History of Now Rock in Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: April 15, 2026

Now Rock is a British free-to-air music television channel broadcasting rock music for ten months annually. It has a sister channel, Now 90s, which features 1990s rock hits in certain territories. For the remaining two months of the year, Now Christmas temporarily replaces Now Rock, playing Christmas hits, including those from the 1990s.

November 2010: Channel Launch as WTF

In November 2010, the channel was originally launched as WTF (Weekly Top Forty).

August 2011: WTF Rebrands as Massive R&B

On August 15, 2011, the channel WTF was rebranded as Massive R&B, shifting its focus to R&B music.

September 2011: Channel Launches on Freesat

In September 2011, the channel, previously only available on Sky, launched on Freesat.

September 2012: Channel Move

In September 2012 the channel moved to channel number 511.

March 2013: Channel Rebrands as Planet Pop

On March 27, 2013, the channel was rebranded as Planet Pop, targeting a 16 to 24-year-old audience with programming like The Planet Pop 40 and Party-On Planet Pop.

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September 2015: Channel Rebrands as Chilled TV

On September 9, 2015, the channel was rebranded as Chilled TV, featuring laidback and acoustic songs.

October 2015: Planet Pop Returns as "Planet"

From October 13, 2015, Planet Pop returned as simply "Planet" on Sky channel 389.

January 18, 2016: Planet Pop Ends Run as "Planet"

Planet Pop ended its run as simply "Planet" on January 18, 2016.

December 2016: Chilled TV Temporarily Rebrands as Chilled Xmas

From November 18 until December 26, 2016, Chilled TV was temporarily rebranded as Chilled Xmas.

March 2017: Channel Rebrands as Chilled 90s

On March 31, 2017, Chilled TV was rebranded as Chilled 90s, following the success of Now 80s.

November 2017: Now 80s and Now Christmas Added to GMAN Freeview Multiplex

In November 2017, Now 80s and Now 90s (then broadcasting as Now Christmas) were added to the GMAN Freeview multiplex broadcasting to Greater Manchester.

November 2017: Channel Temporarily Renamed to Now Christmas

On November 10, 2017, Chilled 90s was temporarily renamed to Now Christmas.

December 2017: Channel Renamed to Now 90s

On December 27, 2017, the channel was renamed to Now 90s, focusing on 1990s music and occasionally advertising previous Now albums from the 1990s.

June 2018: Massive R&B Rebrand of Channel AKA

From June 1, 2018, Massive R&B was reused again as a rebrand of Channel AKA.

June 2018: Now 80s Extended to Freeview HD Owners

In June 2018, Now 80s availability was extended to Freeview HD owners by relocating to the Arqiva COM8 multiplex.

November 2018: Massive R&B Becomes Total Country

On November 1, 2018, Massive R&B was rebranded to Total Country.

February 2019: Now 90s Relocated to COM8 Multiplex

On February 26, 2019, Now 90s was relocated to the COM8 multiplex.

March 2019: Channel Launches on Virgin Media

On March 8, 2019, Now 90s launched on Virgin Media, along with sister channel Total Country. It was previously available via the red button on Clubland TV on the platform along with Now 80s and Total Country (then Channel AKA).

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August 2019: Now 90s Taken Off-Air on Freeview

In August 2019, Now 90s was taken off-air on Freeview, with a placeholder note indicating its return on October 1, 2019.

October 2019: Now 90s Back on Freeview

On October 1, 2019, Now 90s came back to Freeview as a channel streaming through connected TVs.

February 2020: Now 90s Removed from Freeview

On February 26, 2020, Now 90s was removed from Freeview and replaced with sister channel Now 70s.

May 2020: Now 90s Returns to Greater Manchester Multiplex

On May 13, 2020, Now 90s returned to the Greater Manchester multiplex on channel 84 after being on Channelbox.

December 2020: Now 90s Temporarily Rebrands as Now 80s

From November 19 to December 27, 2020, Now 90s temporarily rebranded as Now 80s, while Now 80s was used for Now Christmas.

May 2021: Branded Now 90s Channel Launches in Australia and New Zealand

In May 2021, a branded Now 90s channel launched on Samsung TV Plus in Australia and New Zealand.

November 2021: Now 90s Temporarily Rebrands as Now 80s

Beginning November 18, 2021, Now 90s temporarily rebranded as Now 80s while the usual slot Now 80s is on was used for Now Christmas

October 2022: Now 90s Delisted from Manchester Local Freeview

On October 26, 2022, NOW 90s was delisted from Manchester local Freeview.

November 2022: NOW 90s Ends Run and Flips to Now Xmas

On November 9, 2022, NOW 90s ended its run, with the last video played being LL Cool J's "Ain't Nobody", before transitioning to a Christmas music format, Now Xmas.

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December 2022: Channel Rebrands as Now Rock

On December 27, 2022, the channel was rebranded as Now Rock, with a change of focus to rock music.

March 2023: Now 90s Reappears as FAST Channel

On March 2, 2023, Now 90s reappeared on Freeview as a FAST channel on Channelbox channel 271 alongside Now 70s and Now 80s. On March 19, 2023, the broadcast feed for Channelbox was switched from Now 90s to the Now Rock channel.

July 2024: Now Rock Revamps Schedule

On July 1, 2024, following the closure of Kerrang! TV, Now Rock revamped its schedule to focus more on music from the 1990s onward, removing almost all classic rock-themed programmes.