Beloved children's TV channel is shutting down after 17 years

Metro

21-04-2025

A children's TV channel is being taken off air after more than a decade on screens.
Today is the final day viewers can watch kids' brand Pop Max, and its sister channels Pop Plus and Pop HD, before its removal from Sky.
First launched in 2008 under the name Kix, Pop Max was targeted at boys aged between six and nine.
It specialised in action programming, with its top shows including Power Rangers: Operation Overdrive, Pokémon: Diamond & Pearl and The Spectacular Spider-Man.
On YouTube, fans have recalled their childhood memories watching Pop Max and said the channel would be 'missed.'
Among them was @jnd5820, who said: 'As much as I want to geek out about this channel, I won't. I WILL say that Pop Max has been a remarkable part of my childhood, even way back when it was called KIX. I revisited it as well as the other two Pop channels throughout late 2020-2023 and have quickly become my favourites again.
'To see its downfall in late 2023 to the state we're at now with its upcoming closure is a huge shame, but who couldn't see this coming? All in all, the channel will be missed.'
Echoing their sentiment, @randalltonbrewster commented: 'I knew 2025 would be worse again!'
@Stawberry0u9l also shared: 'In 2017, I remember watching early morning with ALVINNN, the power rangers, Talking Tom, and a lot of adventurous content which made the channel stand out and feel truly magical to a young me.'
Pop Max is not the only children's TV brand to be axed from a linear channel in recent months, as younger viewers turn to social media platforms, like YouTube, to watch content.
Last month, it was announced that Blue Peter would no longer be transmitted live and instead, move to pre-recorded broadcasts in what was described as 'the end of an era.'
A source confirmed the plan to shift Blue Peter from live TV to CBBC, Sign Zone, BBC Two, and iPlayer to reflect changing audience habits had 'been in the works for months'.
'The big bosses all knew what was happening, and those they did tell were all told to keep it quiet,' the insider added to The Mail on Sunday.
'It's a huge shock, and a number of the crew still have no idea what's going on. Goodness knows what it means for the presenters and those working on the show, but the view is that it has all been handled very badly.'
Blue Peter had been on air since 1958, making it the longest-running children's show in the world.
Past presenters include Konnie Huq, Matt Baker, Peter Duncan, Zoe Salmon, Richard Bacon, Anthea Turner and Simon Thomas.
Some former Blue Peter stars, including Simon and Richard, expressed their upset at the news that the programme will shift away from real-time TV. More Trending
Simon wrote on Instagram: 'We probably didn't realise it at the time, but we were working in the last years of the golden age of children's TV, a time when children's programmes filled the afternoons and Saturday mornings on BBC1 and ITV.
'An era when audiences were measured in the millions rather than the thousands.
'I don't say golden in an arrogant way; but everything has fragmented now and the way children consume entertainment has changed forever. There will never be another era like it again.'
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Metro has contacted Sky for comment.
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