Sky to launch all-subs Sports channel

If Sky show some meaningful regular content on it people will be wondering why they have Sky Sports - something Sky don't want.

The primary purpose of this channel is almost certainly to act as a shop window channel for Sky Sports. Show enough to hook you, not enough to satisfy you. Random F1 races certainly. You might get Thursday's of golf tournaments. Day 1 of cricket tests. Very occasional Premier League (certainly not Manchester United v Liverpool, maybe more like Aston Villa v Newcastle). Some La Liga games not featuring Barcelona or the Madrids. The odd Pro 12 fixture.

You might also see the channel being used for stuff that might previously have ended up on the red button (or Sky Sports Xtra!) and maybe the odd sport where Sky has committed to making available to wider audience - eg NFL Sunday Night Football.

I bet all the documentaries will end up on there, maybe even The Premier League Years...?

Good news anyway, I doubt it'll make BT bother to prop up BT Sport Showcase.

I wonder how NOW TV will handle this channel? I suspect it'll be like SSN, an app on NOW TV boxes which is validated by any pass.

Sky Sports Mix won't be available on NOW TV. All SSM content will be available via the relevant Sky Sports channels in the sports pack.

Surely if it's going to be available on all Sky Satellite Packs, the logic follows that it should at least be offered to NOW TV users in the Entertainment pack, but I agree that it's highly unlikely to be offered on the current Sky Sports News basis, i.e. as a bonus to anyone with at least one of the two current non sport offerings Movies and Entertainment.

From reports I think part of the idea behind the channel is to stop Sky customers drifting over to Now TV, so wouldn't necessarily make sense to include it as part of the package.

I guess it's safe to say too the channel won't be available in HD.

Every F1 race C4 has live rights to will be simulcasted apparently: http://f1broadcasting.co/2016/03/18/sky-to-launch-free-sports-channel-to-subscribers/

Unless they chuck in a free exclusive race (possibly in addition to another free race during a free weekend) it's not really much to get excited about.

Didn't Sky1 show a handful last year, including exclusive races.

I've noted Sky1 show qualifying that wasn't on the BBC (as well as). On the final day of the Premier League last season they also showed a game, as the rest of the Sky Sports were fill up. They've shown Champions League and Golf in the recent past too.

Quite looking forward to Sky Sports Mix, I know it won't show the top fixtures but it's better than nothing, plus we'll get to see some of the documentaries they produce too.

Has this been given an EPG number yet. I'm guessing 408 with SSNHQHD bumped down the list.

I don't think it's a case of growing up. I was really into WWF during the Attitude era like many, but now it's too "dumbed-down" for me. The storylines, the writing, none of it can hold a candle to the stuff they did in the late 90s.

Kinda makes sense, thanks to HD swap it doesn't really matter where the to be swapped channel ends up, as HD subscribers will see Sky Sports News HD on 401.