There are many free music channels available, there are channels covering many genres. All with the exception of 4Music are Free-To-Air (FTA) on satellite and easily received and large areas of mainland Europe.
You can use any Free-To-Air satellite receiver to watch these channels, you do not require a Sky or Freesat receiver.
4Music
4Music is a music and entertainment channel, the channel launched on 15 August 2008. 4Music is available on Freeview and is Free-To-View on satellite (Sky receiver and card required).
It is the only Channel 4-branded channel within the Box Television network. It is available on Freeview, Sky, Freesat, Virgin Media and Smallworld Cable.
On 2 April 2013, all Box Television channels went free-to-air on satellite, apart from 4Music which went free-to-view (Freesat from Sky).
4Music brings you closer to the hottest artists right now. 4Music has the latest music news, latest playlists, video exclusives and great competitions and much more.
4Musc is available on Sky 360 and Freeview 18.
Website: www.4music.com
The channel is free-to-view on satellite (Sky receiver and card required).
Box Hits
Box Hits (formerly Smash Hits) is a British commercial television channel owned by The Box Plus Network. The channel broadcasts general pop music in shows such as Chartbusters, which is recent music and Pop Domination, which is new and old music. It also shows other programmes such as themed countdowns and charts such as Top 50 Boy Bands. The channel also has hours dedicated to a particular artist or band such as Pussycat Dolls: Ultimate 10. It was originally based on the former Smash Hits magazine, which was owned by EMAP.
The channel is available on a number of platforms including Sky and Virgin Media. It is part of a network of channels owned by The Box Plus Network, which include 4Music,
The Box, Box Upfront, Kerrang!, Kiss and Magic. On 2 April 2013, all Box Television channels went free-to-air on satellite, apart from 4Music which went free-to-view.
Programming
21st Century Hitlist – The biggest hits of the 21st Century.
Rewind The Hits – A collection of hits from the last few years.
UK HOTLIST Top 20 – The 20 most streamed tracks on Spotify in the last week.
Official UK Airplay: Top 20 – The 20 most played songs on UK commercial radio
Hot 10 in 10 – The 10 biggest tracks edited into a 10-minute remix.
The Hotmix – The tracks of the last few years. Songs are usually cut down and are edited to flow smoothly into the next track.
#Hangout’s – Interviews with the biggest artists, while also playing their biggest releases and newest singles.
Face Off! – Two artists put up against each other in a music video battle.
… Hot New Vid! – The latest music video from the biggest artists.
The Changing Faces of… – The evolution of an artist, showing their biggest hits through the years.
All Night Hit Party – All of the hits throughout the night
Big Hits At Breakfast – A playlist of the hits while you wake up.
OMG! It’s 10 Years Since… – The biggest hits from 10 years ago.
Throwback Top 10! – The Top 10 tracks from a certain year.
Website & Live Stream (UK only): www.boxplus.com
The channel is free-to-air on satellite.
Box Upfront
Box Upfront (formerly Heat) is a British music television channel owned by The Box Plus Network, a joint venture between Bauer Media Group and Channel Four Television Corporation. It launched on 3 July 2012, and was originally based on the magazine of the same name. The channel replaced Q.
The channel features daily celebrity gossip show Heat’s Huge News, as well as a 60-minute programme rounding up weeks stories, titled Heat’s Huge Week of News, which is produced by ITN. In addition, ITN Productions co-produces celebrity documentary series Real Stories with Box Television.
Programming
The New Music Mixtape – The latest music videos and biggest current releases.
Incoming! Chart & Future Hits – The chart-toppers of the present and the chart-toppers of the future.
… Hot New Vid! – The latest music video from the biggest artists.
Get This: Our 10 Hottest New Tracks Right Now – The top 10 tracks everyone is loving at the moment.7
UK HOTLIST Top 20 – The 20 most streamed tracks on Spotify in the last week.
UK HOTLIST Breakers – The 3 biggest new releases that are expected to hit the UK HOTLIST in the coming weeks.
The UK Music Video Chart – With data supplied by YouTube, The UKMVC supplies you with the most watched music videos of the week.
Upfront – With a new edition every month, Upfront showcases new talent as part of the Upfront Artist of the Month, interviews with the best artists around, playing the latest music videos and showing you how to get the look of your favourite celebrities.
Box Upfront:… – An introduction to the Upfront Artist of the Month with the addition of a live performance of their latest single, followed by the music video for their latest single.
The Official Box Upfront Chart – The 10 singles predicted to do the best in the coming weeks, with data supplied by Radio Monitor.
RADAR! Fresh Music First – The freshest music video throughout the night.
Super Fresh Breakfast – The biggest tracks to wake up to.
HYPE – The latest music videos from the worlds of R’n’B, Hip Hop, Dance and Urban music.
Website & Live Stream (UK only): www.boxplus.com
The channel is free-to-air on satellite.
Channel AKA
Channel AKA is a Free-To-Air music channel, owned by All Around the World Productions, available through Sky within the UK and Ireland on channel 385. It is a music channel, focusing on playing upcoming UK urban/grime/hip-hop music. Channel AKA is a significant outlet not only for established artists but also for those who are just starting out. Its material “includes crude productions shot with handheld digital video cameras,” and helps new musicians attract attention and build a fan base.
According to its website, “the aim of the channel was to highlight to the public, the raw and unsigned talent we have in the UK, and give them a platform from which they could perform,” and it has been successful in this mission, as suggested by the production and popularity of such compilation CDs as Channel U: The Album. Channel AKA is available on Sky 385.
