| Alibi | |
| Owner: | BBC Studios |
| Parent: | UKTV |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Language: | English |
| Area: | United Kingdom and Ireland |
| Picture Format: | 1080i HDTV |
| Former Names: | UK Arena (1997–2000) UK Drama (2000–2004) UKTV Drama (2004–2008) |
| Timeshift Service: | Alibi +1 |
| Sister Channels: | U&Dave U&Drama Eden Gold U&W U&Yesterday |
| Website: | alibi.uktv.co.uk |
| Online Serv 1: | Sky Go |
| Online Chan 1: | Watch live (UK and Ireland only) |
| Online Serv 2: | Virgin TV Go |
| Online Chan 2: | Watch live (UK only) |
| Online Serv 3: | TalkTalk TV |
| Online Chan 3: | Watch live (UK only) |
| Online Chan 4: | Watch live (UK only) |
Alibi is a British premium television channel that was launched on 1 November 1997 as UK Arena. It was renamed UK Drama in 2000, and then UKTV Drama in 2004, and assumed its current name on 7 October 2008.
The channel originally launched as part of the new four-channel UKTV network on 1 November 1997. The channel, originally named UK Arena, focused on arts programming and was named after the BBC's flagship arts programme Arena (The BBC, through BBC Worldwide, owning half of UKTV and therefore half the channel). The channel aired as a part-time service, airing from 3:00pm every day.
However, following disappointing ratings, the channel's focus was broadened to include all drama series, and as a result was renamed UK Drama on 31 March 2000. However, the channel remained a part-time service, starting at 7:00pm.
On 5 November 2001, UK Drama began timesharing with a new sister channel, UK Food, which aired in UK Drama's daytime slot.[1]
On 10 January 2003, UK Food extended its broadcast hours while UK Drama reduced its broadcast hours to 9:00pm–5:00am.[2]
On 8 March 2004, the channel, alongside all other UKTV channels, was renamed UKTV Drama to increase awareness of the UKTV brand. On 1 July 2004, UKTV Food extended its broadcast hours, leading to UKTV Drama moving to UKTV Food +1's slot (which had been vacated by UKTV People), although still broadcasting the same hours as before.[3] On 9 April 2005, UKTV announced that UKTV Drama would expand to a full 24-hour schedule on 30 May.[4] In order to prepare for the transition, the channel moved out of UKTV Food +1's downtime slot to a newly purchased space and started broadcasting from 1:00pm at the end of April, before the full transition to a 24-hour network.
On 2 May 2006, a one-hour timeshift service - UKTV Drama +1, launched on Sky in the vacated broadcast space formerly home to UKTV People +1. It broadcast from 3:00pm–2:00am every day.[5] Corresponding to the name on the main channel shows all programming from the channel one hour later, with no special idents or continuity used.
On 23 October 2007, UKTV Drama +1 was added to Virgin Media.[6]
Following the successful relaunch and rebranding of the channel UKTV G2 as Dave on 15 October 2007, the remaining UKTV channels underwent the same changes. UKTV Drama and UKTV Drama +1 were renamed as Alibi and Alibi +1, respectively, on 7 October 2008, and the channel's programmes were changed to focus specifically on crime dramas.[7] [8] All non-crime dramas were transferred to the rebranded Gold channel or to the newly created flagship channel Watch.
On 29 July 2011, UKTV announced that it had secured a deal with BSkyB to launch three more high-definition channels on Sky.[9] As part of Virgin Media's deal to sell its share of UKTV, all five of UKTV's HD channels would also be added to Virgin's cable television service by 2012.[10] Alibi HD launched on 3 July 2012 on Sky and Virgin Media, while Dave HD and Watch HD launched in October 2011. All three channels are HD simulcasts of the standard-definition channels.
The output of the channel is a combination of drama series and serials comprising first-run exclusive and second run shows from the United States and Canada, together with second run showings of shows from the BBC and ITV.