Sky Arts FTA from Sept 17
August 25, 2020
Further to the announcement that Sky Arts, the UK’s only channel dedicated to arts and culture, will be made available to everyone, Sky has confirmed a launch date, as well as programming and EPG details.
Sky Arts will join DTT platform Freeview on September 17th on channel number 11. According to Sky, the prominent channel position signals Sky Arts’ renewed ambition to bring more of the arts to more people as a free service. Sky Arts will also be available on Freesat on channel number 147.
As part of the free-to-air launch, Sky Arts will embark on what it describes as an ambitious programme of activity to support and champion the arts at a vital time for the cultural sector – putting artists, creatives, and public participation centre stage on a channel that everyone across the UK can watch.
Art lovers will be able to enjoy a diverse range of programmes celebrating music, culture and performance, with the following key programmes scheduled to air in the days and weeks following Sky Arts’ free-to-air debut:
- Sky Arts Late
- Brian Johnson Meets Dave Grohl
- Guy Garvey: From the Vaults
- Urban Myths
- Danny Dyer on Harold Pinter
- Life and Rhymes
- No Masks
- Portrait Artist of the Year & Portrait Artist of the Week
- The South Bank Show
The move to become free-to-air will include a bold new slate of original programmes and increased and deepened partnerships with artists and arts organisations, providing them with a platform to create and showcase their work. And to support new talent, the channel will launch a series of bursaries worth £30,000 each, that will see leading figures from the arts support and mentor diverse and emerging new artists.
While the Sky Arts linear channel will be made free for everyone, the extensive Sky Arts On Demand library of arts content, with more than 2,000 hours of shows, will remain exclusive to Sky and NOW TV entertainment pass customers.
As Sky Arts moves to Freeview channel number 11, entertainment channel Pick will now be able to find it at its new home on channel number 34.