The Hits
Encyclopedia
The Hits was a music video
channel
in the United Kingdom
and Republic of Ireland
, owned by Box Television
.
centering on chart hits and current favourites. Originally, the vast majority of music videos were selected by viewers by means of calling a premium rate telephone number, however the policy was abandoned with the channel playing an automated selection of videos and countdown
shows presented by celebrities and singers past and present. Programming was often themed to coincide with events such as St. Patrick's Day and Christmas
.
The channel was available free-to-air
on the British
Digital terrestrial television
service Freeview on channel 18. It is no longer a pure music video channel because the evening on the channel has been replaced by various shows from Channel 4 like Balls Of Steel
. It was also available on Sky Digital
, encrypted as apart of Sky's Music Pack. The Hits was also available on Virgin Media
and was included in the basic (TV Size: M) package. It was also be seen through the British Forces Broadcasting Service
.
by Rick Astley
, Saturday Night
by Whigfield
and C'est La Vie by B*witched which are all commonly regarded as "cheesy pop songs".
Another type of programme on The Hits is where one hundred songs are played, usually counting down to a song that is featured as "number one". This varies from "100 Forgotten Gems of the Nineties" to "The Nation's Favourite Love Songs."
Sometimes there was a programme in the style of the above except there were fifty or in other cases twenty songs featured in the programme.
The Hits Chart used to be played at around 12.15 and 17:15 Monday-Friday . The Hits Chart was simply a countdown of the biggest songs of the day.
The Hits had a programme called "Every Number One of the Nineties" which was what the title suggests, it played every number one of the nineties back to back. It was played over a bank holiday weekend in two parts, the first part on the Sunday and the second part on the Monday. "Every Number One of the Nineties" has been played on 4Music
in small segments. Another programme like it is "Every Number One of the Twentyfirst Century" which was every number one of this century up to a certain point, played back to back.
later in the year, and a trial period broadcast on Sundays under the 4Music banner was broadcast on Sunday evenings during the spring. In June 2008 it was further announced that this replacement was to take place during the V Festival
weekend on 15 August. The replaced station will show predominantly music videos, alongside live performances and Channel 4
programming like Star Stories
and The Sunday Night Project
, as well as documentaries about artists.
In recent weeks before the launch, 4Music
had begun airing teaser trailers for the channel as part of its extensive promotion of the rebrand, airing such quotes as "Get on all fours and we'll cover you with music," "With all the cunning of a squirrel, and the power of ten wolves... 4Music: the new channel from 4 & "Let us lick your mind... 4Music: the new channel from 4." During T4 On The Beach, one of the three stages was named, the 4Music stage, along in the concert programs, it has an ad which says, "Do You Party?...4Music...the new channel from 4."
' by ABBA
, before fading in to a promo
for 4Music
.
found The Hits had breached broadcast licence for failing to retain copies of its programming. Two viewers had complained questioning the authenticity of some of the winning entries on text-in quiz programme Win Win TV, broadcast overnight on 26 June.
The broadcaster was unable to provide Ofcom with a review copy of the programme in question because of "problems with its logging system". Condition 11 of a Television Licensable Content Service license requires the broadcaster to keep recordings of all output for 60 days after transmission, providing Ofcom with any material on request.
Failure to supply these recordings is a serious and significant breach of the broadcaster’s licence. This will be held on record," the regulator noted.
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
channel
Television channel
A television channel is a physical or virtual channel over which a television station or television network is distributed. For example, in North America, "channel 2" refers to the broadcast or cable band of 54 to 60 MHz, with carrier frequencies of 55.25 MHz for NTSC analog video and...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, owned by Box Television
Box Television
Box Television is the content subsidiary of Channel 4 and Bauer. It is a British television company which is owned by Bauer Group and Channel 4 and acts as its music television programme production arm.- Location :The company is based in London...
.
