The Hits

The Hits was a British music-video television channel operated by Box Television and available in the United Kingdom and Ireland from 2002 to 15 August 2008. It was positioned as an accessible, pop-oriented service built around chart hits, current favourites, themed music blocks and countdown programming. The channel was part of the multichannel music-television environment of the 2000s, when digital terrestrial, satellite and cable distribution allowed specialist stations to reach audiences outside the main terrestrial networks. A distinctive feature of The Hits in its early period was viewer participation. Much of its music-video schedule was selected by viewers through calls to a premium-rate telephone number. This model was later discontinued, and the channel moved toward an automated selection of videos combined with presenter-led or celebrity-fronted countdowns. Its schedule included chart-based programming, retrospective collections and event-themed blocks connected with occasions such as Christmas and St Patrick's Day. The channel was distributed free-to-air on Freeview channel 18, encrypted within Sky Digital's Music Pack, and as part of Virgin Media's basic package. It was also available through the British Forces Broadcasting Service. This distribution gave The Hits a broad national footprint while keeping its programming focused on music-video consumption rather than general entertainment. Regular and recurring formats included The Hits Chart, which counted down prominent songs of the day at weekday lunchtime and late-afternoon slots, as well as large-scale retrospective programmes. The 87-07 and later 88-08 formats presented songs from successive years, with themed variants grouping material by characteristics such as style or audience perception. Other programmes counted down 100, 50 or 20 songs, while Every Number One of the Nineties presented number-one records from the 1990s across a bank-holiday weekend. The channel also aired an early-morning accessibility programme, Signed by The Hits, in which a sign-language interpreter accompanied music videos; the programme was later removed following continuing criticism. The Hits also faced regulatory scrutiny. In November 2007, Ofcom found that the service had breached its television licence after it could not supply a recording of an overnight edition of the text-in quiz programme Win Win TV. The broadcaster attributed the failure to problems with its logging system, but Ofcom treated the inability to retain and provide the required recording as a serious breach of the licence condition requiring output to be kept for 60 days. Box Television announced in February 2008 that The Hits would be replaced by a new channel called 4Music. Trial 4Music-branded broadcasts appeared on Sundays during the spring, followed by promotional activity in the weeks before launch. The Hits ceased broadcasting music videos at 06:00 on 15 August 2008, during the V Festival weekend. Its final music video was ABBA's "Thank You for the Music", after which a promotional sequence led into the launch of 4Music later that day. The successor retained music programming but broadened the format with live performances, Channel 4 entertainment programmes and artist documentaries. The related radio service The Hits Radio, launched in 2003, continued under the name until 2018, but was a separate broadcast outlet rather than the television channel itself.

The Hits emerged in 2002 as a music-video television channel operated by Box Television for audiences in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Its launch took place during a period when digital television was expanding the number of specialist channels available to households. Rather than competing as a general entertainment network, The Hits concentrated on contemporary pop, chart successes and familiar catalogue material. Its service identity was built around continuous music-video exposure, countdowns and programming that could be consumed casually throughout the day. In its initial form, the channel used viewer participation as a central scheduling mechanism. Audiences could call a premium-rate telephone number to select videos, giving the service an interactive character and allowing viewers to influence the playlist. This model was subsequently abandoned. The channel instead relied on automated selections and scheduled countdown programmes, a change that made the service more predictable and less dependent on telephone participation. The Hits developed a range of recurring formats to organize its music catalogue. The Hits Chart provided weekday countdowns of prominent songs, with editions scheduled around midday and late afternoon. Retrospective programmes such as 87-07 and 88-08 organized songs chronologically by year and were adapted into themed collections. Other blocks counted down 100, 50 or 20 songs according to a subject such as forgotten songs, love songs or other audience-oriented categories. Large-scale event programming included Every Number One of the Nineties, which presented the decade's number-one songs across a bank-holiday weekend. These formats allowed the service to combine current chart coverage with nostalgia and catalogue programming. The station also used seasonal and cultural themes. Music blocks were scheduled around events including Christmas and St Patrick's Day, helping the channel vary its presentation without changing its basic music-video proposition. Presenter-led and celebrity-associated countdowns supplemented the largely automated video schedule. An accessibility initiative, Signed by The Hits, was broadcast in the early morning and paired the songs with a sign-language interpreter. The programme was later removed after persistent criticism, illustrating the practical and editorial difficulties associated with adapting a music-video channel for different audiences. The channel's distribution supported a broad reach. It was available free-to-air on Freeview channel 18, on Sky Digital as an encrypted service in the Music Pack, and through Virgin Media's basic package. It could also be viewed through the British Forces Broadcasting Service. The combination of terrestrial, satellite, cable and forces broadcasting distribution made The Hits a recognizable part of the UK's digital music-television landscape, although its market position remained tied to the availability and appeal of music-video television. In November 2007, Ofcom recorded a regulatory breach involving The Hits. Two viewers had challenged the authenticity of winning entries on an overnight edition of the text-in quiz programme Win Win TV broadcast on 26 June. When Ofcom requested a copy, the broadcaster could not provide one, citing problems with its logging system. The relevant television licence condition required recordings of output to be kept for 60 days and supplied to the regulator when requested. Ofcom characterized the failure as serious and significant and stated that it would remain on the broadcaster's record. The channel's final phase was a transition into a broader entertainment proposition. On 20 February 2008, the replacement of The Hits with 4Music was announced. Trial 4Music branding appeared on Sunday broadcasts during the spring, and the change was supported by teaser trailers and wider promotional activity, including association with the T4 On The Beach event. The Hits ceased music-video transmission at 06:00 on 15 August 2008, during the V Festival weekend. Its last video was ABBA's "Thank You for the Music". A promotional sequence then preceded the launch of 4Music at 19:00. The successor retained music videos but added live performances, Channel 4 entertainment programming and artist documentaries, marking a strategic broadening rather than a simple continuation of the old channel. A separate companion radio service, The Hits Radio, had launched in 2003 and remained active until 2018.

