Editing U&Dave (section)

====Expansion of broadcast hours and addition of live sports (2006–2007)====
On 10 December 2005, UKTV announced that UKTV G2 would expand broadcast hours to the daytime and begin operations at 9:00am beginning on 16 January 2006.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.digitalspy.com/media/a27205/uktv-g2-expands-hours-ups-sport/ | title=UKTV G2 expands hours, ups sport | website=[[Digital Spy]] | date=10 December 2005 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/more-hours-means-sport-on-uktv-g2/1033388.article | title=More hours means sport on UKTV G2 }}</ref> The expansion of hours was to prepare for the full launch of the UKTV Sport strand, which would fill out some of the daytime hours during sports events. Standard programmes featured included pre-watershed comedy programmes already seen on the channel, alongside the addition of popular-factual and magazine shows which were already running on UKTV People, such as ''[[Top Gear (2002 TV series)|Top Gear]]'' and ''[[Airport (TV series)|Airport]]''. The extended hours did not apply to UKTV G2 +1, which remained an evening-only service.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

In February 2006, UKTV obtained the rights to show highlights of the [[Six Nations Championship|Six Nations]] [[rugby union]] championship, with a highlights show broadcast on the evening of the games previously shown live on the BBC. On 16 March 2006, they announced a deal to air extensive coverage of the [[2006 FIFA World Cup]] as a sub-licensing of the BBC's rights to the tournament.<ref name="uktvworldcupdeal">{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/article/ds30513.html |title=Broadcasting&nbsp;– News&nbsp;– UKTV lands huge World Cup rights deal&nbsp;– Digital Spy |website=[[Digital Spy]] |access-date=4 November 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061211075007/http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/article/ds30513.html |archive-date=11 December 2006 }}</ref> UKTV G2 [[simulcast]] the BBC's live matches, including the opening match between [[Germany national football team|Germany]] and [[Costa Rica national football team|Costa Rica]], [[England national football team|England]]'s game with [[Paraguay national football team|Paraguay]] and the final. The channel also showed highlights of every match in the tournament.

In April 2006, the channel acquired the rights to the quarter-finals of the [[EuroLeague]] Basketball<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.c21media.net/uktv-slam-dunks-euroleague-rights/ |title=UKTV slam dunks Euroleague rights |publisher=C21 Media |access-date=19 June 2016}}</ref> and in August, UKTV G2 also picked up rights to the [[2006 FIBA World Championship]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.c21media.net/uktv-slam-dunks-new-basketball-deal/ |title=UKTV slam-dunks new basketball deal |publisher=C21 Media |access-date=19 June 2016}}</ref> forming the programme 'UKTV Slam'.