“Sky One” Returns Opinion

At long last, Sky has come to its senses and announced the return of its flagship TV channel. It never made much sense to me when Sky One was axed in 2021 after being on air for decades. This was a flagship channel, home to some of Sky’s best scheduled TV and a well-known brand, which was replaced by two channels: Sky Max and Sky Showcase.

https://www.skygroup.sky/en-gb/article/iconic-tv-channel-sky-one-is-coming-back-as-the-new-home-of-sky-s-unmissable-entertainment

The problem was simple. In the past, you would check the schedules for the main channels — BBC One, ITV, Channel 4, and Sky One — to see what was on. That clarity disappeared with the replacement channels. Despite lots of razzmatazz around the announcement and some internal Sky logic about splitting the programming, it never really made sense to viewers. I found it a confusing mess: it was often unclear which shows would be on which channel, and half the time the same programmes seemed to be shown on both anyway.

“Our goal is to make it easier than ever for Sky TV customers to find and enjoy the shows they love,” said Carli Kerr, Managing Director of Sky TV & NOW. “Building on the iconic heritage of Sky One, the channel will be a one-of-a-kind destination that’s big, bold and bursting with energy, bringing together brand-new Sky Originals like The Dyers’ Caravan Park, returning favourites such as Rob & Romesh Vs., and serving as the home of the highly anticipated Saturday Night Live UK.”

Is this Sky admitting they made a mistake? Maybe. But I’m perfectly happy with this bit of backpedalling if it corrects that mistake and re-establishes Sky One as the home of Sky’s main entertainment shows. While many people now simply search for what they want to watch via Sky Stream or on-demand, scheduled programming on a strong, established channel brand still matters. A lot of viewers will simply turn to Sky One to see what’s on.

The good news is that the wait isn’t long: the channel returns on Tuesday, 24 February. Hopefully, alongside established favourites and newer programmes, Sky will also line up a few surprise, high-profile shows to get Sky One firmly back on the map — and quickly.