Sky Soap

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Sky Soap

Ownership
Owner	British Sky Broadcasting
History
Launched	3 October 1994
Replaced	Sky Arts
Closed	30 April 1999
Replaced by	Sky Real Lives
Availability At time of closure
Satellite
Analogue	Astra 1E, 11.303H
Sky	Channel 142 Astra 2A, 12.168V [1]

Sky Soap was a satellite television channel operated by British Sky Broadcasting devoted to American and British soap operas that include Emmerdale Farm, Take the High Road, Families and Albion Market.

History[]

When Sky Channel was relaunched on 5 February 1989 as a UK and Ireland only service, the daytime schedule was overhauled and included a block of five soaps. The first, starting at 11.30am from Australia, The Sullivans, which was also still airing in some ITV regions. Next were four American daytime soaps – Another World, which had been airing on the channel since 1987, started at 12.00pm; followed by General Hospital from 12.55pm; and As the World Turns at 1.50pm and finally, Loving – a two-hour premiere was shown every evening, and continued from the next following day in a regular 2.45pm slot.^[2] A sixth soap opera, The Young Doctors was another Australian programme which also aired in an early evening slot at 5.00pm, before switching to mid-morning after a year.^[3]

The network changed its name to Sky One on 31 July 1989, The Sullivans, General Hospital and As the World Turns were all dropped, and in November 1990, more daytime soaps were added to the line-up, and The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless were both inherited from BSB's Galaxy channel.^[4] In February 1991, Santa Barbara replaced Loving, which was also broadcast on the ITV network. By 1993, with the addition of Australian soaps E Street and Paradise Beach to the schedules, as well as a daytime repeat run of American primetime series Falcon Crest, the block of daily soap operas on Sky One ran from 10.30am through to 3.30pm.

In 1994, it was decided to move the American daytime soaps to a new dedicated channel and Sky Soap began broadcasting on 3 October 1994 from the Astra 1C satellite on weekdays between 8.00am and 12.00pm,^[5] the original line-up on the channel was: Loving, Peyton Place (which was eventually replaced by Santa Barbara), Guiding Light, As the World Turns and Another World.

Broadcast hours were soon changed to between 12.00pm and 4.00pm, and by 1997, Sky Soap was broadcasting from Astra 1B, and the hours were extended to 11.00am to 4.00pm. The only American daytime soaps airing by then were As the World Turns and Guiding Light, while old episodes of British soaps were added to the line-up, including Emmerdale Farm, Families and Take the High Road.

Poor viewing figures following the launch of Sky Digital led to the channel's closure on 30 April 1999.

Programming[]

American[]

• Another World
• As the World Turns
• Guiding Light
• Loving
• Peyton Place
• Santa Barbara

Australian[]

• E Street
• Paradise Beach

British[]

• Albion Market
• Emmerdale Farm (episodes from 1972–1988)
• Families
• Take the High Road (episodes from 1980-1989)

References[]

External links[]

• Sky Soap at TVARK
• Sky contact number

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