
Beloved kids' TV channel shuts down after 17 years on screens as gutted fans mourn the 'end of an era'
Gutted fans of Pop Max mourned the 'end of an era' after a final farewell from the broadcaster, which was created back in 2008 by CSC.
The channel, which featured on Sky, Freeview and Freesat, first aired on May 19 and was actually called Kix.
Kix was rebranded a number of times, including using the new name of Kix! and then in August 2017 it was renamed Pop Max.
The target audience of the channel were young boys aged six to nine.
And viewers enjoyed the likes of Rabbids Invasion, Beyblade, Dragon Ball Z and Trolls: The Beat Goes On.
It comes after Pop Max was removed from Freeview back in 2024.
But it's not all bad news as Pop Max's programmes will still be able to watch through the channel's app.
Many rushed to social media to share their heartbreak over the news.
'One wrote on X: 'Yet another UK TV channel's about to be shut down for good soon, and this time it's Pop Max this coming Tuesday, which originally launched as Kix. I'm sure those who watched the channel a lot will miss it most.'
'Goodbye Pop Max, you lived a good life.'
Another said on YouTube: 'Pop max 2018 (we will miss you).'
'As much as I want to geek out about this channel, I won't. I WILL say that Pop Max has been a remarkable part of my childhood, even way back when it was called KIX. I revisited it as well as the other two Pop channels throughout late 2020-2023 and have quickly become my favourites again.
'To see its downfall in late 2023 to the state we're at now with its upcoming closure is a huge shame, but who couldn't see this coming? All in all, the channel will be missed.'
'End of an era with Kix and Pop Max.'
'Can't say I'm surprised though. Taking it off Freeview back in December was the final nail in the coffin.'
It doesn't stop there as Pop Plus and Pop HD are also going to be removed from Sky.
Pop Max has a list of sister channels.
Pop launched on 29 May 2003 and had a target audience of youngsters aged six to 10.
While Tiny Pop - which was aimed at children aged seven and under - was a channel for 21 years after launching in September 2003.
It was relaunched in August 2024.
Then Pop Girl was created for young girls aged seven to 12, airing between 2007 and 2015.
Tiny Pop and Pop+1 will still be able to be enjoyed on air, with Tiny Pop on channel 614, and Pop+1 on channel 618 on satellite.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Diversity star makes unlikely cameo in Bonnie Blue's new Channel 4 documentary
One Diversity star made a quick cameo in Bonnie Blue's new Channel 4 documentary in the form of a throwback photo Diversity star Ashley Banjo made an unlikely appearance in Channel 4's new documentary about adult film star Bonnie Blue's life. The adult star became one of the most controversial figures on the internet after encouraging "barely legal" teens to sleep with her in X-rated content she films and profits from, and her content continues to become more and more extreme. A new Channel 4 documentary, titled "1,000 Men and Me: The Bonnie Blue Story", was recently released and has exposed the often lonely reality of earning millions of pounds while being ostracised. During the documentary, dancer Ashley appeared in a form of a photo where he was seen with his arm around a younger Bonnie. The photo appeared while the porn star's mum discussed her passion for dance when she was younger. Ashley's name wasn't mentioned in the segment but the picture was clearly showed her past love of dance. It comes after one Mirror writer claimed 'the new Bonnie Blue documentary may be the worst thing I've ever seen on Channel 4'. Her mum also reminisced about the time Bonnie and her then dance partner won a runners-up trophy in a dancing competition. During the documentary, viewers hear from Bonnie's ex-husband Oliver Davidson for the first time. She revealed it was actually Oliver, or Ollie as he's known to Tia, who encouraged her to move into sex work. "I met Ollie when I was like 14, 15," she explains in the show. "We got married really young. Pretty, quite intimate wedding, nothing crazy, nothing over the top. Then we relocated to Australia shortly afterwards. "Ollie was beyond supportive, he gave me the confidence to do OnlyFans. And it wasn't because he wanted to pimp me out, he just wanted me to be happy and have control of my life. And obviously the money was good as well." Her ex gushed about Bonnie's sex stunts with the public and even said he's proud of her and her work. He said: "She really connects with the fans. "Most people, if they do porn, they seem out of reach. You're never going to meet them. You're never going to be able to film with them. "Whereas Bonnie puts a location online, and then obviously her fans can actually film with her. It's like a defining moment in porn, where she's completely changed the game." In a recent interview, Bonnie explained why things didn't work between the couple. She told the Daily Mail that they broke up some time before she moved back to the UK from Australia in 2024, and that Ollie returned before her. Bonnie also discussed her fears after admitting she last went out by herself six months ago as it is "not that safe". 'I get 100s of death threats a day, so it is not that safe when I walk around," she said. "I say, 'It is going to happen at some point, someone will come and give me stick' and fair play to her, at least they are getting up off their sofa. My worst one is acid, if someone did acid, and I could see some spiteful girl doing that.'

