Kix (UK TV channel)
Kix was a British free-to-air children's television channel aimed primarily at boys aged 7 to 12. Launched on 19 May 2008 as Kix! in place of Pop +1, it aired cartoons, action and adventure series, sci-fi and anime for 17 years before being rebranded as Pop Max in 2017 and closing in April 2025.
Overview
Kix (previously Kix!, later Pop Max) was a free-to-air children's television channel in the United Kingdom, owned for the final years of its life by Narrative Entertainment UK Limited. Its programming comprised cartoons, science fiction, action and adventure series and anime, and it was available on Sky and on Freeview. The channel's target audience was boys aged 6 to 15, and it was positioned as the boys-focused counterpart to the broader Pop channel and the preschool Tiny Pop channel.
The channel closed on 22 April 2025 after 17 years on air, when Sky confirmed its removal. Its programming continued to air on the main Pop channel after closure.
Launch as Kix!
The channel launched at 6am on 19 May 2008 as Kix!, replacing Pop's timeshift channel, Pop +1. Kix! was the fourth children's channel to be launched by CSC Media Group, the operator of the Pop family. Its three sister channels were Pop, launched on 29 May 2003, which aired animated programming for a mixed audience; Tiny Pop, launched in 2004, which featured animated programmes for young children and preschoolers; and Pop Girl, launched on 6 August 2007, which featured programmes aimed at girls and closed on 1 October 2015.
The launch gave the Pop family a dedicated outlet for older boys, complementing Pop's mixed-audience offering and Pop Girl's girl-focused schedule. Trading Pop +1's timeshift capacity for an entirely new channel was a bold move at a time when timeshift channels were a standard part of UK channel portfolios, signalling CSC's belief that a dedicated boys' channel was the better commercial bet.
Audience positioning
Kix was deliberately positioned as a boys' channel in a children's television market that had few gender-targeted offerings. The channel's original brief was aimed at boys aged 7 to 12, and it showed cartoons, action series, adventure and extreme sports programming designed to appeal to that demographic. Over time the channel's target audience was broadened and described as boys aged 6 to 15.
The channel's launch literature described its mix as cartoons, sci-fi, action and adventure series and anime — a schedule pitched more aggressively at action-hungry viewers than the family-friendly Pop channel that shared its ownership. Extreme sports strands, including BMX, skateboarding and stunt coverage, sat alongside imported cartoons and Japanese anime, giving Kix an edgier feel than its sister networks. Where Pop catered to a mixed young audience and Tiny Pop served preschoolers, Kix was the destination for boys who had outgrown Pop's softer offering but were still within the children's audience.
Kix Power
In July 2013, Kix launched Kix Power, a Power Rangers-exclusive channel. It replaced Pop Girl's timeshift feed, Pop Girl +1, and the slot varied between this channel and Kix's own timeshift channel for several years, depending on school holidays. Kix Power catered to the enduring popularity of the Power Rangers franchise among the channel's young male audience, giving the franchise a dedicated home on the platform.
The Power Rangers focus made strategic sense: the franchise's mix of martial arts, team dynamics and transforming robots was an almost perfect match for Kix's target demographic, and Kix's broader schedule regularly featured the franchise's various series. Pop Girl +1, the slot Kix Power replaced, belonged to the sister channel Pop Girl, which itself closed on 1 October 2015, making Kix the last remaining gender-targeted outlet in the family.
Ownership history
Kix was launched by CSC Media Group and operated by it until 2014. That year, Sony Pictures Television acquired the CSC channels, and Kix became part of Sony's European networks portfolio. The channel continued under Sony's ownership from 2014 to 2021.
In May 2021, Sony Pictures Television sold its UK channels business to the US investment firm Narrative Capital, with the channels operating under Narrative Entertainment UK Limited. Narrative owned Kix and its sister channels from 2021 until the channel's closure in 2025.
Name changes: Kix!, Kix and Pop Max
The channel's branding changed several times during its life. The exclamation mark in its name was removed in May 2013, although it remained in some branding such as Sky's programme guide until 2014. In 2014 the channel became known simply as Kix.
In August 2017, Kix rebranded as Pop Max without any changes to its schedule. The rebrand brought the channel under the Pop master-brand alongside Pop and Tiny Pop, making the family relationship between the channels explicit. It continued to broadcast under the Pop Max name for the final eight years of its life.
Platform carriage
Kix launched on Sky in 2008, taking over the Pop +1 slot, and expanded to Freesat in August 2008. Kix became available on Freeview in April 2016, alongside Pop and Tiny Pop, giving the channel nationwide free-to-air distribution for the first time.
A stream of the channel was added to Pop Player's Freeview Play app in early 2022. On 25 May 2022, Pop Max was replaced on Freeview with the Pop Player channel, marking the beginning of the brand's migration from traditional linear channels to streaming and hybrid services.
Programming
Across its life, the channel's schedule mixed cartoons with action, adventure, science fiction and anime. In its early years it carried action series, cartoons and extreme sports programming. After the rebrand to Pop Max, the channel continued with cartoons, sci-fi, action and adventure series and anime aimed at boys aged 6 to 15.
Notable strands included the Power Rangers content that had sustained Kix Power, and a February 2022 Pokémon takeover event that highlighted the channel's anime offering. When the channel closed, its programming library continued to air on the main Pop channel.
Closure
The channel's closure came in stages as platforms withdrew carriage. On 7 February 2024, Pop Max and the other Narrative Entertainment channels were removed from Freesat. On 10 December 2024, Pop Max was removed from Freeview.
On 17 April 2025, Sky confirmed that Pop Max would be removed from its platforms on 22 April 2025. The channel closed on that date, ending 17 years on air. Its programming continued to air on the main Pop channel, ensuring the shows remained available to viewers.
Relationship with Pop and Tiny Pop
Kix occupied a distinctive position within the Pop family of channels. Pop served a mixed audience of children aged 6 to 10, Tiny Pop served preschoolers aged up to 7, and Kix/Pop Max served older boys. The channels shared ownership, management and, in later years, the Pop brand identity, and viewers could move between them through shared platforms and the Pop Player app.
The family approach meant that the closure of Pop Max did not leave its audience without its programmes: Narrative kept the shows on the main Pop channel, consolidating the family's content into fewer outlets as linear children's broadcasting contracted in the UK.
Legacy
Kix was one of the longest-running dedicated boys' children's channels in British television, broadcasting for 17 years from 2008 to 2025. It filled a specific gap in the UK children's market with action, adventure and extreme sports programming aimed squarely at young boys, and its Pop Max years consolidated the Pop family into a single coherent brand. Its closure in April 2025, alongside the later closure of the Pop and Tiny Pop linear channels, marked the end of an era for free-to-air dedicated children's channels in the UK.
