Sky launches refreshed comedy, kids and music channels
- Sky Kids launching, replacing Nickelodeon, Nick Jr and Cartoon Network
- Sky Comedy launching, replacing Comedy Central
- Juice and J2 launching, replacing MTV Hits and MTV 80s
- All changes effective 2 December 2025
Sky is introducing two new Sky-branded entertainment channels, Sky Comedy and Sky Kids to the Sky Starter package on 2 December 2025. These channels will be largely populated with content from existing channels, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., Comedy Central and Cartoon Network*, which will be removed on the same date.
These changes are designed to create a destination channel for Sky customers’ favourite kids and comedy content, with less repetition. Sky Comedy and Sky Kids will offer curated schedules that will include programming popular with Sky customer from retiring channels, new content from a range of studios, and locally commissioned New Zealand content.
In addition, a wide array of the content customers love from the retiring channels will also continue to be available On Demand on the new Sky Experience (new Sky Box and Sky Pod).
Sky Comedy
Sky Comedy (channel 011) will be the go-to destination for laughs for Sky customers, combining Comedy Central fan favourites, such as all-new
South Park,
The Daily Show and
Beavis and Butt-Head, and classics including
Cheers,
Reno 911!,
Nathan For You, and
Key and Peele. We’ll also be bringing back Emmy-award winning
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert for its final season, and adding popular titles new to Sky’s offering including ITV’s
Schitt’s Creek and Disney’s
Arrested Development.
Sky Kids
Sky Kids (channel 101) is an all-new channel designed for tamariki, offering fun and educational programming for preschoolers through to primary school-aged children, bringing together beloved content from Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. as well as a strong slate of local programming. Together with the CBeebies channel, Sky Kids will deliver customers trusted, high-quality content for younger viewers.
In addition to a strong international offering, Sky Kids will also include an impressive line-up of all-new and award-winning local content for tamariki, including
Katie’s Kuri and
The Last Moa, as well as multiple seasons of homegrown hits such as
Kiri & Lou,
The Drawing Show,
Extreme Cake Sports and
Secrets at Red Rocks.
Fiona Murray, Head of Entertainment at Sky, comments on the changes to Sky’s entertainment channels: “Kids and comedy programming are at the heart of Sky’s entertainment offering. By bringing these important channels ‘in house’, we can choose and curate the content that we know our customers enjoy and engage with, combining Paramount fan favourites with content from other studios.
“Our customers have also asked us to reduce the number of repeated shows, which is something we’re committed to improving in the new schedules for these channels.
“We’ve completed the schedules for Sky Kids and Sky Comedy for the first few months, and the line-up is looking really engaging. We think comedy fans will be delighted with the range on offer, while kids will be reassured to find their favourite characters, while also exploring some wonderful Kiwi content.
“The content our customers love will remain available, on Sky Kids, Sky Comedy – and On Demand.”
*Cartoon Network content will continue to be available On Demand through the HBO Max hub, via the Sky Entertainment package.
Changes to Music on Sky
Sky is teaming up with Mood TV to bring two fresh, New Zealand-owned music channels to its channel line-up, Juice TV and J2. MTV Hits and MTV 80s will no longer be available as linear channels in New Zealand.
Juice TV
Juice TV (channel 25) serves up a vibrant mix of contemporary hits and timeless favourites across every genre — from pop and dance to indie, rock and hip hop. It’s a “chocolate box” of sound and style, curated for today’s audience and proudly Kiwi in spirit, with 40% New Zealand content.
J2
J2 (channel 26) brings the classics back with a confident, modern twist. Blending iconic songs and videos that defined generations with select contemporary tracks, J2 is a celebration of music that stands the test of time.
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