• 2018

  The Hits Radio ends broadcasting

  [1]The Hitsen.wikipedia.org

  The separate companion radio service ceases broadcasting on 4 June.

• 2008

  Replacement by 4Music announced

  [1]The Hitsen.wikipedia.org

  Box Television announces that The Hits will be replaced by 4Music, with trial branding appearing during the spring.

• 2008

  Final broadcast and 4Music transition

  [1]The Hitsen.wikipedia.org

  The Hits ends music-video broadcasting on 15 August, with 4Music taking over later the same day.

• 2007

  Ofcom licence breach

  [1]The Hitsen.wikipedia.org

  Ofcom finds that The Hits failed to retain and provide a recording of a Win Win TV broadcast when requested.

• 2003

  The Hits Radio launches

  [1]The Hitsen.wikipedia.org

  A companion radio service using The Hits name begins broadcasting.

• 2002

  The Hits launches

  [1]The Hitsen.wikipedia.org

  Box Television launches The Hits as a UK and Irish music-video television channel.

A broadly accessible pop and chart-music television channel combining music videos, countdowns, themed retrospectives and viewer participation.

• Music television channel · 2002

  The Hits music-video channel

  The core service broadcast pop-oriented music videos, chart hits and current favourites in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was distributed through Freeview, Sky Digital, Virgin Media and the British Forces Broadcasting Service. The schedule evolved from substantial viewer-selected programming to automated video selection and recurring countdown formats.

• Music countdown programme

  The Hits Chart

  A recurring weekday countdown focused on prominent songs of the day. Editions were scheduled at approximately 12:15 and 17:15 from Monday to Friday, giving the channel a regular current-chart anchor within its broader mixture of videos and retrospective programming.

• Radio station · 2003

  The Hits Radio

  A separate companion radio service launched in 2003 under the The Hits name. It extended the brand from music television into radio broadcasting and continued independently until it ceased broadcasting on 4 June 2018.

• 20084Music rebrand promotion

  United Kingdom · Ireland

  Before The Hits was replaced, 4Music branding appeared in trial Sunday broadcasts and teaser trailers promoted the upcoming channel. Promotional activity was also linked to T4 On The Beach, including the naming of one event stage as the 4Music stage.

  Outcome. The campaign preceded the replacement of The Hits by 4Music on 15 August 2008.

  Source

• 2008

  Replace The Hits with 4MusicStrategy

  Background

  Box Television announced a new channel identity intended to expand beyond The Hits' established music-video format.

  Action taken

  The Hits was withdrawn on 15 August 2008 and replaced by 4Music, which combined music videos with live performances, Channel 4 entertainment programmes and artist documentaries.

  Aftermath

  The Hits ceased to exist as a television channel, while 4Music became the successor brand.

  Source

• 2007

  Respond to Ofcom recording breachOther

  Background

  Ofcom requested a review copy of an edition of Win Win TV after viewers questioned the authenticity of winning entries.

  Action taken

  The broadcaster explained that problems with its logging system prevented it from supplying the recording. Ofcom recorded the failure as a serious breach of the licence's recording-retention requirement.

  Aftermath

  The breach was placed on the broadcaster's record; no further enforcement outcome is specified in the available reference material.

  Source

1. 1The Hitsen.wikipedia.org