After nine years away, 4Music will be available to Sky viewers in the Republic of Ireland from March.
4Music returns to Sky Ireland channel 139 on 1st March. This means Sky users in the Republic no longer need to access the channel through the ‘other channels’ menu.
The channel went free-to-air last month ahead of launching on Freesat. It can also be accessed on Sky UK without a current Sky subscription.
4Music disappeared from Sky Ireland alongside its sister music channels from The Box in 2013. Back then, the channel, alongside The Box and several other music channels were part of a joint venture between Bauer Media and Channel 4. Channel 4 has since gained full control of the Box Plus Network, including 4Music. In recent months, it has been working to widen the reach of 4Music.
In order to continue broadcasting in the Republic of Ireland after Brexit, Channel 4 holds broadcast licences issued in Luxembourg. The licences are issued in Luxembourg on the basis that a Luxembourg-based satellite operator is used to transmit these channels via satellite to Ireland. 4Music wasn’t among the Channel 4-owned channels listed by Luxembourg’s regulator as holding a licence with them. It’s understood regulatory issues are now sorted.