TNT Classic Movies (1993-1999) In March 1993,
Turner Broadcasting System Europe announced the launch of Cartoon Network and TNT Classic Movies. and it launched on 17 September 1993 through the
Astra 1C satellite as an evening service, airing from 7:00pm–5:00am, timesharing with
Cartoon Network Europe. The network was also available with Cartoon Network Europe in CEE, MENA and Nordic territories in five additional languages. The network broadcast movies from the
Turner Entertainment library, including the pre-1986
MGM and pre-1949
Warner Bros. catalogues. The first film to be shown on the channel was the 1966 film
Spinout starring
Elvis Presley. In 1996, the combined channel slot was available in over 31 million homes in over 33 territories. while in December a standalone 24-hour TNT Classic Movies channel was launched for digital cable providers in addition to the standalone Cartoon Network Europe channel. In the UK, this version of the network was first made available in
CableTel beginning in 1997. This separation was made to allow Turner Classic Movies to replace TNT in all territories except for analogue satellite and cable in the UK and Ireland, where a standalone TNT channel replaced it. The new version of TNT focused on general entertainment, with Fridays featuring a dedicated strand of
WCW content, showcasing new episodes of
WCW Monday Nitro (which TNT had been airing since 1996) and
WCW Thunder. The new version of TNT broadcast daily from 9:00pm–1:00am. On 1 July, Turner Classic Movies took over its former space on analogue satellite and some cable providers, and removed entirely on those that already broadcast Turner Classic Movies.
Turner Classic Movies (1999-2023) On 15 October 1999, Turner Classic Movies launched on
Sky Digital and
NTL cable platforms. The first film to broadcast on the network was the 1946 movie
The Big Sleep. While Cartoon Network had already transitioned into a pay network, Turner Classic Movies remained
free-to-air. However it didn't start broadcasting on analogue satellite until after TNT closed, and it continued to share with Cartoon Network, airing in the same four-hour evening slot that TNT has occupied. For a time after TNT's closure, Turner Classic Movies continued TNT's weekly strand of WCW programming on Fridays under a separate feed. Afterwards, WCW programming moved to
Bravo. On 30 June 2001, Cartoon Network and Turner Classic Movies ceased operations on analogue satellite as part of Sky's analogue shutdown. In January 2004, Turner Classic Movies became encrypted on Sky Digital. In 2009, Turner Classic Movies received a graphical makeover and a new logo in an attempt to attract a younger audience. With the makeover several new films were added to the channel's catalogue. A high definition version of the channel launched on 4 September 2012, at the same time the standard definition version began broadcasting in
16:9 widescreen, whereas Turner Classic Movies 2 continued to be broadcast in
4:3. A one-hour timeshift, Turner Classic Movies +1, launched on 13 August 2013, replacing Turner Classic Movies 2. On 25 July 2019, the HD channel closed on Sky. Turner Classic Movies was renamed TCM Movies on 1 August 2019. The channel closed on 7 July 2023, and some of the channel's former film programming was moved to sister channel
Quest, this ended in January 2025. The last movie shown on the channel was
Murder Most Foul and the last content shown on the channel before the closedown was a
Close Up short dedicated to
Arnold Schwarzenegger. ==Turner Classic Movies 2==