Sky confirms Bravo shutdown date

Sky has confirmed the closure date for the Bravo channels, which it acquired in June as part of the £160m deal to purchase the Living TV Group.

From January 1 next year, the Bravo family of channels - including Bravo, Bravo+1 and Bravo 2 - will cease broadcasting on all digital TV platforms, including Sky and Virgin Media.

In September, Sky opted to scrap long-running cable channel Bravo because it serves a similar demographic to Sky1.

The company also announced the closure of Channel One, previously Virgin1, as part of plans to concentrate on the Living brand, which gives Sky a vital foothold in the female market after it shut down the Sky Real Lives channels in August.

Living's programming budget will be increased by 25% to enable the broadcaster to build on its recent successes, including a two-year deal with Katie Price.

Today, Sky confirmed that Bravo's most popular programmes will be moved to other Sky channels before the network is officially closed down.

Shows to be preserved include Spartacus: Blood and Sand, Chuck, Leverage, Dog the Bounty Hunter, Star Trek, TNA Wrestling, Sun, Sea and A & E, Motorway Patrol, Highway Patrol and Caribbean Cops.

Sky said that full details of the new homes for all these shows will follow in "due course".