Pop (UK TV channel)
Pop was a British free-to-air children's television channel aimed at children aged 6 to 10. Launched on 29 May 2003 as Toons&Tunes, it ran for more than two decades through three different owners before its linear broadcast came to an end in December 2025, with the brand continuing as a FAST streaming channel.
Overview
Pop (stylized as PoP or POP) was a British children's television channel broadcasting to the United Kingdom and Ireland and targeting audiences aged 6 to 10. It was owned by Narrative Entertainment UK Limited for the final years of its life, and its sister channel was Tiny Pop, a preschool network aimed at younger children. The channel carried animated series, movies and specials from a range of production and distribution studios, and for much of its run it was available free-to-air on platforms including Sky, Freeview and Freesat.
Over its lifetime the channel changed hands three times. It was launched by Chart Show Channels (CSC) Media Group in 2003, sold to Sony Pictures Television as part of its acquisition of the CSC channels, and then sold again to Narrative Entertainment UK Limited in 2021. In November 2025 Narrative announced that it would close the Pop and Tiny Pop linear channels that December, along with the Pop Player app, while the FAST streaming channels associated with the brand — including Pop Up — would continue.
Launch as Toons&Tunes
Pop was originally launched on 29 May 2003 by Chart Show Channels (CSC) Media Group under the name Toons&Tunes. The original name reflected the channel's initial format: a mix of animated programming and music videos aimed at children. Within a month of launch, the channel took on its current name, Pop (formerly stylized as pop and POP!), and the Toons&Tunes identity was retired.
In its earliest months, Pop sourced its animated content from Granada Media's programming library under a six-month non-exclusive deal. Once that arrangement ended, the channel moved on to content sourced mainly from the North American animation houses DIC Entertainment and Nelvana, whose cartoons supplied much of the early schedule.
The shift from music videos to animation
The original Toons&Tunes format placed a heavy emphasis on music videos alongside its animated output. But with numerous music video networks already available on British television at the time, this focus was quickly abandoned in 2004, when animated content became much more prominent in the schedule. Music videos continued to be carried on and off for several more years until 2010, when they were abandoned entirely, and Pop settled into its long-term identity as an all-animation children's channel for 6 to 10-year-olds.
Presenters: Rorry, Purrdy and the Cheeky Monkeys
In the channel's early years, in-vision links were presented by Rorry, an animated lime-green dragon who had previously been known as Tricky. Tricky had hosted a Saturday morning show in the autumn of 1997 and was repurposed for the Pop channel. Tricky spoke with a northern English dialect, while Rorry used a different voice with a Scottish accent, both versions being animated live through computer cues.
Rorry was accompanied by Purrdy, a dragon and cat hybrid who had also appeared in the original Tricky programme on ITV. Their links were sometimes followed by a programme known as "The Cheeky Monkey Show", which featured live links from animated coloured monkeys known as "The Cheeky Monkeys". These presentation elements gave the early Pop channel a distinctive personality before continuity became largely automated.
Sister channels: Pop Plus, Tiny Pop and Pop +1
In September 2003, a timeshift sister network — Pop Plus — was launched. In July 2004, Pop Plus was rebranded as Tiny Pop, with the channel's pre-school shows being moved over to it alongside the Cheeky Monkeys. Tiny Pop became the group's preschool channel for children aged up to 7, and remained Pop's sibling for the rest of the linear era.
On 10 August 2007, a one-hour timeshift service — Pop +1 — was launched on Sky, alongside Tiny Pop +1. The channel expanded to cable on 11 October 2007, when Pop and Tiny Pop were launched on Virgin Media. On 19 May 2008, Pop +1 ceased broadcast and was replaced with a new sister network, Kix!, which targeted older boys. Pop +1 later returned on 14 July 2014, replacing Kix +1. On 1 February 2011, Pop was removed from Virgin Media to make way for the cable launch of True Entertainment.
Ownership changes: CSC, Sony and Narrative
Pop was created and operated by CSC Media Group, the television division behind the Chart Show channels. The channel's ownership changed hands when Sony Pictures Television acquired the CSC Media Group channels in 2014, placing Pop, Tiny Pop and their siblings within Sony's European networks portfolio.
In May 2021, Sony Pictures Television sold its UK channels business, including Pop, to Narrative Capital, the US investment firm, with the channels operating under Narrative Entertainment UK Limited from 2021 onwards. Narrative managed the channels through the final phase of Pop's history, overseeing its transition from linear broadcasting to streaming-first services.
