Jones!
| Country | New Zealand |
|---|---|
| Programming | |
| Picture format | 1080i (HDTV) 16:9 |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Sky Network Television |
| Sister channels | Sky Open Sky 5 Vibe Sky Factual Sky Movies Sky Drama Sky Comedy Sky Kids |
| History | |
| Launched | 13 May 2013 |
| Links | |
| Website | Official Site |
| Availability | |
| Streaming media | |
| Sky Go | skygo.co.nz |
Jones and Jones! too are two television channels available on the Sky platform, launched in 2013 and 2017, respectively. Both channels specialise in acquired vintage programming from overseas, usually British and American.
History
[edit]The main Jones! channel started broadcasting on 13 May 2013, with the aim of airing classic TV series whose rights were not held by channels such as UKTV and Comedy Central.[1] From the beginning, it aired both Ameircan and British titles.[2] Sunday Star-Times reporter Grant Smithies initially expressed outrage over the new channel, to the extent that he considered a "cheap cash-in" for baby boomer nostalgia, even invoking the scene in Happy Days where Fonzie jumped the shark to justify such a gimmick. However, in his piece for the newspaper, he eventually changed his tone and considered the channel to be "more comfort food than cutting edge".[3] The channel's identity was designed by Brandspank.[4]
A second channel, Jones! too, started broadcasting in June 2017.[5] On 3 February 2019, the channel started airing a weekly block of Britcoms on Sunday nights.[6]
References
[edit]- ↑ John Drinnan, Sky TV adds nostalgia in bid to keep viewers, The New Zealand Herald, 1 April 2013, retrieved 26 August 2026
- ↑ Jane Clifton, TV nostalgia not what it used to be, Stuff, 15 May 2013, retrieved 26 August 2026
- ↑ Grant Smithies, Me and the Jones channel, Stuff, 26 August 2013, retrieved 26 August 2026
- ↑ John Beohm, Jones! A new New Zealand TV channel., idents.tv, 16 May 2013, retrieved 26 August 2026
- ↑ Sky to launch Jones! too channel: Here's 10 things you might not know about its shows, Stuff, 21 June 2017, retrieved 26 August 2026
- ↑ What to watch: Jones! Too brings laughs with classic British comedies, Stuff, 2 February 2019, retrieved 26 August 2026