Great! Action

Great! Action
CountryUnited Kingdom
Broadcast areaUnited Kingdom
Ireland
Programming
Timeshift serviceGreat! Action +1
Ownership
OwnerSony Pictures Television (2019–2021)
Narrative Entertainment UK Limited (2021–present)
Sister channelsPop
Tiny Pop
Pop Max
Great! TV
Great! Movies
Great! Romance
History
Launched10 September 2019; 5 years ago (10 September 2019)
ReplacedMovies4Men
Former namesSony Movies Action (2019–2021)
Great! Movies Action (2021-2023)
Links
Websitegreatnetwork.com/action
Availability
Terrestrial
FreeviewChannel 42

Great! Action (stylized as GREAT! action)[1][2] is a British free-to-air TV channel owned by Narrative Entertainment UK Limited which launched as Sony Movies Action on 10 September 2019 on Freeview, Freesat, Sky and Virgin.[3] Sony Movies Action replaced Movies4Men, which was dedicated to showing action, war and western movies as well as showing classic action television series. However, apart from a few 5 minute shorts (such as Soccer Bites or Movie News) Great! Action is now devoted to showing films.

History

This channel replaced Movies4Men and Movies4Men +1. Sony Movies Action is available on Freeview, Freesat, Sky and Virgin, but the timeshift service Sony Movies Action +1 is only on Sky. Sony Movies Action +1, launched on 25 February 2008, was briefly on Freeview back when it was still known as Movies4Men +1. The channel launched on 13 May 2019 on Freeview channel 48, but was closed the next month because True Entertainment (now Sony Channel) and True Movies (now Sony Movies Classic) were moving to the Local Multiplex. Movies4Men moved to 325 on Sky on May 3, 2012, but moved back to 323 on May 1, 2018 after 6 years.

The Sony Movies Action channel was first announced on 24 July 2019, when Movies4Men would be replaced by Sony Movies Action.

On 14 May 2021, Narrative Capital announced its acquisition of Sony Pictures Television's UK channels; the channel was rebranded as Great! Movies Action eleven days later.[4]

On 22 March 2023, Great! Movies Action was rebranded as Great! Action, following the launch of sister channel Great! Romance.

By August 2024, the channel had diversified from being purely a movie channel to one that had started to show more reality tv series during the early evening.[5] These programmes had been series that Narrative Entertainment had been showing on sister channel Great! Real, which is expected to close.

Great! Action programmes

  • Air Rescue (from Great! Real)[6][7]
  • Coast Guard Alaska (from Great! Real)[8]
  • Cops Uncut (from Great! Real)[9]
  • Police Ten 7(from Great! Real)[10][11]
  • The Stuka (documentary)[12][13]
  • This Week Back Then[14][15]

Great! Real

Great! Real was launched on 20 March 2024[16] on Freeview's local TV multiplex by Narrative Entertainment. Appearing on Freeview channel 61 and Sky channel 189, the unscripted reality channel was not launched on either Virgin Media or Freesat.[17] On 20 August 2024, the channel was removed from Sky, with a number of programmes from Great! Real being moved over to Great! Action.

Great! Real programmes

  • Air Rescue (moved to Great! Action!)[18]
  • Airline USA[19]
  • Coast Guard Alaska (moved to Great! Action!)
  • Coast Guard Pacific Northwest[20][21]
  • Code 1: Extreme[22][23]
  • Cops Uncut (moved to Great! Action!)[24]
  • Emergency Rescue: Air, Land and Sea[25]
  • Heathrow: Britain’s Busiest Airport (formally on ITV)
  • Island Medics[26]
  • Paddington Station 24/7[27][28]
  • Police Ten 7 (moved to Great! Action!)[29]
  • Thief Trackers[30]

Logos

  • Sony Movies Action (10 September 2019 until 25 May 2021)
    Sony Movies Action (10 September 2019 until 25 May 2021)
  • Sony Movies Action +1 (10 September 2019 until 25 May 2021)
    Sony Movies Action +1 (10 September 2019 until 25 May 2021)

References

  1. ^ "New network GREAT! launches in the UK". 17 May 2021.
  2. ^ "Sony Movie Channel has been renamed Great! But how? And why?!". the Guardian. 26 May 2021.
  3. ^ Tolve, Christopher (30 July 2019). "Sony to launch UK's first free-to-air movie network, rebranding existing channels". The Drum. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  4. ^ "Sony Pictures Television U.K. Channels Sold to U.S. Investment Firm Narrative Capital". Variety. 14 May 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  5. ^ "Sky confirms return of channel that went streaming-only".
  6. ^ "Air Rescue, 6:30pm on Great! Action".
  7. ^ "Schedule".
  8. ^ "Coast Guard Alaska, 7:00pm on Great! Action".
  9. ^ "Cops Uncut, 6:00pm on Great! Action".
  10. ^ "GREAT! Action - Saturday's TV | TV Guide".
  11. ^ "Police Ten 7".
  12. ^ "GREAT! Action - Today's TV | TV Guide".
  13. ^ "The Stuka - GREAT! Action | TV Guide".
  14. ^ "What's on Great! Action?".
  15. ^ "This Week Back then, 3:40pm on Great! Action".
  16. ^ "Freeview Updates".
  17. ^ "GREAT! Real channel numbers confirmed". 13 March 2024.
  18. ^ "Air Rescue Season 5".
  19. ^ "Airline USA Season 2".
  20. ^ "Schedule".
  21. ^ "Coast Guard Pacific Northwest, 6:00pm on GREAT! Real".
  22. ^ "Schedule".
  23. ^ "Code: 1, 10:00pm on GREAT! Real".
  24. ^ "Sky confirms return of channel that went streaming-only".
  25. ^ "GREAT! Real channel numbers confirmed". 13 March 2024.
  26. ^ "GREAT! Real".
  27. ^ "Paddington Station 24/7 Season 2".
  28. ^ "Paddington Station 24/7, 11:00pm on GREAT! Real".
  29. ^ "Police Ten 7 Season 27".
  30. ^ "Thief Trackers Season 1".


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