Country: | Australia |
Language: | English |
Classics | |
Picture Format: | 576i (SDTV) |
Timeshift Service: | Classics+2 |
Former Names: | Fox Kids (Shared Channel)FOX Classics (2000 - 2023) |
Sister Channels: | Foxtel Networks channels |
Launch Date: | 2 December 2000[1] |
Website: | foxclassics.com.au |
Owner: | Foxtel Networks |
Classics (formerly Fox Classics) is an Australian cable and satellite channel that specializes in showing television series and ad-free classic movies, themed movie nights and miniseries from the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
FOX Classics began as a channel shared with FX and then Fox Kids (which itself had moved from a block on Fox8) and also shared time with The History Channel (Fox Travel/History/Soap/Talk until 1998 when the Soap and Talk Shows Moved to FX which rebrands to focus on a Female Audience) when FX separated in 2000.
This version of the channel was a night shift for the Fox Kids channel in Australia, when Fox Kids ended at a specific time (late afternoon for the most part) on Channel 6, FOX Classics began. It was essentially, ad-free classic movies (mostly from the 20th Century Fox library), hosted by Bill Collins, who would give background information and trivia about the movie to the audience, before and after the movie.[2] Eventually Fox Kids moved back to Fox8 on 1 February 2004[3] and FOX Classics became a 24-hour channel.
In November 2008, with the addition of 111 Hits and the change in direction of the network to a catalogue of 50s, 60s and 70s programs, a large amount of newer material mainly sitcoms were moved from FOX Classics.
On 26 September 2023, the channel rebranded as Classics.[4]