A popular TV channel has shut down after six years on air as part of a new shake-up to the TV guide.

Sky Cinema Animation has closed and merged with another channel as part of a new move to streamline the service.

The channel regularly showed cartoons and family films, but has been scrapped as of today (April 30).

Several other channels are also changing code numbers as part of the changes.

Sky Cinema Animation shuts down in new TV guide shake-up

Sky Cinema Animation was originally launched in 2018, before becoming permanent in 2020, showcasing an array of animated adventures.

Top films on the channel include Angry Birds 2: The Movie, The Secret Life of Pets 2, Pokémon Detective Pikachu and Lego Movie 2, the Sky website says.

Sky Cinema Animation and Sky Cinema family are merging to make a one-stop destination for family-favourite movies.  

Sky told Newsquest the move was to make things simpler for customers.

The new Sky Cinema Family channel will be available on channel 304 and everything previously on Sky Cinema Animation will be available on Sky Cinema Family.  

However, the Sky Cinema Animation channel will temporarily be back for the school holidays, from July 24 to August 30, October 23 to November 1 and December 1 to January 5. 

The entrance of the sky broadcast technology division and campus on leeds dockSky is changing a number of its channels and axing one as part of a TV guide shake-up (Image: Getty Images)

Other Sky TV Guide channel changes

The change to Sky Cinema Animation is not the only one customers should be aware of, with dozens of others having already or are due to change.

Here are all the name changes to Sky TV channels:

  • Sky Biopics (Satellite 303 – Sky Glass/Stream 303) - change to Sky Spy KidsHD (temporary change)
  • Sky Spy Kids (Satellite 303 – Sky Glass/Stream 303) - change to MenInBlackHD (temporary change)
  • Sky5*MoviesHD (Satellite 302 – Sky Glass/Stream 302) - change to FearSeekersHD (temporary change)

Channel changes Satellite – Residential

  • Sky Animation HD 312 closes permanently
  • Movies24 moves from 315 to 312
  • LEGEND XTRA moves from 317 to 316
  • LEGEND XTRA+1 moves from 318 to 317
  • Great! Romance moves from 319 to 322
  • G! Romance+1 moves from 320 to 323
  • Great! Mystery moves from 321 to 320
  • G!Mystery+1 moves from 322 to 321
  • Great! Action moves from 323 to 318
  • Great!Action+1 moves from 324 to 319
  • TalkingPictures moves from 328 to 324
  • Movies24+ moves from 329 to 315

Channel changes Satellite – Commercial

  • Sky Greats moves from 304 to 307
  • Sky Animation HD 305 closes permanently
  • Sky Family HD moves from 306 to 304
  • Sky Action HD moves from 307 to 306
  • LEGEND XTRA moves from 317 to 316
  • LEGEND XTRA+1 moves from 318 to 317
  • Great! Romance moves from 319 to 322
  • G! Romance+1 moves from 320 to 323
  • Great! Mystery moves from 321 to 320
  • G!Mystery+1 moves from 322 to 321
  • Great! Action moves from 323 to 318
  • Great!Action+1 moves from 324 to 319
  • TalkingPictures moves from 328 to 324

Channel changes Sky Glass/Stream – Residential and Commercial

  • Sky Animation HD 315 closes permanently
  • Great! Romance HD moves from 317 to 319
  • Great! Action HD moves from 319 to 317

Other TV channels that are closing or at risk of closing down

The Sky Cinema Animation channel is not the only popular channel closing down.

Children's channel CITV was turned off by ITV for good as of April 10, having launched in 1980.

CITV first began as Watch IT, then was rebranded as Children's ITV and later shortened to CITV.

In 2006, its late-afternoon slot on ITV1 was axed as it got its own channel on Freeview, but was still available on weekend mornings on ITV channels.

The CITV Freeview was later shut down and replaced by the streaming service ITVX Kids Hub on ITVX in 2023, with the weekend showings moving to ITV2.

Meanwhile, shopping channel QVC, owned by the QVC Group, is at risk of shutting down.

Launching in the UK in October 1993, QVC became the UK's first full-time home shopping channel.

Now, the channel is on the brink of collapse, with it in discussions with creditors after reports suggest it missed a regulatory filing deadline.

QVC Group is reportedly late with a regulatory filing deadline and is in discussions to voluntarily restructure its debt, according to Bloomberg.

In a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, the parent company of QVC and HSN said it was unable to submit its annual financial report on time “without unreasonable effort or expense”.

QVC Group CFO Bill Wafford has confirmed that uncertainty linked to those negotiations has delayed the preparation of its financial statements.

The company has also warned about a “substantial doubt” about its ability to continue operating.

The QVC Group previously highlighted $2.9 billion (£2.2 billion) in debt due in October.

QVC Group intends to file its delayed results within 15 days, Broadband TV News reports.

It has also been rumoured that any potential bankruptcy filing is expected to be a Chapter 11 protection.

This would allow the company to restructure its debt while continuing operations, rather than liquidation.

What is your favourite TV channel? Let us know in the comments.