Music Channel Changes

A few changes have been or are being made to music channels. This will be a longish article, but I felt it wise to wait until I had the full details, rather than post multiple very short articles.

I shall begin with the easiest change, relating to terrestrial (Freeview) only. Now 90s has moved down to channel number 87, to allow for the new Earthx channel take over number 79 (an article on Earthx will follow later this week).

A little more complex, is that of Classic Hits (formerly That’s TV Music), which has resulted in increased coverage. On the Manchester only Freeview multiplex, Classic Hits has replaced Country Music Entertainment, giving a 24 hour service to the Greater Manchester area. The latter remains available on compatible internet connected devices, via the OnDemand365 streaming portal. The Manchester version is labelled Classic Hits MCR, and has taken Classic Hits original number 91.

The part-time version of Classic Hits continues, but now broadcast from 4am to 7am, instead of 1am to 7am. This allows That’s TV (UK) to extended it’s broadcast hours to 4am, with both services continuing to timeshare. The UK version of Classic Hits has taken over Country Music Entertainment’s channel number 88, benefitting from a slightly higher and more prominent EPG position.

In addition Classic Hits has also launched on satellite, and can be found on Sky channel number 366. The service is free to air, and can be manually tuned in to other satellite receivers, but is not yet available on the Freesat EPG.

Trace Urban, Trace Latina and Trace Brazuca have joined the Channelbox streaming platform, which can be accessed via the portal on Freeview channel number 271 and via mobile phone apps.

Lastly, Spotlight TV (formerly Keep It Country) have now confirmed the channel is leaving the Sky and Freesat platforms, on or around the end of August. The channel is looking to join the above mentioned Channelbox platform, although at the time of writing has not yet done so. The channel was for a time the only music channel on the Freesat platform, and has blamed the decision on the methods used to calculate viewing figures. The channel is expected to continue in a more limited, and largely online based form.

Trace Rebrand UK Music Channels

Trace is to rebrand at least 3 of the 4 TV channels in the UK. Chart Show TV, Chart Show Hits, Starz TV, and The Vault were acquired by Trace from Sony last year (2018).

Starz TV will become a UK version of Trace Urban, featuring music from artists such as Stormzy, SKEPTA, AJ Tracy and Steflon Don. The Vault will see a small rebrand to Trace Vault.

One of either Chart Show TV or Chart Show Hits is set to become Trace Latina, and will feature Latin American music. It has not been revealed which channel will rebrand, and what will happen to the remaining channel.

All of the rebrands are expected during November.

Globally, Trace operates 21 paid TV channels, 6 FM radio stations, and a variety of mobile and digital services. Its UK television channels are currently distributed via the Sky satellite platform.

Update (11/09/2019): I have recently come across information which suggests the following rebrands:

  • Chart Show TV to Trace Urban
  • Chart Show Hits to Trace Latina
  • The Vault to Trace Vault

This differs significantly from the information above, and fails to mention any plans for Starz TV. I will continue to monitor the situation, and provide updates when I obtain more up-to-date information.