Leader Live
2 hours ago
- Leader Live
KPop Demon Hunters song reaches number one in singles chart
The single, by animated group HUNTR/X, has jumped four places after being's last week's number four. In the albums chart, Merseyside band The K's have clinched their first number one album with Pretty On The Internet. The KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack also spends a sixth consecutive week at the top of the Official Compilations Chart, the Official Charts Company said. It is the first time a K-pop artist has gone to number one in the Official Singles Chart since 2012, when PSY's Gangnam Style became the UK's first-ever K-pop number one. Two more tracks from KPop Demon Hunters also make the top 20, Saja Boys, Andrew Choi and Neckwav's Your Idol jumps four places to reach number 10, while Soda Pop leaps six to 11. This week's highest new entry comes courtesy of Drake and Central Cee, whose single Which One has gone straight to number four in the charts. US singer Justin Bieber has slipped down from number one to two with Daisies, while Dior by producer MK, known as Marc Kinchen, featuring singer-songwriter Chrystal, is a number three and US singer Sabrina Carpenter is in fifth place with her chart-topper Manchild. It is a second top 10 for US singer Tinashe, as Disco Lines' reworking of No Broke Boys reaches number eight. The death of rock legend Ozzy Osbourne last month has led to his band Black Sabbath's back catalogue continuing to surge in popularity in the charts this week. Black Sabbath's Paranoid reaches number 20 and Iron Man is at number 48 in the singles chart. Osbourne's Crazy Train also reaches number 25. Earlestown-formed indie rock group The K's previously enjoyed top five success with their 2024 debut I Wonder If The World Knows? Theirs is also the best-selling album of the week on vinyl, the most-downloaded album of the week and the best seller in UK independent record shops. As Oasis prepare for their fourth and fifth gigs at London's Wembley Stadium this weekend, the Gallagher brothers scoop the UK's most-streamed album of the week with Time Flies… 1994-2009 at number two, while (What's The Story) Morning Glory? is at number three and Definitely Maybe is in sixth place. Paul Weller achieves his 24th top 10 album as a solo artist with Find El Dorado at number five, just behind US singer Alex Warren at number four with You'll Be Alright Kid (Chapter 1). Osbourne's legacy can also be seen in the albums chart, with his Memoirs Of A Madman returning to the top 40 at 32 for the first time since its 2014 release. Black Sabbath's 2016 compilation album The Ultimate Collection climbs to its highest ever position at 14, while their chart-topping 1970 album Paranoid returns to the top 40 for the first time in 45 years at 38. Meanwhile queen of pop Madonna notches her 26th top 40 album this week with Veronica Electronica (23), a remix album featuring rare material from her Ray Of Light era. And synth-pop pioneer Gary Numan celebrates his 17th top 40 album of his career with A Perfect Circle at 34. Martin Talbot, chief executive officer at Official Charts, said: 'It's 13 years since PSY's Gangnam Style became the first K-Pop Number 1 in the UK, way back in October 2012, but this week represents another landmark moment for the globally dominating South Korean genre. 'While the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack tops the Official Compilations Chart again this week, the film also claims Number 1 in the Official Singles Chart through HUNTR/X's Golden. 'For the many music fans who have been to their enormous concerts, bought their merch and streamed their iconic songs, this will forever be the summer of Oasis – but K-pop's superstars are certainly giving the Gallaghers a run for their money.' The last time a track from an animated picture topped the singles chart was in 2022, when We Don't Talk About Bruno from Disney's Encanto became the first original song from a Disney animation to become a UK number 1 single.


