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Sky Arts (originally launched as Artsworld) is a British free-to-air television channel offering 24 hours a day of programmes dedicated to Highbrow, including theatrical performances, films, documentaries and music (such as opera performances and classical and jazz sessions). The channel is available in the United Kingdom through Freeview, Freesat, BT TV, Sky UK, Virgin Media, and TalkTalk TV and in the Republic of Ireland via Sky Ireland, Virgin Media Ireland, Vodafone Ireland and Eir, included in most basic subscription packs, but started life as a premium service requiring an additional payment on top of the monthly Sky subscription. The channel launched on Freeview and Freesat as a free-to-air service in September 2020.
Sky subsequently bought out the remaining shareholders (including Isaacs) and in June 2005 took full control, reducing the staff further, and dropping the channel's premium subscription fee shortly afterwards. 60 hours of classic music along with seven full-length operas were broadcast each month to help bring in potential new subscribers. John Cassy, the channel manager of Artsworld, said: "It is great news for the arts that a dedicated cultural channel will be available to millions of households."
From 8 June 2007, Sky Arts introduced a series called Friday Night Hijack. Artists were invited to schedule a night of television that reflects their tastes, interests and passions. Guests included legendary punk DJ Don Letts, Don McCullin, Saffron Burrows, Anthony Horowitz, Malcolm McLaren, Phill Jupitus, Germaine Greer, George Melly and Reggie Perrin writer David Nobbs.
Picks included a Franz Ferdinand documentary entitled Rock it to Rio, a concert performance by Damon Albarn's new band The Good, the Bad & the Queen as well as documentaries and films on Salvador Dalí, Andy Warhol, Rachel Whiteread and Elvis Costello. This weekly feature was later moved and renamed Sunday Night Hijack.
In 2013, Sky Arts launched Portrait Artist of the Year, a painting competition series presented by Frank Skinner and Joan Bakewell. The series is judged by art experts Tai-Shan Schierenberg, Kathleen Soriano and Kate Bryan. Nick Lord won the first series and was awarded a commission to paint Hilary Mantel for the British Library. In 2014 the second series was won by Christian Hook and his portrait of Alan Cumming is now part of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery collection. In 2015 Sky Arts introduced a development of the competition for landscape painters called Landscape Artist of the Year in association with National Trust. The first series was won by Nerine McIntyre and she was awarded a commission to paint the scene made famous by John Constable at Flatford Mill.
On 9 June 2015, Sky Arts 2 closed and merged its content with Sky Arts 1 to form one channel.
Since becoming a free-to-air service, the channel has picked up a number of acclaimed music documentaries such as King Rocker, and Blitzed: The 80s Blitz Kids' Story, many of which were broadcast on Sky Arts a short while after premiering to the press.
As of 2024, series on Sky Arts include Classic Albums, The Great Songwriters and Guy Garvey: From the Vaults, with the channel also having picked up repeats of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Tales of the Unexpected and The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross. for its daily schedule. In addition, episodes of the Grand Ole Opry, the long-running American country music programme, and albums documentary series Record On have turned up in the schedules on an ad hoc basis, with the Record On episode concerning The Specials, A Message to You, being scheduled as a one-off programme in a night of music shows, alongside documentaries about The Clash and X-Ray Spex.
From 30 March to 14 April 2013, Sky Arts 2 was temporarily rebranded as Sky Arts Rieu in honour of André Rieu, broadcasting back-to-back concerts by the violinist.
On 9 June 2015, at 06:00 BST, Sky Arts 2 closed after showing its final classical music programme followed by promos for the new merged channel.
Following the launch of Sky Arts 2, Sky Arts HD showed a mix of programmes in high definition from both channels – generally Sky Arts 1 all day on Mondays, Thursdays and Sundays and Sky Arts 2 until 7pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, switching to Sky Arts 1 from 7pm onwards on those days.
On 2 March 2009, Sky Arts HD was split into two channels. Sky Arts 1 HD then broadcast from 7pm to 2am daily, and Sky Arts 2 HD from 8am to 7pm. The standard definition channels continued to broadcast a full schedule from 8am to 2am. Sky Arts 1 HD also broadcast a further hour of HD-only programming called 'Aquariavision' intended to be recorded by Sky+ HD owners.
As of June 2009, both Sky Arts 1 and 2 HD broadcast full-time between 6am and 2am.
From 1 March 2010, all Sky Arts channels are broadcasting 24 hours a day.
An on and off-air brand refresh for all four channels (Sky Arts 1, Sky Arts 1 HD (a simulcast), Sky Arts 2 and Sky Arts 2 HD (a simulcast)) was launched on 16 August 2010.
On 9 June 2015, at 6am, Sky Arts 2 HD closed down.
As of September 2020, Sky Arts is currently made up of the following channels: Sky Arts and Sky Arts HD (a simulcast).
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