Sky confirmed plans to launch new 24-hour ad-free channel, Sky Kids, scheduled to launch February 2023. “We’re so excited to announce the launch of our brand-new linear channel," Lucy Murphy, Director of Kids Content at Sky said. "Millions of our customers already love watching our huge range of Original shows on-demand but families with younger kids have told us that watching on linear channels is an important part of their day; so, we’ve listened and expanded our Sky Kids offering at no extra cost."
Targeting children ages 1-7, the new channel will offer ad-free 24-hour programming, showcasing quality Sky Originals and big names that kids love and parents can trust, at no extra cost to Sky Kids customers and NOW entertainment members. “The new channel will have a whole breadth of brand new and much-loved shows for kids and families to enjoy and we can’t wait to reveal the full fantastic line-up of shows," Murphy said.
The channel will help parents juggle their daily routines, with programming built to complement different blocks of their busy day. Content will span themes of learning and doing, arts and crafts, music, dance and fitness, and much more, with a raft of brand-new Sky Originals set to air. This includes Fearne Cotton executive producing My Friend Misty (age 5-7), which sees animated character Misty set out to build kids emotional resilience. Misty surprises a group of children in the show with magical visits, helping them to deal with their feelings both good and bad by providing a series of tips and practical exercises to support them in difficult situations.
“I'm very excited for you all to meet My Friend Misty. This show will introduce us to a host of characters and situations where differing emotions crop up," Fearne Cotton, Executive Producer, said. "Misty is always on hand to help the children in the show through their emotion, whilst causing a little mischief along the way. It's a fun, colourful and explorative show for both kids and parents. It's a very exciting first Happy Place co-production."
Also launching next year as a new Sky Original is "Ready, Eddie, Go!," based on the loveable character Eddie who is autistic. We see him taken step by step through new experiences and situations such as a trip to the barbers, so when he encounters this in real life, he’s ready to go! The animated series is based on books, written by award-winning author, Nikki Saunders, also well known in the SEN (special educational needs) community and whose eldest son is autistic. "Dino Club" will also be featured in the catalog.
Various franchise titles, such as "Trolls: TrollsTopia," "Where’s Wally," "Madagascar a Little Wild," "LEGO" and "Clifford The Big Red Dog." Other titles include "123 Number Squad!," "MC Grammar: Wonder Raps," "Pip and Posy," "The Brilliant World of Tom Gates," "Morph," and "The Very Small Creatures."
Seamlessly integrated into the Sky Kids package which already offers 10,000 episodes of kids’ content on demand and a variety of partner channels such as Nick Jr., Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon, the new linear channel will give viewers access to a raft of new Sky Original programming and franchise favourites, all at no added extra cost for customers with the Sky Kids package. Existing Sky customers can upgrade to the Sky Kids package for just £6 a month. Members of streaming service NOW will also be able to enjoy the new channel as part of its £9.99 Entertainment Membership.