Website: Channel AKA on Facebook
Chart Show Dance
Chart Show Dance is a Free-To-Air music TV channel owned and operated by CSC Media Group. Chart Show Dance specialises mostly in urban music, chart remixes and mashups of popular songs.
Chart Show Dance brings you the hottest club hits and the biggest remixes from the world’s best dance acts.
Crank up the volume to hear bangin’ beats from the likes of David Guetta, Calvin Harris, Rihanna and Example.
Chart Show Dance is available on Sky 382 and Freesat 503.
Website: www.sonypicturestelevision.com
Chart Show TV
Chart Show TV is a Free-To-Air music television channel owned and operated by CSC Media Group. The channel plays a mixture of the chart format shows along with the latest music from artists and bands, plus chart-topping videos from most song genres.
It also shows programmes dedicated to particular artists and allows viewers to vote for their most wanted videos each week. Special programmes featuring interviews with artists and bands about upcoming singles and albums, plus music-related chat, are also shown on Chart Show TV.
Chart Show TV is available on Sky 365, Freesat 500 and Freeview 67 (22:00 – 05:59).
Website: www.sonypicturestelevision.com
Clubland TV
Clubland TV is a Free-To-Air music channel broadcasting on Sky channel 383 and Freesat channel 510.
It features upbeat pop and dance music videos and is based from the Clubland compilation albums.
Clubland TV is available on Sky 383 and Freesat 510. Programming
Wake Up – Dance music to start the day.
Am2Pm – Non-stop house/techno/eurodance.
Clubland – A chance for viewers to request club music.
Mania – A selection of commercial dance music.
Classix – Classic Clubland tracks.
Blue Zone – Brand new house sounds from Clubland
Website: Clubland TV on Facebook
Kerrang!
Kerrang! TV is a Free-To-Air music channel owned by Box Television, which is loosely connected to the magazine, Kerrang!. All of its programme content is music videos, the majority of which is open scheduled, for text requests from their playlist.
The TV station’s playlist is mainly nu-metal and pop-punk/skate punk, although with some unusual exceptions. Certain bands, such as Tenacious D and Limp Bizkit get higher than average play rates, due to higher rates of text requests. Themed 30 minute segments often cover artists who are on the playlist, with large numbers of videos, most noticeably Green Day, Panic! at the Disco, Paramore and You Me at Six.
The station unusually guarantees to play a requested video, unlike others where a voting system is in place.
Kerrang! is available on Sky 368 and free-to-air on satellite.
Website: www.kerrang.com
Kiss TV
Kiss TV is a commercial Free-To-Air music television channel from Box Television, available on the Sky, Virgin Media, Smallworld Cable and TalkTalk Plus TV digital television platforms.
The playlist predominantly consists of mainstream hip-hop, Dance and R&B. The channel is available on many digital television platforms.
It is part of a network of channels owned by Box Television, a joint venue between Bauer and Channel Four Television Corporation, which includes 4Music, Kerrang! TV, Smash Hits, Heat, The Box, and Magic. On 2 April 2013, all Box Television channels went free-to-air on satellite, apart from 4Music which went free-to-view.
Kiss TV is available on Sky 361 and Freesat 518.
Website: www.kissfmuk.com
Kiss TV Live Stream (UK only)
Magic
Magic is a Free-To-Air music television station owned by Box Television. It plays mainly easy listening music videos and is based on the Magic Radio network also owned by Bauer.
Like some other Box Television music television channels under Bauer’s brand, Magic operated a jukebox service where viewers were able to request videos to be played via a premium-rate telephone number.
The channel is available on many platforms and is part of a network of channels owned by Box Television, which include 4Music, Kerrang! TV, Smash Hits, Heat, The Box, and Kiss. On 2 April 2013, all Box Television channels went free-to-air on satellite, apart from 4Music which went free-to-view. Magic mainly focuses on music from the 80s, the 90s and the 00s.
Magic is available on Sky 363 and Freesat 523.
Website: www.magic.co.uk
Magic Live Stream (UK only)
Now Music
NOW Music TV is operated by the company behind the popular “NOW That’s What I Call Music!” chart compilation albums.
Daytime scheduling focuses on current music, while evening and weekend show feature songs from Now’s 30-year catalogue.
The new channel is a joint venture between NOW! owners Universal Music & Sony Music, and All Around The World TV which already runs successful music channels including Clubland TV, Planet Pop & Channel AKA.
The Box
The Box is a Free-To-Air music channel in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The channel is one of many within the Box Television network, a joint venture between Channel Four Television 
Corporation and Bauer Media Group.
The channel mainly broadcasts music videos, although it also features another music-related programming from 4Music. The channel broadcasts from 07:00 to 03:00 (or 20 hours) every day, with teleshopping being shown during the channel’s downtime.
The channel is well known for its First Play feature, where many videos often make their UK or world premiere. This new music is often shown through the ‘Box Fresh’ show on the channel.
The Box is available on Sky 359, Freesat 519.
Website & Live Stream (UK only): www.boxplus.com
The Vault
The Vault is a Free-To-Air music television channel owned and operated by CSC Media Group. It shows classic music videos from yesteryear and songs which are between one and five years old.
It also plays some music from the eighties and nineties.
The Vault plays songs which were big hits and also plays music videos in programmes based on different themes such as boybands, girl groups and music from cinema, as well as music from different genres.
The Vault is available 24 hours a day on Sky channel 366 and Freesat 501.
Website: www.sonypicturestelevision.com
