The removal of POP Max on Tuesday 22nd April on Sky satellite, Stream and Glass follows the departure of the channel from Freeview last year.
- POP Max will be removed from satellite, Sky Glass and Sky Stream devices.
- Minor reshuffle of remaining POP channels, which will remain on air.
- Affects viewers in both the UK and Ireland.
Sky has confirmed the removal of the POP Max channel, a free channel originally dedicated to action-packed children’s animation.
It follows wider changes to the POP family of children’s channels across TV platforms in the past year and is a decision made by the channel’s owner Narrative Entertainment.
On Tuesday 22nd April, POP Max will cease broadcasting on satellite channel 615 and Sky Glass/Stream channel 215 (216 in NI/ROI). There will be no replacement for the channel.
Sister channel Tiny Pop moves to fill the gap on the Sky satellite channel guide, moving from 618 to 615. In turn, POP+1 moves from 619 to 618, while Tiny Pop+1 moves from 629 to 619.
POP Max was originally devised as a channel targeting young boys, aged 6-9 with action cartoons including Pokémon and Power Rangers. More recently, and until its closure on Tuesday morning, it’s been screening back to back episodes of Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir.
The channel was originally to viewers in parts of the UK via Freeview until December 2024, when it was removed without notice.
Viewers can continue to watch shows online via the POP Player.
The move to streaming
It follows a big year of change for the POP channels, as owner Narrative Entertainment navigates changes to the way younger viewers access content.
In March 2024, Narrative announced it would be switching pre-school kids channel Tiny Pop to online platforms only. That was partially reversed months later, with Tiny Pop regaining a regular broadcast slot on Sky satellite.
Meanwhile, it launched streaming channel POP Up, a constantly evolving channel dedicated to a particular children’s show or genre for specific periods of time.
On Freeview, Narrative replaced its traditional broadcast channels with streaming services. This means they’re only available on compatible internet connected TVs. Streaming versions of POP and Tiny Pop as accessed through Freeview follow a different schedule to the traditional broadcast copy of the channel available on Sky. The company also dropped distribution of its channels on Freesat.
By: Marc Thornham | Image: Narrative Entertainment