NOW unveils second UK music channel

Dance-pop group Steps will be among the new channel’s presenters

Compilation album specialist NOW Music is launching a second TV channel in the UK and Ireland, this time focusing on music from the 1990s.

Pop music channel NOW 90s TV will launch on Sky and Virgin on December 27, targeting maturing millennial audiences. This follows the launch of NOW 80s TV this time last year, which replaced NOW Music TV.

The 24-hour channel will launch ahead of the brand’s 100th main-series compilation album, which will arrive in the summer of 2018.

NOW Music’s most recent album, Now That’s What I Call Music! 98, was released on November 17, featuring music from Katy Perry, Ed Sheeran, Liam Gallagher and Justin Bieber, among others.

The channel will host a variety of guest presenters including American pop-rock band Hanson, 1993 Eurovision runner-up Sonia and British dance-pop group Steps. Mark Goodier, a former Radio 1 and Top 40 singles chart DJ, will present a regular show called Number 1s of the 90s.

The music playlist will include artists such as Take That, Spice Girls, Michael Jackson, Boyzone, 5ive, New Kids on The Block, Will Smith, Mariah Carey and All Saints.

Originally launched as a pop-up channel for last New Year’s Eve, NOW 80s has remained on air and attracts a quarterly audience of nearly two million. It is one of the top three most-watched music channels on Sky among the broadcaster’s 35-plus audience.