Sky Soap

Sky Soap's logo from 1 August 1995 to 31 October 1997

When Sky Channel launched in February 1989, the daytime schedule included a block of five back-to-back soaps; The Sullivans, General Hospital, As the World Turns, Guiding Light and Loving. A sixth soap opera, Australian serial, The Young Doctors, was also aired in an early evening slot before switching to mid- morning. Changing its name to Sky One, more daytime soaps were added to the line-up, and by 1992, Sky One was also airing Santa Barbara (originally aired on ITV) The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless (both inherited from the BSB Galaxy channel). The block of daily soap operas now stretched from 10:30am through to 3:30pm.

By 1994, and with the addition of Australian soaps E Street and Paradise Beach, it was decided to spin-off Sky One's American daytime soaps onto a new, dedicated channel. Sky Soap began broadcasting on 3 October 1994[2] from the Astra 1C satellite on weekdays between 8am and 12pm. The original line-up on the channel was: Loving, Peyton Place, Guiding Light, As the World Turns and Another World.

The broadcast time was soon changed to between 12pm and 4pm. Classic episodes of British soaps was then added to the line-up, including Emmerdale Farm and Take the High Road. In 1997, the channel moved to Astra 1B and was broadcast between 11am and 4pm. Due to poor viewing figures and failure to outreach with Sky Digital, Sky Soap ceased transmission on 30 April 1999.

British soap operas:

• Emmerdale Farm (episodes from 1972–88)
• Take the High Road (episodes from 1980–89)
• Albion Market

American soap operas:

• Peyton Place
• Guiding Light
• As the World Turns
• Another World
• Loving
• Santa Barbara

Australian soap operas:

• E Street
• Paradise Beach

• Sky Soap at TVARK
• Sky contact number