It originally broadcast between Monday and Thursday between midday and midnight and on Friday between 12pm and 6am[1] until September 1997.

In February 2003, a spin-off of the channels, Sky Travel Shop, launched a dedicated travel retail channel in the Specialist, then Shopping section of the electronic program guide (EPG).

By August 2004, the core channel was broadcasting 24 hours a day and in January 2005, a timeshifted version of Sky Travel was launched.

This led to rumours that the company had planned to turn Sky Travel into a general entertainment channel on Freeview.

However, British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB)'s CEO, James Murdoch, had repeatedly denied the company had any plans to launch any new free-to-air services.

[2] The new channel focused on programmes with a human interest story and was targeted more at women in the 35–54 age range.