Great! Action
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox television channel
| name = Great! Action
| logo = Great! Action.png
| launch_date = {{start date and age|10 September 2019}}
| closed_date =
| owner = Sony Pictures Television (2019–2021)
Narrative Entertainment UK Limited (2021–present)
| former_names = Sony Movies Action (2019–2021)
Great! Movies Action (2021-2023)
| replaced = Movies4Men
| country = United Kingdom
| area = United Kingdom
Ireland
| sister_channels = Great! TV
Great! Movies
Great! Romance
| website = [https://www.greatnetwork.com/action/ greatnetwork.com/action]
| timeshift_service = Great! Action +1
| availability_note =
| terr_serv_1 = Freeview
| terr_chan_1 = Channel 42
}}
Great! Action (stylized as GREAT! action){{Cite web|url=https://www.filmstories.co.uk/news/new-network-great-launches-in-the-uk/|title=New network GREAT! launches in the UK|work=Film Stories |date=May 17, 2021 |last1=Brunton |first1=Clare }}{{Cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/may/26/great-movies-sony-movie-channel-freeview-tv-rebrand|title=Sony Movie Channel has been renamed Great! But how? And why?!|date=May 26, 2021|website=the Guardian}} 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.{{cite news |last1=Tolve |first1=Christopher |title=Sony to launch UK's first free-to-air movie network, rebranding existing channels |url=https://www.thedrum.com/news/2019/07/30/sony-launch-uk-s-first-free-air-movie-network-rebranding-existing-channels |access-date=2 September 2019 |work=The Drum |date=30 July 2019 |language=en}} 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.{{Cite web|title=Sony Pictures Television U.K. Channels Sold to U.S. Investment Firm Narrative Capital|url=https://variety.com/2021/tv/global/sony-channels-uk-sold-narrative-1234972645/|access-date=14 May 2021|website=Variety|date=14 May 2021 }}
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.{{cite web | url=https://rxtvinfo.com/2024/sky-confirms-return-of-channel-that-went-streaming-only/ | title=Sky confirms return of channel that went streaming-only | date=16 August 2024 }} These programmes had been series that Narrative Entertainment had been showing on sister channel Great! Real, which is expected to close.
=Logos=
File:Sony Movies Action.png|Sony Movies Action (10 September 2019 until 25 May 2021)
File:Sony Movies Action +1.png|Sony Movies Action +1 (10 September 2019 until 25 May 2021)
=Great! Action programmes=
- Air Rescue (from Great! Real){{cite web | url=https://tv24.co.uk/b/sibna0-zqa | title=Air Rescue, 6:30pm on Great! Action }}{{cite web | url=https://www.greatnetwork.com/action/schedule/ | title=Schedule }}
- Coast Guard Alaska (from Great! Real){{cite web | url=https://tv24.co.uk/b/siboo0-zqa | title=Coast Guard Alaska, 7:00pm on Great! Action }}
- Cops Uncut (from Great! Real){{cite web | url=https://tv24.co.uk/b/siblw0-zqa | title=Cops Uncut, 6:00pm on Great! Action }}
- Police Ten 7(from Great! Real){{cite web | url=https://www.tvguide.co.uk/channel/great-action?date=2024-08-17 | title=GREAT! Action - Saturday's TV | TV Guide }}{{cite web | url=https://www.tvguide.co.uk/schedule/b8e5c047-2075-53c2-97d6-fc940ca3778a/police-ten-7 | title=Police Ten 7 }}
- The Stuka (documentary){{cite web | url=https://www.tvguide.co.uk/channel/great-action | title=GREAT! Action - Today's TV | TV Guide }}{{cite web | url=https://www.tvguide.co.uk/schedule/8074f849-9f20-5796-9158-5da58cb8511d/the-stuka | title=The Stuka - GREAT! Action | TV Guide }}
- This Week Back Then{{cite web | url=https://tv24.co.uk/channel/great-action | title=What's on Great! Action? }}{{cite web | url=https://tv24.co.uk/b/sibfeo-zqa | title=This Week Back then, 3:40pm on Great! Action }}
Great! Real
Great! Real was launched on 20 March 2024{{cite web | url=https://rxtvinfo.com/freeview-updates/ | title=Freeview Updates }} 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.{{cite web | url=https://rxtvinfo.com/2024/great-real-channel-numbers-confirmed/ | title=GREAT! Real channel numbers confirmed | date=13 March 2024 }} 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!){{cite web | url=https://www.radiotimes.com/programme/b-2mrg0t/air-rescue-season-5/?episode=b-kghjx3 | title=Air Rescue Season 5 }}
- Airline USA{{cite web | url=https://www.radiotimes.com/programme/b-u2ztym/airline-usa-season-2/?episode=b-2uu2a3 | title=Airline USA Season 2 }}
- Coast Guard Alaska (moved to Great! Action!)
- Coast Guard Pacific Northwest{{cite web | url=https://www.greatnetwork.com/real/schedule/ | title=Schedule }}{{cite web | url=https://tv24.co.uk/b/siblw0-3agg | title=Coast Guard Pacific Northwest, 6:00pm on GREAT! Real }}
- Code 1: Extreme{{cite web | url=https://www.greatnetwork.com/real/schedule/ | title=Schedule }}{{cite web | url=https://tv24.co.uk/b/sibx00-3agg | title=Code: 1, 10:00pm on GREAT! Real }}
- Cops Uncut (moved to Great! Action!){{cite web | url=https://rxtvinfo.com/2024/sky-confirms-return-of-channel-that-went-streaming-only/ | title=Sky confirms return of channel that went streaming-only | date=16 August 2024 }}
- Emergency Rescue: Air, Land and Sea{{cite web | url=https://rxtvinfo.com/2024/great-real-channel-numbers-confirmed/ | title=GREAT! Real channel numbers confirmed | date=13 March 2024 }}
- Heathrow: Britain’s Busiest Airport (formally on ITV)
- Island Medics{{cite web | url=https://www.greatnetwork.com/real/ | title=GREAT! Real }}
- Paddington Station 24/7{{cite web | url=https://www.radiotimes.com/programme/b-a4gcyf/paddington-station-247-season-2/?episode=b-7uifl0 | title=Paddington Station 24/7 Season 2 }}{{cite web | url=https://tv24.co.uk/b/sibzs0-3agg | title=Paddington Station 24/7, 11:00pm on GREAT! Real }}
- Police Ten 7 (moved to Great! Action!){{cite web | url=https://www.radiotimes.com/programme/b-g0ez23/police-ten-7-season-27/?episode=b-mlcoib | title=Police Ten 7 Season 27 }}
- Thief Trackers{{cite web | url=https://www.radiotimes.com/programme/b-1j307q/thief-trackers-season-1/?episode=b-tzhp7s | title=Thief Trackers Season 1 }}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|https://www.greatmovies.co.uk/special/great-movies-action}}
{{Chart Show Channels}}
{{Media in the United Kingdom|television}}
{{Freeview}}
Category:English-language television stations in the United Kingdom
Category:Movie channels in the United Kingdom
Category:Sony Pictures Television
Category:Television channels in the United Kingdom
Category:Television channels and stations established in 2019
Category:2019 establishments in the United Kingdom
{{UK-tv-channel-stub}}