Star! Scandinavia
Star! Scandinavia was a Nordic entertainment and celebrity-news television channel operated by NonStop Television.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Star! Scandinavia was a regional pay-television channel focused on entertainment, celebrity news, fashion, awards programming and related popular-culture coverage. It operated in northern Europe under NonStop Television, a Scandinavian broadcaster associated with Turner Broadcasting, and used a licensed brand connected to the North American Star! entertainment channel owned by Bell Media and its predecessors. The service began in September 2000 under the E! name through a licensing arrangement with Comcast. A fashion-oriented service called Style occupied the same channel during daytime hours. In July 2004, the Scandinavian operation changed its affiliation and adopted the Star! name after E! established a separate European channel operation. The resulting service combined licensed and acquired programming from several Bell Media-related channels, including E!, FashionTelevisionChannel and MuchMore, with entertainment-news programming such as Showbiz Tonight from HLN. It also carried major awards and cultural events, including the Grammy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Sundance Film Festival and BAFTA Film Awards. Star! Scandinavia was initially distributed in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark. Its footprint later expanded to Iceland, the Netherlands, Belgium and the Baltic region. The channel was designed as a continuous entertainment service, with commercial material placed between programs rather than interrupting them. NonStop Television also operated other thematic services, including Showtime Scandinavia and Silver. The channel entered Swedish terrestrial television in autumn 2002. Although it initially broadcast around the clock, a later licensing arrangement reduced its terrestrial hours in 2006 to an evening-and-overnight schedule, generally from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. The brand also became available in South Africa through the TopTV pay-TV platform in May 2010. A separate change to the original Canadian Star! service in November 2010, when it was replaced by E!, did not alter the Scandinavian channel's branding or operation. Star! Scandinavia ceased broadcasting on 15 July 2015. Its final presentation reportedly used an episode of FashionTelevision followed by a closing slide bearing a thank-you message, the Star! logo and the channel website. The service space subsequently disappeared, ending the channel's fifteen-year run as a regional entertainment brand.
History
Star! Scandinavia originated as a Scandinavian television service launched in September 2000 under the E! name. The service operated through a licensing arrangement with Comcast, while the daytime schedule carried a fashion channel called Style. Its initial distribution covered Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark. In July 2004, the operation changed its affiliation and was renamed Star! Scandinavia. The change followed the establishment of a separate E! channel operation in Europe. Star! Scandinavia's brand and programming relationship ultimately connected it to Bell Media, whose corporate predecessors included CTVglobemedia and CHUM Limited. The service was modeled on the entertainment-oriented Star! concept and used licensed branding rather than representing the Canadian channel itself. The channel's schedule combined entertainment news, celebrity coverage, fashion programming and acquired series from several Bell Media-associated services. Content included programming related to E!, FashionTelevisionChannel and MuchMore, as well as the American entertainment-news program Showbiz Tonight from HLN. It also broadcast or presented coverage of major events such as the Grammy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Sundance Film Festival and BAFTA Film Awards. The channel generally placed advertising between programs instead of interrupting individual programs. NonStop Television operated the service in Scandinavia and also managed other thematic channels, including Showtime Scandinavia and Silver. Star! Scandinavia gradually broadened its distribution beyond its original four-country base. It became available in Iceland, the Netherlands, Belgium and the Baltic region, and it later entered South Africa through TopTV, a pay-television platform, on 1 May 2010. The service also had a terrestrial presence in Sweden. It began terrestrial broadcasting there in autumn 2002, initially operating for twenty-four hours per day. Following new licence arrangements in February 2006, its terrestrial transmission window was reduced to approximately 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. A separate corporate event affected the original Canadian Star! channel in November 2010, when that service was replaced by E! following an agreement involving its brand owner and Comcast. That Canadian rebranding did not change Star! Scandinavia's identity. The Scandinavian channel continued until 15 July 2015, when it closed. Its final output included a 2002 episode of FashionTelevision, followed by a closing slide with a thank-you message, the Star! logo and a reference to the channel website. The channel space then ceased to operate.
- 2015
Broadcast closure
[1]Star! Scandinavia ceased broadcasting on 15 July 2015.
- 2010
South African distribution
[1]The channel launched on South Africa's TopTV pay-television platform on 1 May 2010.
- 2006
Terrestrial schedule reduction
[1]New Swedish licences reduced terrestrial broadcasting hours to an evening and overnight schedule.
- 2004
Rebranding as Star!
[1]The channel changed its affiliation and adopted the Star! name in July 2004.
- 2002
Swedish terrestrial launch
[1]Star! Scandinavia began terrestrial broadcasting in Sweden during autumn 2002.
- 2000
Launch as E!
[1]The Scandinavian service began broadcasting in September 2000 under the E! name, with Style programming shown during the daytime.
Products and positioning
A cross-border entertainment and celebrity-news television service for Nordic and nearby European audiences, combining fashion, awards, popular-culture reporting and acquired programming.
Entertainment television channel · 2004
Star! Scandinavia television channel
The core Star! Scandinavia service was a regional television channel devoted to celebrity news, entertainment reporting, fashion, awards and acquired popular-culture programming. It was distributed across Nordic and nearby European markets through pay-TV and, in Sweden, terrestrial transmission. The channel operated until 15 July 2015.
Entertainment television channel · 2000
E! Scandinavian service
Before adopting the Star! identity, the Scandinavian service launched in September 2000 as E! under a licensing arrangement with Comcast. Its schedule included fashion programming under the Style name during daytime hours. The service later became Star! Scandinavia when its affiliation changed in July 2004.
Brand decisions
2015
Channel closureStrategyBackground
After operating as a regional entertainment channel for roughly fifteen years, Star! Scandinavia ended its service.
Action taken
Broadcasting stopped on 15 July 2015 after a final FashionTelevision episode and closing message.
Aftermath
The Star! Scandinavia channel space ceased to exist.
2006
Reduction of Swedish terrestrial hoursOtherBackground
New Swedish broadcasting licences changed the channel's terrestrial transmission conditions.
Action taken
Star! reduced its terrestrial schedule from twenty-four-hour broadcasting to an approximately 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. window.
Aftermath
The channel remained available terrestrially in Sweden but with a substantially narrower daily schedule.
2004
Change from E! to Star!StrategyBackground
The Scandinavian service's original E! affiliation changed as E! established a separate European channel operation.
Action taken
The channel was renamed Star! Scandinavia and continued as a licensed entertainment service.
Aftermath
The rebrand established the Star! identity used by the channel for the remainder of its operation.
Sources1 sources
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