The popular free children's television channel will disappear from Sky and Virgin in March

A POPULAR free-to-air children's channel will disappear from TV services including Sky and Virgin in March.

But the canal won't close completely; instead, it's digital-only.

Tiny POP will no longer appear as a standard TV channel from March 20

Tiny POP will no longer be broadcast as a traditional TV channel on all major platforms ranging from Sky and Virgin to Freeview and Freesat.

Instead, it will live on as a streaming-only service.

Tiny POP focuses on programming for younger children, ages seven and under, with shows like Barbie, CoComelon and Sesame Street spin-offs like Elmo's World planned.

For the most part, viewers should be able to access Tiny POP from alternative devices.

It is not the first time that a children's channel has gone completely digital.

Last year the CITV channel closed down after 17 years on screen and went online-only with ITVX Kids.

However, Tiny POP will continue as a channel on some online platforms where it can already be viewed. These include:

LG channels
Net avg
Samsung TV Plus
YouTube
POP player

The POP Player is available on Freeview Play, YouView, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, iOS and Android, where there is also over 1,000 hours of content to watch on-demand.

One viewer wrote on Tiny POP's Facebook page asking the broadcaster to turn around over concerns that some children without access to the internet may lose access.

Francesca Newington, director of POP Channels, says the move comes as Ofcom research shows that children between the ages of three and four are consuming more and more online content.

“Our expansion into platforms like FAST has given us new opportunities to evolve and adapt to provide viewers with free access to exciting content whenever and wherever they want to watch,” she said.

Tiny POP will switch to digital only on March 20.

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