Programming highlights
Pop sourced its programming from multiple production and distribution studios. Acquired programming formed the backbone of the schedule, including the internationally popular animated series Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir and the Pokémon anime. On 1 September 2020, the channel rebranded its on-air identity with the premiere of Bakugan: Armored Alliance, and on the same day, starting with Pokémon Journeys: The Series, Pop became the new British home of Pokémon, moving the franchise from its previous broadcasters, ITV1 and CITV, after more than 20 years.
The channel also aired movies and specials, including the Barbie television films, Pokémon features and Monster High programming. In 2022, Pop branched into original content for the first time, approaching presenter Joe Tasker for a new show called Swipe It! With Joe Tasker.
Platform carriage: Sky, Freeview and Freesat
Pop was long available on Sky and, for much of its history, on other platforms. On 20 March 2014, Pop was launched on Freeview. Prior to April 2016, it was only available in areas where there was a local television channel. On 1 April 2016, Pop moved to a wider-coverage nationwide Freeview multiplex, becoming available to over 90 per cent of the country. The capacity vacated by Pop on the local multiplex was used to transmit Kix from 7 April 2016. Pop +1 moved to logical channel number 128 to release 127 for Kix, but otherwise continued broadcasting locally to Manchester until its eventual withdrawal from Freeview.
On 19 July 2023, Pop reverted to broadcasting on the local-TV multiplex, switching places with sibling film channel Great! Romance. On 7 February 2024, Pop and the other Narrative Entertainment channels were removed from Freesat.
The end of linear Pop and the move to streaming
The final years of Pop saw the channel wind down its traditional broadcast presence. In December 2024, Pop's website was closed and redirected to the Pop Player website. On 1 December 2024, the terrestrial broadcast versions of Pop and Tiny Pop were replaced by hybrid streaming channels on Freeview.
On 4 November 2025, Narrative announced that it would close the Pop and Tiny Pop linear channels in December, as well as the Pop Player app, while the FAST channels, including Pop Up, would continue. On 10 December 2025, Pop Player was closed, displaying a message saying that Pop Player was no longer available and directing viewers to Freeview channels 205, 206 and 207. The Pop and Tiny Pop linear channels closed that December, ending more than 22 years of broadcast history.
As the linear channel declined, Pop had moved into streaming. Programming from Pop and Tiny Pop was made available through the Pop Player mobile app, YouView and Freeview Play. On 9 November 2022, Narrative Entertainment announced the launch of a new FAST channel, Pop Kids, to stream on Samsung TV Plus, airing shows from Pop and Tiny Pop.
In September 2023, it was announced that Pop Kids would split into two FAST channels: Tiny Pop would get its own channel, with Pop replacing the current FAST channel. Pop Up, a FAST channel on Freeview and on smart TV FAST providers such as Samsung TV Plus and LG Channels, launched on 30 May 2024. It offers programming drawn from a single franchise at a time, with the featured franchise changing within a few weeks. These FAST services continued after the linear channels closed.
International versions
The Pop brand was exported beyond the UK. On 13 April 2017, Sony Pictures Television announced that it would launch an Italian version of Pop on 4 May, replacing Neko TV following Sony's acquisition of the Television Broadcasting System. It was Sony's first free-to-air offering in Italy and offered programming similar to its UK counterpart. The Italian network, along with sister channel Cine Sony, flopped in the ratings, and on 7 May 2019 Sony announced it had put both slots up for sale. Mediaset was confirmed to have successfully purchased the slots, and on 11 July the Pop slot was officially given to Boing SpA, Mediaset's joint venture with Turner Broadcasting System Europe, and replaced with Boing Plus, a sister network to Boing.
The Pakistani version of Pop is operated by Edutainment (Pty.) Ltd. under licence from Sony Pictures Television. A Nigerian Pop channel launched on the StarTimes platform in 2014.
Legacy
Pop was one of the longest-running dedicated children's channels in British television, broadcasting continuously from May 2003 to December 2025. It helped establish the market for free-to-air children's television in the UK, incubated the preschool sister channel Tiny Pop and the boys' channel Kix (later Pop Max), and in its later years served as the British home of major franchises including Pokémon and Miraculous. Its evolution from a music-video hybrid into an animation channel, and ultimately from linear broadcasting into FAST streaming, mirrors the wider transformation of children's television in the UK over two decades.
