{[36] [ better source needed ]}

2020s

• 2020
  • 30 September – Disney Channel UK and its offshoots close. ^[37] with the channels’ content transferring to streaming service Disney+.
  • ZooMoo stops broadcasting in the UK after just two years.

• 2022
  • 31 October – Sky sells its stake in Nickelodeon UK Ltd. to Paramount Networks UK & Australia; the Nickelodeon agreement had contained a non-compete clause that otherwise restricted Sky and Comcast from launching a children's television network while still holding a stake in Nickelodeon UK Ltd. ^[38] Less than a month later, Sky announces plans to launch its own linear kids channel. ^[39]

• 2023
  • 13 February – Sky launches Sky Kids to serve viewers aged 1–7. The channel doesn't carry any advertisements. ^[40]

• 2024
  • 20 March – Tiny Pop closes and its replaced by Great! Real.
  • 21 August – Tiny Pop returns on linear TV with the same shows and the same programming blocks.

• 2025
  • 22 April – Pop Max closes.

See also

• Timeline of children's television on the BBC
• Timeline of children's television on ITV

References

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