Sky Real Lives
| Sky Real Lives | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Launched | 3 October 1994 |
| Closed | 19 August 2010 |
| Owned by | BSkyB |
| Timeshift service | Sky Real Lives +1 |
| Website | www.sky.com/reallives (No longer online) |
|
Availability
|
|
| Satellite | |
| Sky Digital | Channel 243 Channel 244 (+1) Channel 245 (2) Channel 278 (HD) Channel 669 (Sky Travel) |
| Cable | |
| Virgin Media | Channel 281 Channel 282 (2) |
| UPC Ireland | Channel 503 |
Sky Real Lives was an in-house channel from BSkyB that showed extensive programmes about travel, adverts for travel agencies and documentaries. The channels closed on 19 August 2010.
Sky Real Lives first launched as Sky Travel on 3 October 1994, and became part of the Sky Multichannels package. It originally broadcast between Monday and Thursday between midday and midnight and on Friday between 12pm and 6am until September 1997. In 2001, the channel started broadcasting 7 days a week from 6am until 11pm.
The channel was revamped in September 2002. Sky Travel Extra and the main channel launched with Freeview on 30 October 2002, along with Sky News and Sky Sports News. In February 2003, a spin-off of the channels, Sky Travel Shop, launched a dedicated travel retail channel in the Specialist, then Shopping section of the EPG. In September 2003 both channels were launched on the NTL platform. With increased distribution, Sky Travel changed its programming strategy to attract a wider audience, skewing towards stronger entertainment programs with a travel theme, particularly reality shows. By August 2004, the core channel was broadcasting 24 hours a day and in January 2005, a timeshifted version of Sky Travel was launched.
In October 2005, Sky Travel on Freeview was replaced by Sky Three and in March 2006, the Sky Travel channels were moved from the "Entertainment" section on the Sky EPG, to the "Lifestyle and Culture" section.
In August 2006, Sky Travel began showing reality TV, whilst Sky Travel Extra dedicated its airtime to documentaries
Sky Real Lives 2, the replacement channel for Sky Travel Extra, gained additional broadcast hours from its launch.
From 2002 until 2007, Sky Real Lives 2 only aired from 6am until 1am. However, on 7 November, the channel began 24-hour broadcasts.
Sky Real Lives programmes were showcased on Sky's main channels; Sky1, Sky2, but mostly on its free-to-air sister channel, Sky3 (now known as Pick).
In 2004, Sky Travel showed the first two episodes of the fourth season of US drama 24, simulcasting with Sky's primary channel, Sky One. This led to rumours that the company had planned to turn Sky Travel into a general entertainment channel on Freeview. However, BSkyB's CEO, James Murdoch, had repeatedly denied the company had any plans to launch any new free-to-air services.
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