Overview and availability
The channel showcased a range of popPopular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
centering on chart hits and current favourites. Originally, the vast majority of music videos were selected by viewers by means of calling a premium rate telephone number, however the policy was abandoned with the channel playing an automated selection of videos and countdown
Countdown
A countdown is a sequence of counting backward to indicate the seconds, days, or other time units remaining before an event occurs or a deadline expires. Typical events for which a countdown is used include the launch of a rocket or spacecraft, the detonation of a bomb, the start of a race, and the...
shows presented by celebrities and singers past and present. Programming was often themed to coincide with events such as St. Patrick's Day and Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
.
The channel was available free-to-air
Free-to-air
Free-to-air describes television and radio services broadcast in clear form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring a subscription or one-off fee...
on the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Digital terrestrial television
Digital terrestrial television
Digital terrestrial television is the technological evolution of broadcast television and advance from analog television, which broadcasts land-based signals...
service Freeview on channel 18. It is no longer a pure music video channel because the evening on the channel has been replaced by various shows from Channel 4 like Balls Of Steel
Balls of Steel
Balls of Steel may refer to:* Balls of Steel , a pinball video game* Balls of Steel , a British comedy show hosted by Mark Dolan* Balls of Steel , Australian TV series based on the British show...
. It was also available on Sky Digital
Sky Digital (UK & Ireland)
Sky is the brand name for British Sky Broadcasting's digital satellite television and radio service, transmitted from SES Astra satellites located at 28.2° east and Eutelsat's Eurobird 1 satellite at 28.5°E. The service was originally launched as Sky Digital, distinguishing it from the original...
, encrypted as apart of Sky's Music Pack. The Hits was also available on Virgin Media
Virgin Media
Virgin Media Inc. is a company which provides fixed and mobile telephone, television and broadband internet services to businesses and consumers in the United Kingdom...
and was included in the basic (TV Size: M) package. It was also be seen through the British Forces Broadcasting Service
British Forces Broadcasting Service
The British Forces Broadcasting Service provides radio and television programmes for HM Forces, and their dependents, in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Brunei, Canada, Cyprus, the Falkland Islands, Germany, Gibraltar, Kosovo, the Middle East, Northern Ireland and Tristan da Cunha as well as a live satellite...
.
Programmes on The Hits
87-07 is a series of programmes where a song is played from each of the years from 1987 to 2007. There was a more up to date version called 88-08 which is the same as 87-07 except it goes from 1988 to 2008. There were different collections of songs depending on different things that the songs had in common, an example of 87-07 is Cheesy Pop 87-07 which includes the songs Never Gonna Give You UpNever Gonna Give You Up
A group of London dance producers, called The Rickrollerz made a house music cover version of "Never Gonna Give You Up" on that day, and in honor of that event....
by Rick Astley
Rick Astley
Richard Paul "Rick" Astley is an English singer-songwriter, musician, and radio personality. He is known for his 1987 song, "Never Gonna Give You Up", which was a #1 hit single in 25 countries...
, Saturday Night
Saturday Night (Whigfield song)
"Saturday Night" is a song by Danish singer Whigfield, released to huge success in 1994.-Background:Italian producer Larry Pignagnoli had already had success with Spagna in the late 1980s and early 1990s before he produced "Saturday Night" with Danish former model Sannie Carlson aka Whigfield...
by Whigfield
Whigfield
Sannie Charlotte Carlson , best known as Whigfield and also as Naan, is a Danish singer best known for the song "Saturday Night", a hugely popular single during the summer of 1994.-Biography:...
and C'est La Vie by B*witched which are all commonly regarded as "cheesy pop songs".
Another type of programme on The Hits is where one hundred songs are played, usually counting down to a song that is featured as "number one". This varies from "100 Forgotten Gems of the Nineties" to "The Nation's Favourite Love Songs."
Sometimes there was a programme in the style of the above except there were fifty or in other cases twenty songs featured in the programme.
The Hits Chart used to be played at around 12.15 and 17:15 Monday-Friday . The Hits Chart was simply a countdown of the biggest songs of the day.
