Popular streamer reveals huge shake-up from TODAY – featuring global superstar
UKTV, owner of Sky, Virgin Media and Freeview, is making some major changes to its streaming service as of today with the help of global superstar Cher who’s spreading the word.
Cher has “got you babe” and she’s shouting it from the rooftops in the promo for UKTV’s new streaming platform U.
The new streaming service, formerly UKTV Play, is giving viewers almost 8,500 hours of free content.
The biggest change viewers will see concerns four major channels; Drama, Dave, W and Yesterday. But fear not, the group isn’t going anywhere.
To be more closely aligned with the rebrand, Drama, Dave, W and Yesterday will all take on refreshed names as well – and there are some new shows to mark the occasion too.
They will all come under the new U banner, so Dave will become U&Dave, Drama will be known as U&DRAMA, Yesterday switches to U&YESTERDAY and W transitions to U&W.
All these changes go into effect today (July 16), and UKTV has brought in global superstar Cher to help spread the message.
In a creative twist, the pop star travels through some of the U.K.’s best TV shows while singing a new rendition of her hit song “I Got You Babe.”
She pops up in EastEnders where she meets Barry (Shaun Williamson) in the Queen Vic, and test her own nerve as she’s seen sat in the back of the car driven by Chris Kamara and Jeff Stelling, cheating death in Sri Lanka in World’s Most Dangerous Roads.
Cher has recorded a new version of the track just for the ad, with Shaun and comedian Jimmy Carr also joining in.
Explaining the process behind making the promo, UKTV’s creative director Scott Russell said: “We wanted to create an ambitious advert to launch U to highlight the variety of quality programming and to stand out in a hugely competitive landscape.
“It had to be joyful, have content at its heart, and to tell the story of whatever you love, we’ve got U.
“What’s more, it needed to be memorable and have a surprise factor that was not only authentic but connected with current and new viewers.
“Who better to do this than mega superstar, Cher, performing a brand new version of her iconic song, I’ve Got You Babe, whilst meeting some new and familiar friends on the way?”
New shows are on the way
U is bringing more than just Cher to the small screen. The newly rebranded streaming service is now home to thousands of hours of free content, and will bring a variety of new shows and exclusive content.
A brand new original comedy reality game show called Battle in the Box, hosted by Jimmy Carr, will be shown on U&Dave.
It’s based on a hit Korean format, where pairs of comics and celebrities battle it out for pride, prizes and, most importantly, floor space.
The second series of Whitstable Pearl will be available as a box set on U from tomorrow, before launching on U&DRAMA.
The crime drama returns for a new season, with Kerry Godliman playing lead Pearl Nolan, a single mother of a grown son, who’s a private detective and runs the Whitstable Pearl, a seafood restaurant in the coastal town of Whitstable.
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Channel names a changing, but the numbers are not
U relaunched four major channels as part of the rebrand — U&Dave, U&DRAMA, U&YESTERDAY and U&W – but it’s just their names that have changed.
Channel numbers will remain unchanged, so you don’t need to re-scan any boxes.
As a reminder, they are:
- U&Dave – Freeview 19, Virgin Media 127, Sky satellite 111, Sky Glass/Stream 132,
- U&DRAMA – Freeview 20, Virgin Media 116, Sky satellite 143, Sky Glass/Stream 134
- U&YESTERDAY – Freeview 27, Virgin Media 129, Sky satellite 155, Sky Glass/Stream 161
- U&W – Freeview 25, Virgin Media 125, Sky satellite 132, Sky Glass/Stream 133
Content on the U platform is also available to stream online on demand.