David Farnor | On 10, Apr 2022

The channel W has launched on UKTV Play, as UKTV has made it free-to-air for the first time.

The premium entertainment channel was previously only available through pay-TV providers, such as Sky and Virgin Media, but now, it has become freely available to anyone in the UK.

Broadcasting in Freeview slot 25, it will give viewers access to a plethora of hit UKTV Originals for free, including Alex Jones: Making Babies, Rochelle Humes: Interior Designer in the Making, Nurses on the Ward and Dating With My Mates, alongside new seasons of returning favourites Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over, MasterChef USA, Australia and Canada, and Inside the Ambulance. Many viewers will also have the chance to see Emma Willis: Delivering Babies and the documentary Myleene Klass: Miscarriage and Me for the first time.

W’s channel director, Adam Collings, said: “We are thoroughly delighted to be bringing W’s brilliant original content featuring some of the best-known talent in the UK alongside heroes of everyday society, to a much wider audience wherever they want to watch or stream. We’re looking forward to showcasing the genuine human moments embodying W’s new mantra ‘Life Unfiltered’ and can’t wait to share W’s rich mix of shows filled with joy, tears and laughter with our new a free-to-air audience.”

Steve North, UKTV’s genre general manager for comedy and entertainment, added: “We are confident that we’ve spotted a gap in the free-to-air market for W to fill; providing premium entertainment for people with busy lives who want to engage with shows that shine a spotlight on personal stories from everyday lives.”

The channel joins UKTV’s Dave, Drama and Yesterday on the free streaming service UKTV Play. Full closed captions are available on 100 per cent of W programming via Freeview and UKTV Play.

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