The TV channels that have disappeared from or been added to all Sky and Virgin Media boxes in April

The Sun

29-04-2025

THESE are the TV channels that will be affected by the shake-up on Sky and Virgin boxes in April.
A couple of channels will be added to the boxes and one will completely disappear.
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Both Virgin Media and Sky shared information about the changes on their respective sites.
Virgin Media announced that all Virgin TV customers with their Stream box will have access to Rakuten Top Movies (CH 446) and Rakuten TV Action (CH 447.)
Rakuten Top Movies offers a range of films from box office to hidden indie gems.
The streaming platform's leaderboard also gives viewers a snapshot of what everyone's watching, renting, and raving about.
Big hits like Oppenheimer and Barbie are played alongside surprise indie standouts.
For those more interested in action, Rakuten TV Action has some content ready for viewers wanting a thrill.
The library features a mix of classics like Die Hard and Lethal Weapon, alongside newer hits like John Wick and Extraction.
Sky also announced that it would be closing a popular channel.
From April 10, ​Sky History+1 (Satellite 223 (224 Scotland)) will be closing permanently.
The channel featured a line-up of historical documentaries, biopics, and series exploring a range of content from the Roman Empire to Cold War espionage.
For those who forgot to tune in the first time, Sky History+1 had a 60-minute delay – perfect for when you realised you missed the start.
These aren't the only changes that came about and in February the boxes announced another set of changes.
Virgin Media announced the updated ways to watch "all the great sporting action" after Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2 stopped streaming in the UK.
This move occurred at the end of February, leading Virgin Media to switch up their channels.
The broadcaster rearranged various sporting channels to avoid missing out on major events.
Eurosport's content has found a new home after a merger with another popular sports network.
Events such as the Australian Open and Roland-Garros tennis, Grand Tour cycling, the UCI Mountain Bike World Series will be moving to TNT Sports.
Viewers can also find every major winter sports World Championship and World Cup event, British and World Superbikes, snooker, and the Olympic Games 2026-2032 on TNT going forward.
This is just the start - more changes ahead
Analysis by Jamie Harris, Assistant Technology and Science Editor at The Sun
Broadcasting is going through an almighty shift at the moment with the push toward streaming at a key point.
Eurosport and TNT Sports owner Warner Bros Discovery is making some big changes next year.
And it's likely Discovery+ will disappear as a result.
The streaming service has closed in several countries already to make way for a replacement, Max, bringing HBO and Discovery content under one roof.
The UK is one of the few big markets where Max hasn't launched yet because of existing agreements with Sky, allowing Sky Atlantic to air big HBO-made hits like Game of Thrones and The White Lotus.
But the pair recently announced a new deal that will pave the way for Max's launch in the UK early 2026 as a standalone app, while Sky customers will get access at no extra cost.
So expect even bigger changes in the TV and streaming world next year.