Scotsman
10 hours ago
- Scotsman
Destination X review: Rob Brydon's safari suits can't save this new gameshow, which leaves you feeling lost
Watching the BBC's new expensive-looking reality game show Destination X (BBC1, Weds/Thurs, 9pm) could leave the viewer as discombobulated as the participants on their blacked-out tour bus. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... It's what you would call a 'high-concept' game show – 10 people are loaded on board a tour-bus with frosted windows, like a wheeled bathroom. Periodically, the contestants are herded off the bus wearing hi-tech blindfolds – X Goggles – which are momentarily cleared to allow them a glance at their surroundings. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Add in some games which give them extra clues, and at the end of each episode they have to make a guess – educated or otherwise – at where the tour-bus has ended up. Rob Brydon gets ready for take-off as the host of Destination X, the new BBC game show (Picture: BBC/TwoFour) The person who's guess is furthest away from the actual location gets kicked off and apparently left in a lay-by somewhere in Europe. The remaining contestants then head off to a new destination. Clearly designed to cash in on the BBC's massive hit The Traitors, Destination X looks at first glance like a combination of Claudia Winkleman's devilishly clever backstabathon and Wish You Were Here. The trouble is, it also reminds you of other, less beloved, shows. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad I'm thinking of 3-2-1, with its prize 'clues' that would test a quantum physicist, or the Krypton Factor, with its observation round where you had to remember what colour hat that guy in the corner had been wearing, you know, the one you saw for a nanosecond obscured by a pile of luggage. The Destination X bus takes participants across Europe in the new BBC game show (Picture: BBC/TwoFour) It's those clues that leave you feeling so disorientated, what with the cryptic nature of them – so cryptic it makes the clues to the identity of The Masked Singer seem like models of clarity. Added to this is the fact that both participants and viewers get few chances to see the world outside of the bus – which leaves us all stuck inside with people we might not get in with in the real world. Namely, self-selecting reality game show contestants. They clearly have some problems with the concept, which attempts to include some of the hushed chats in quiet corners of The Traitors, as the contestants try to suss out who is a geo-dunce and who is the travelogue-fan. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Participants on Destination X wear special X Goggles, which give them a glimpse of their surroundings, on the new BBC game show (Picture: BBC/TwoFour) After all, only one person can win the £100,000 cash prize, so they need to work out who is a threat to them winning and who isn't. Part of the charm of The Traitors, however, is that is pits groups against each other, rather than individuals – you can root for a team, even if you don't like all the members. On Destination X, it's every passenger for themselves, and so far we haven't had much chance to get to know them, so any 18-wheeler-dealing comes across as unpleasant. Host Rob Brydon doesn't help. Dressed as Alan Whicker and clearly channelling the oily smarm of the globe-trotting safari suit-wearer, he pops up every so often to give out clues or chuck people off the bus. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad And whereas Claudia seemed as invested in the game as the contestants, Brydon is phoning in his role as an excuse to wear some natty outfits. It's lack of clarity, while frustrating, also means that it's a good show to play along with as a viewer, trying to guess the destination with the same information as the contestants lends it a certain satisfaction. Especially when, as in the second episode, they finally get given a clue which seems obvious to this viewer while stumping the participants. And while shouting 'Matterhorn!' at the screen might not win you many fans at home, baffling your family, it at least passes the time as you search your maps app while ignoring the scheming on screen. I'm hoping the competition among the tourbus-dwellers heats up as the series goes on, but for the moment Destination X has me lost.