Sky Cinema Animation closing down this month after 6 years

Sky Cinema Animation will close and merge with another later this month, it has been revealed.

The channel regularly shows cartoons and family films, but is being scrapped as part of a new move to streamline the service.

Sky Cinema Animation closing down this month after 6 years

Sky is axing its Cinema Animation channel which launched in 2018 (Image: David Jones/PA)

Sky Cinema Animation was originally launched in 2018, before becoming permanent in 2020, showcasing an array of animated adventures.

As of writing, it is channel 312 on satellite (Sky Q) and 315 on Sky Glass & Stream, while 5Action/EE TV viewers can find it at 500/514.

Top films on the channel include Angry Birds 2: The Movie, The Secret Life of Pets 2, Pokémon Detective Pikachu and Lego Movie 2, the Sky website says.

While the channel is being axed, its content is not disappearing completely, but merging with another.

The news of the channel changes was revealed in an update on the EE TV channel guide.

EE said to customers: “On April 30, Sky Cinema Family and Sky Cinema Animation are merging.”

“All of the content on both channels will be housed on a channel called Sky Cinema Family.”

Sky has also been contacted for comment.

Other TV channels that are closing or at risk of closing down

The Sky channel is not the only popular channel closing down.

Children’s channel CITV has reportedly been turned off by ITV for good as of April 10, having launched in 1980.

The channel was home to hit shows like Art Attack, My Parents Are Aliens, Tots TV, and Fraggle Rock.

CITV first began as Watch IT, then was rebranded as Children’s ITV and later shortened to CITV.

In 2006, its late-afternoon slot on ITV1 was axed as it got its own channel on Freeview, but was still available on weekend mornings on ITV channels.

The CITV Freeview was later shut down and replaced by the streaming service ITVX Kids Hub on ITVX in 2023, with the weekend showings moving to ITV2.

Meanwhile, shopping channel QVC, owned by the QVC Group, is at risk of shutting down.

It was founded in 1986 in the US and has since grown into a multinational corporation, specialising in televised home shopping.

Launching in the UK in October 1993, QVC became the UK’s first full-time home shopping channel.

Now, the channel is on the brink of collapse, with it in discussions with creditors after reports suggest it missed a regulatory filing deadline.

QVC Group is reportedly late with a regulatory filing deadline and is in discussions to voluntarily restructure its debt, according to Bloomberg.

In a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, the parent company of QVC and HSN said it was unable to submit its annual financial report on time “without unreasonable effort or expense”.

QVC Group CFO Bill Wafford has confirmed that uncertainty linked to those negotiations has delayed the preparation of its financial statements.

The company has also warned about a “substantial doubt” about its ability to continue operating.

The QVC Group previously highlighted $2.9 billion (£2.2 billion) in debt due in October.

QVC Group intends to file its delayed results within 15 days, Broadband TV News reports.

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It has also been rumoured that any potential bankruptcy filing is expected to be a Chapter 11 protection.

This would allow the company to restructure its debt while continuing operations, rather than liquidation.

What is your favourite TV channel? Let us know in the comments.