The Hits had a programme called "Every Number One of the Nineties" which was what the title suggests, it played every number one of the nineties back to back. It was played over a bank holiday weekend in two parts, the first part on the Sunday and the second part on the Monday. "Every Number One of the Nineties" has been played on 4Music
4Music
4Music is a music and entertainment channel in the United Kingdom and available on some digital television providers in the Republic of Ireland - its web component can be found at with its own and pages. It is the only channel within the Box Television Network to be branded under Channel 4 and...
in small segments. Another programme like it is "Every Number One of the Twentyfirst Century" which was every number one of this century up to a certain point, played back to back.
2008 Replacement
On 20 February 2008, it was announced that The Hits was to be replaced by 4Music4Music
4Music is a music and entertainment channel in the United Kingdom and available on some digital television providers in the Republic of Ireland - its web component can be found at with its own and pages. It is the only channel within the Box Television Network to be branded under Channel 4 and...
later in the year, and a trial period broadcast on Sundays under the 4Music banner was broadcast on Sunday evenings during the spring. In June 2008 it was further announced that this replacement was to take place during the V Festival
V Festival
The V Festival is an annual music festival held in England during the penultimate weekend in August. The event is held at two parks simultaneously which share the same bill; artists perform at one location on Saturday and then swap on Sunday. The sites are located at Hylands Park in Chelmsford and...
weekend on 15 August. The replaced station will show predominantly music videos, alongside live performances and Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
programming like Star Stories
Star Stories
Star Stories is a British television comedy programme that takes a satirical look at celebrities and their lives. It was first shown on Channel 4 on September 15, 2006....
and The Sunday Night Project
The Sunday Night Project
The Sunday Night Project was a British comedy-variety show by Princess Productions that first aired on Channel 4 in February 2005 under the title The Friday Night Project...
, as well as documentaries about artists.
In recent weeks before the launch, 4Music
4Music
4Music is a music and entertainment channel in the United Kingdom and available on some digital television providers in the Republic of Ireland - its web component can be found at with its own and pages. It is the only channel within the Box Television Network to be branded under Channel 4 and...
had begun airing teaser trailers for the channel as part of its extensive promotion of the rebrand, airing such quotes as "Get on all fours and we'll cover you with music," "With all the cunning of a squirrel, and the power of ten wolves... 4Music: the new channel from 4 & "Let us lick your mind... 4Music: the new channel from 4." During T4 On The Beach, one of the three stages was named, the 4Music stage, along in the concert programs, it has an ad which says, "Do You Party?...4Music...the new channel from 4."
The end
The Hits ceased broadcasting music videos on Friday 15 August 2008 at 06:00. The last video played on The Hits was 'Thank You For The MusicThank You for the Music
"Thank You for the Music" is a song by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was originally featured on the group's fifth studio album ABBA: The Album and was released as a single on November 6, 1983, to promote the Epic Records compilation album Thank You for the Music: A Collection of Love Songs...
' by ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
, before fading in to a promo
Promotion (marketing)
Promotion is one of the four elements of marketing mix . It is the communication link between sellers and buyers for the purpose of influencing, informing, or persuading a potential buyer's purchasing decision....
for 4Music
4Music
4Music is a music and entertainment channel in the United Kingdom and available on some digital television providers in the Republic of Ireland - its web component can be found at with its own and pages. It is the only channel within the Box Television Network to be branded under Channel 4 and...
.
Ofcom controversy
In November 2007, OfcomOfcom
Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003...
found The Hits had breached broadcast licence for failing to retain copies of its programming. Two viewers had complained questioning the authenticity of some of the winning entries on text-in quiz programme Win Win TV, broadcast overnight on 26 June.
The broadcaster was unable to provide Ofcom with a review copy of the programme in question because of "problems with its logging system". Condition 11 of a Television Licensable Content Service license requires the broadcaster to keep recordings of all output for 60 days after transmission, providing Ofcom with any material on request.
Failure to supply these recordings is a serious and significant breach of the broadcaster’s licence. This will be held on record," the regulator noted.