Sony Movie Channel (UK)

Sony Movie Channel
Launched 15 July 2009
Owned by Sony Pictures Television
Picture format 576i (SDTV 16:9)
Audience share 0.40%
0.05%(+1)
(August 2018 (2018-08), BARB)
Country United Kingdom
Formerly called The Big Deal (2009-12)
Movie Mix (2012-17)
Sister channel(s) Chart Show Hits
Chart Show TV
Movies4Men
Pop
Pop Max
Scuzz
Sony Crime Channel
Sony Crime Channel 2
Starz TV
Tiny Pop
TruTV
True Entertainment
True Movies
The Vault
Website Official website
Availability
Terrestrial
Freeview Channel 32
Channel 50 (+1)
Satellite
Freesat Channel 302
Sky Channel 321
Channel 322 (+1)
Astra 2E 11426 V 27500 5/6
11426 V 27500 5/6 (+1)
Cable
Virgin Media Channel 425
Streaming media
TVPlayer (UK) Watch live (UK only) (TVPlayer Plus subscription required)

Sony Movie Channel (formerly Movie Mix) is a British digital television channel carried on all platforms except Freesat.

History

The Big Deal logo.

When launched in 2009, The Big Deal broadcast live interactive quiz show 7 days a week from 22:00-05:00 on Freeview channel 37, then changed to channel 32, timesharing with RT and Create and Craft. Each night, The Big Deal broadcast various games and puzzles, with cash prizes to be won for viewers who guessed the correct answers. Viewers were asked to call in or log on to The Big Deal website to enter these games. Later in the year The Big Deal reduced its timeslot from 22:00-05:00 to 00:30-05:00.

On 6 November 2009, The Big Deal ceased broadcasting its own content. Teleshopping instead commenced broadcasting between 04:00-06:00, later reduced to 05:00-06:00, but in post-DSO areas it was extended to 24 hours which was introduced to pre-DSO areas on 2 March 2011.

On 12 April 2011, The Big Deal began broadcasting TView, a pay-per-view film service, and broadcasting hours were reduced to 18:00-05:00.[1] The service ran until 27 April 2011, when it was replaced by teleshopping, and its hours were reduced to 18:00-22:00. From 7 July 2011, The Big Deal had changed back to its old slot of 05:00-06:00. However, on 6 September 2011 it changed its broadcasting hours to 00:00-04:00. Broadcasting hours were changed again on 20 October 2011 to 03:00-05:00. The channel also broadcast psychic sessions in which the viewer could ask for their own psychic reading.

Movie Mix, Sony Movie Channel

On 6 December 2012, The Big Deal was renamed Movie Mix and acquired a 24-hour broadcast slot.[2] The channel continued airing teleshopping, as well as a classic movie each night.[3] On 17 January 2013, Movie Mix began to simulcast the full More Than Movies schedule but retained its own Movie Mix branding.[4] The channel initially remained owned and operated by Cellcast subsidiary Square 1 Management,[5] but was licensed from Sony Pictures Television who supplied the channel programming.[6] In March 2014, Cellcast agreed to early termination of its exclusive rights for Movie Mix for a one off payment of £2.98m from Entertainment Networks, a subsidiary of Sony Pictures Television.[7]

On 22 March 2016, More Than Movies was closed down and was replaced by True Crime, but didn't affect Movie Mix, which now broadcasts its own programming. On 12 August 2016 Movie Mix began testing on Virgin Media and was launched on 25 August 2016.

In December 2016 it was announced that Sony Movie Channel would be re-launched as a free-to-air channel on 10 January 2017, as a re-branding of Movie Mix.[8][9] It became free to air on satellite on 13th August 2018, in preparation for its launch on Freesat.


References

  1. ↑ "New Freeview channel offers PPV Bollywood". Biz Asia. 20 April 2011.
  2. ↑ "Big Deal morphs as Speed Auction TV and Classic Movies arrive on Freeview channel 32". a516digital. 6 December 2012.
  3. ↑ "Changes to Freeview Channel 32". Radio and Telly. 6 December 2012.
  4. ↑ "MovieMix morphs again as channel aligned with More>Movies". a516digital. 17 January 2013.
  5. ↑ "Television Broadcast Licensing Update December 2012". Ofcom. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  6. ↑ "is the movie mix..." Sony Entertainment Television. Facebook. 17 January 2013.
  7. ↑ https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=28434816
  8. ↑ "Sony preps UK movie channel". c21Media. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  9. ↑ "Sony Movie Channel to go live on UK platforms". TBI Vision. Retrieved 18 April 2017.


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