Trace Vault, a channel dedicated to music and entertainment programmes from the 1990s and 2000s will be removed from Sky before Christmas.
- It’s the last of the former CSC/Sony music channels to cease broadcasting, five years after their takeover by Trace Music.
- Trace Music continues to offer streaming music channels in the UK.
Trace Vault, formerly simply known as “The Vault”, will close on Thursday 14th December, when it will vacate its slot on Sky satellite channel 360. It’s the end of an era for its owner Trace Music, who will no longer have a channel on Sky.
The Vault first launched as a 24-hour service twenty years ago, as a spin-off from the now defunct Chart Show TV. In the beginning, the channel featured music going back to the 1960s. Under ownership of Sony Pictures Television between 2014 and 2018, the channel added 90s kids and teen shows, including Saved by the Bell, Clarissa Explains It All and Kenan and Kel.
In December 2018, Trace Music announced it was buying The Vault alongside three other music channels from Sony Pictures Television (Chart Show TV, Chart Show Hits and Starz). Three of the four channels received Trace branding in 2019. Starz was subsequently closed down. Since then the remaining channels have also closed. 2022 was the last time Trace Xmas was broadcast.
Initially, Trace pointed UK and Ireland users to its own streaming service, Trace Play, which has since been withdrawn.
Music channels have struggled to remain relevant with the next generation of viewers opting for on-demand streaming of music. All music channel operators present in the UK and Ireland have consolidated their channel portfolio in the last five years.
Beyond Sky: Streaming future for Trace Music
Trace meanwhile has been boosting its streaming presence, with Trace-branded music channels currently available on Channelbox (Freeview 271) and Samsung TV Plus. Its flagship channel for the UK is now Trace UK, currently available on Samsung TV Plus channel 4713.
Marc Thornham