Shortlived TV channels

[Aplus1]

Is it true that it used the “Interactive” card slot on Sky Boxes of the era for a loyalty scheme?

IIRC the idea was ever fully realised. It was a gift for Multiroom subscribers who could just leave their extra box tuned in to Nuts TV all day long. No idea if the rewards would've been actually worth the effort though.

In fact, wasn't it going to be the one and only use of that infamous slot before that finally got rid of it with Sky Q?

Earlier than that - the later generation of Sky+HD boxes dropped the interactive slot long before Sky Q came to town.

I know Turner did talk about possibly using the slot for some kind of loyalty scheme type thing but I don't think that ever came to anything - as far as I know the slot was never officially opened to third party broadcasters. It was used once by Sky themselves, as they briefly offered a credit card ("Sky Card", backed by Barclaycard) which, upon receipt, needed to be activated by placing it in that slot and letting the box make a dial up call. Pretty sure that was the one and only use of the slot in the real world, though.