Original launch Universal Channel was officially launched on 1 September 2004 in
Latin America, then it launched on 1 December 2007 in
Poland (as
Kanał Universal) and
Romania (as
Canalul Universal) and on 1 July 2008 in Southeast Asia.
Re-branded in selected countries In
South Africa,
Hallmark Channel was re-branded under that name on 24 March 2010 for
DStv subscribers. In
Japan,
Sci Fi Channel re-branded to that name on 1 April 2010. In
Australia,
Hallmark Channel re-branded to that name on 1 July 2010. In
Hungary,
Czech Republic,
Slovakia and ex
Yugoslav countries
Serbia,
Croatia and
Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Hallmark Channel was re-branded to that name on 3 September 2010. And in the Philippines, this channel was launched on 26 July 2010 and replaced the
Sci Fi Channel which was rebranded as
Universal Channel. On 18 October 2010, the
Hallmark Channel in the UK and Ireland was rebranded, adopting the Universal Channel name. The UK version closed on 27 January 2020. On 3 May 2018, starting with the UK, they have begun the global rebrand of the channel as 'Universal TV'. In August 2018, the Brazilian signal of Universal Channel was rebranded to Universal TV, with the Latin American variant following suit in October.
Launch in New Zealand In 2021, SkyTV New Zealand and NBCUniversal had signed a multi-year deal allowing Sky to broadcast their new movies, programmes and content while also taking into effect their current catalogue. Therefore, releasing Universal TV to New Zealand audiences as a part of Sky New Zealand’s Starter pack.
Closure in Russia On April 30, 2015, Universal Channel was closed due to financial problems in the Russian market, along with E!. ==Universal Channels around the world==