TELLY fans may notice two well-known channels look a little bit different from today as part of a major shake-up.
Much-loved Gold and Alibi have undergone a big on-screen change to coincide with a brand shift by owners, UKTV.
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The company has been realigning all its channels under a brand new masterbrand, called U.
Most of UKTV’s channels have already moved across, including Dave, Drama, Yesterday, W and Eden.
Since the summer, they’ve been known as U&Dave, U&DRAMA, U&YESTERDAY, U&W and U&Eden.
As of today, the final two staples in UKTV’s portfolio make the same change.
So, Gold and Alibi are now known as U&Gold and U&Alibi.
The programming remains the same for both, so U&Gold is still home to classic British comedy while U&Alibi features crime drama.
Channel numbers are also staying the same on both Sky and Virgin Media, so there’s no need to worry about missing your favourite shows.
It’s worth noting you may spot the shift on six channels technically, taking into account each channel’s standard definition and high definition versions, as well as the +1 time shift.
The move completes UKTV’s rebranding exercise under the U name.
Its streaming service UKTV Play is now simply known as U as well.
As part of the channels, the company recently made U&Eden free-to-air.
This means the channel is available on Freeview for the first time.
“With our free-to-air portfolio and the U streaming service going from strength to strength under the U masterbrand, I’m so excited to be bringing the same bold approach, with its warmth and personality, to our pay channels U&Gold and U&alibi,” said Penny Brough, UKTV’s Chief Marketing Officer.
“The roll out of U has involved the work and dedication of our teams across the entire organisation so it’s a real moment to see the full set of channels finally under the U banner, connecting and better leveraging our brands as we continue our transition to a digital first and audience-led business.”
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Get quality TV for free
By Jamie Harris, Assistant Technology and Science Reporter
If you’re tired of paying out on several streaming services like Netflix and Disney+ then there are a growing number of free alternatives around.
While many of these alternatives have been filled with obscure content, more big names like Sky have got on board in recent years offering some quality stuff, which is largely archive but still entertaining.
As well as UKTV, Sony and Channel 5 are among the other players getting involved.
If you haven’t already, give Pluto TV a go, it’s available on pretty much all devices including Fire TV Sticks.
On there you’ll find channels from MTV, with Catfish and Geordie Shore.
Some of the classics are real gems too – I found myself watching long-forgotten episodes of Sabrina the Teenage Witch the other day.
