Iconic entertainment channel E! no longer screening in New Zealand

Entertainment channel E! is no longer screening in New Zealand. Photo / Supplied

It’s a sad day for Kiwi pop culture fans - iconic channel E! is no longer available to watch in New Zealand.

The E! Television channel stopped broadcasting on Sky from midnight on Sunday January 15, according to a release shared on the network’s website.

The American channel, which broadcasts pop culture content, celebrity reality shows, and movies is owned by NBC Universal. The studio has decided to discontinue the E! channel in New Zealand, the release continued.

Several “fan favourite” E! shows will instead be available on Sky’s On Demand streaming service, but it’s not clear which of them are still available.

E! typically screens red carpets and global awards shows, such as the Golden Globes, which took place last week. However, the Globes were not available to watch in New Zealand.

It comes a few years after E! News was canned in 2020. The entertainment news show was cancelled along with Pop of the Morning and In the Room, Variety reported at the time.

NBC Universal made the changes to streamline its programming, and a source said the impact of Covid-19 had a part to play in the decision to axe the shows.

However, in October 2022 it was announced that E! news would return as a late-night entertainment news programme, returning to the network after a two-year hiatus.

Adrienne Houghton and Justin Sylvester returned as co-hosts for a premiere on November 14, 2022.

Several big names have previously helmed E! News, including a six-year stint by Ryan Seacrest (2006-2012), and Giuliana Rancic, who fronted the show from 2002-2015. She returned in 2018 and left again in 2019.

The celebrity news show first aired in 1991, going on hiatus in March 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic.