Great! Action Explained

Great! Action
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:	Pop Pop Max Great! TV Great! Movies Great! Romance Great! Real
Website:	greatnetwork.com/action
Timeshift Service:	Great! Action +1Permanently Off Air - Great! Action +2
Terr Serv 1:	Freeview
Terr Chan 1:	Channel 42

Great! Action (stylized as GREAT! action)^{[1] [2]} 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.^[3] 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.^[4]

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.^[5] These programmes had been series that Narrative Entertainment had been showing on sister channel Great! Real, which is expected to close.

Great! Action programmes

• Air Rescue (from Great! Real)^{[6] [7]}
• Coast Guard Alaska (from Great! Real)^[8]
• Cops Uncut (from Great! Real)^[9]
• Police Ten 7(from Great! Real)^{[10] [11]}
• The Stuka (documentary)^{[12] [13]}
• This Week Back Then^{[14] [15]}

Great! Real

Great! Real was launched on 20 March 2024^[16] 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.^{[17] [18]} On 20 August 2024 the channel is due to be delisted 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!)^[19]
• Airline USA^[20]
• Coast Guard Alaska (moved to Great! Action!)
• Coast Guard Pacific Northwest^{[21] [22]}
• Code 1: Extreme^{[23] [24]}
• Cops Uncut (moved to Great! Action!)^[25]
• Emergency Rescue: Air, Land and Sea^[26]
• Heathrow: Britain’s Busiest Airport (formally on ITV)
• Island Medics^[27]
• Paddington Station 24/7^{[28] [29]}
• Police Ten 7 (moved to Great! Action!)^[30]
• Thief Trackers^[31]

Logos

Notes and References

1. Web site: New network GREAT! launches in the UK. May 17, 2021.
2. Web site: Sony Movie Channel has been renamed Great! But how? And why?!. May 26, 2021. the Guardian.
3. News: Tolve . Christopher . Sony to launch UK's first free-to-air movie network, rebranding existing channels . 2 September 2019 . The Drum . 30 July 2019 . en.
4. Web site: Sony Pictures Television U.K. Channels Sold to U.S. Investment Firm Narrative Capital. 14 May 2021. Variety. 14 May 2021 .
5. Web site: Sky confirms return of channel that went streaming-only .
6. Web site: Air Rescue, 6:30pm on Great! Action .
7. Web site: Schedule .
8. Web site: Coast Guard Alaska, 7:00pm on Great! Action .
9. Web site: Cops Uncut, 6:00pm on Great! Action .
10. Web site: GREAT! Action - Saturday's TV | TV Guide .
11. Web site: Police Ten 7 .
12. Web site: GREAT! Action - Today's TV | TV Guide .
13. Web site: The Stuka - GREAT! Action | TV Guide .
14. Web site: What's on Great! Action? .
15. Web site: This Week Back then, 3:40pm on Great! Action .
16. Web site: Freeview Updates .
17. Web site: GREAT! Real channel numbers confirmed . 13 March 2024 .
18. Web site: GREAT! Real channel numbers confirmed . 13 March 2024 .
19. Web site: Air Rescue Season 5 .
20. Web site: Airline USA Season 2 .
21. Web site: Schedule .
22. Web site: Coast Guard Pacific Northwest, 6:00pm on GREAT! Real .
23. Web site: Schedule .
24. Web site: Code: 1, 10:00pm on GREAT! Real .
25. Web site: Sky confirms return of channel that went streaming-only .
26. Web site: GREAT! Real channel numbers confirmed . 13 March 2024 .
27. Web site: GREAT! Real .
28. Web site: Paddington Station 24/7 Season 2 .
29. Web site: Paddington Station 24/7, 11:00pm on GREAT! Real .
30. Web site: Police Ten 7 Season 27 .
31. Web site: Thief Trackers Season 1 .