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Most channels are increasingly turning their backs on traditional broadcast technologies and switching to streaming. This trend has seen Sky dramatically scale back the number of engineers in the company as 90% of new customers who join opt for a broadband-powered system, like Sky Glass, or one of the best Sky Stream deals.
And it's not only Sky TV, the BBC has outlined major changes coming to iPlayer and rival Channel 4 has outlined radical new plans to shutter five of its Freeview channels in the coming months and instead consider its streaming service before approving any new commissions. ITV has shaken up its broadcast business in a race to meet its target of 2.5 million ITVX Premium subscribers by 2026.
Such is the shift towards broadband-powered telly that 30 organisations, including the Digital Poverty Alliance and Rural Services Network, formed a campaign called Broadcast 2040+ to warn about the dangers of abandoning traditional broadcasts.
But at least one television channel has decided to buck the trend.
Popular children's television channel Tiny Pop returns to Sky Q and other set-top boxes on Wednesday, August 21 after ditching traditional broadcasts to become streaming-only at the start of the year. At the time, the move was seen as a reflection of the fact that most children's television is now viewed via an internet stream.
Tiny Pop, known for shows like Cookie Monster’s Foodie Truck, Hello Kitty: Super Style! and Masha and the Bear, expanded its presence on streaming-only platforms, including Samsung TV Plus, LG and Netgem. Freeview viewers who don't connect their Smart TV or set-top box to the internet lost access to Tiny Pop.
That'll no longer be the case for Sky TV viewers from August 21, when Tiny Pop will return to Channel 618 in the TV Guide. A catch-up Tiny Pop+1 channel will be available on Ch. 629. Those on newer Sky Glass or Stream kit will be able to watch on Ch. 214 in Britain, or Ch. 215 in Northern Ireland and ROI. Tiny Pop will be available in High Definition.
Unfortunately, Sky Q viewers will lose another channel in the shake-up coming this week. Narrative Entertainment launched its reality television-focused channel, dubbed GREAT! Real, back on March 20 with a slew of popular shows, including Heathrow: Britain’s Busiest Airport, Paddington Station 24/7, Island Medics, Emergency Rescue: Air, Land and Sea, and Coast Guard Alaska. It marks the first effort from Narrative Entertainment, the parent company behind all Great!-branded channels, to move into unscripted television.
However, the short-lived experiment will come to an end tomorrow, August 20.
Tiny Pop has shifted its focus to popular streaming platforms, like Samsung TV Plus, Rakuten, YouTube, LG TV, and Netgem TV
TINY POP PRESS OFFICE
Industry blog RX TV Info reports that GREAT! Real will be delisted across all devices on that date, with some of the most popular factual shows — Coast Guard Alaska and Cops Uncut — shifted over to GREAT! action, which will no longer focus purely on action films.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Earlier this year, Narrative Entertainment pulled six channels from Freesat set-top boxes almost overnight. This included Great! TV, Great! TV+1, Great! Action, Great! Movies, Great! Romance, and Great! Romance +1.
