FREEVIEW - Pay TV

[dilli-theclaw]

I see the rules on pay channels on freeview may be relaxed.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4923470.stm

[Gareth]

I think that's a bad move... if it proves too popular, I can see DTV being only the 5 obligatory channels and the rest being paid-for ones. Many people, such as my dear old Mum, don't like the idea of paying for extra channels, so they're going to miss out :(

[Chris]

I'd be surprised if many of the free channels go paid for. If anything the trend has been in the other direction, especially with Channel 4 making its digital channels free.

Freeview is a service bought by people who don't want to subscribe to TV channels. Moving, for example, UKTV History from Freeview to Top Up TV would simply result in fewer people watching that channel.

[King Of Fools]

Well, seeing as Channel 4 have been going the other way and converting pay channels to free ones (E4 and soon Film4), I would not worry too much.

My biggest worry would be pay channels (like Sky 1) kicking off free channels by paying more for the slot and reducing choice that way.

[altis]

Why do peeps these days always mis-read technical information?

There are six DTV multiplexes, each carrying a number of TV and radio channels.

Mux 1: BBC1, BBC2, BBC THREE, CBBC, News 24
Mux 2: ITV1, Channel 4, ITV2, E4, ITV3, 705
Mux A: five, QVC, bid tv, price drop tv, Teachers TV
Mux B: BBC FOUR, CBeebies, The Community Channel, 701, 702, 703
Mux C: Sky Travel, UKTV History, E4+1, Sky News, Sky Sports News
Mux D: The Hits, ftn, TMF, Ideal World, Men & Motors
more info : http://uk.geocities.com/talk2me2u/mux.html

There was a ban on paid-for channels on multiplexes B, C and D but OFCOM is removing this. This will allow the broadcasters to more easily fit the bit-rate demands of the various channels into the limited bandwidth available.

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/paytv/statement/

[jrhnewark]

There was a ban on paid-for channels on multiplexes B, C and D but OFCOM is removing this. This will allow the broadcasters to more easily fit the bit-rate demands of the various channels into the limited bandwidth available.Indeed. I believe the saying in broadcasting is "keep it tight", which could easily be referred to this.

There won't be any major changes - like Sky One suddenly arriving on the scene - because that wouldn't be good for Sky.

[Chris]

Indeed. I believe the saying in broadcasting is "keep it tight", which could easily be referred to this.

There won't be any major changes - like Sky One suddenly arriving on the scene - because that wouldn't be good for Sky.

I thought Sky Three was supposed to be launching on Freeview, as a free channel, to try to get people interested.

In the long run, by the way, I'd rule nothing out re Sky. They part-own Freeview because they know a large proportion of the population will not, ever, get satellite, and they want a 'way in' to those homes. If they ever consider it in their commercial interest to put Sky One on TUTV, they would certainly do so. In the long run, I reckon they probably will.

[orangebird]

Is there anyting good on sky one? I never watch it. If all the UKTV channels, and access to sports and movies were an option on freeview, I'd go that way.

[Chris]

Is there anyting good on sky one? I never watch it. If all the UKTV channels, and access to sports and movies were an option on freeview, I'd go that way.

Very little. BSG, and the Stargate shows, are all I watch on Sky One. I would never have got Sky if there was a Freeview signal where I live. I won't downgrade to Freesat because there is less on that than on Freeview. I'm pinning my hopes on BBC Freesat, although that seems to have gone very quiet since they first announced it.

[Stuart]

I'd be surprised if many of the free channels go paid for. If anything the trend has been in the other direction, especially with Channel 4 making its digital channels free.


IIRC, Channel 4 have done this as the government questioned just how having paid for TV channels fulfills their public service remit.

[homealone]

Is there anyting good on sky one? I never watch it. If all the UKTV channels, and access to sports and movies were an option on freeview, I'd go that way.

currently on Sky1 I watch 'Battlestar Galactica'

when the new series start I'll be watching 'Stargate' & 'Stargate Atlantis'

I'm also hoping that a new series of 'Hex' will be made, as the first two were excellent (in my opinion :) )

Obviously, if you aren't 'into' that kind of program/genre, then it won't appeal :)

[King Of Fools]

Is there anyting good on sky one? I never watch it. If all the UKTV channels, and access to sports and movies were an option on freeview, I'd go that way.
There is the new Ricky Gervais episode of the Simpsons this weekend too!

[Chris]

There is the new Ricky Gervais episode of the Simpsons this weekend too!

:bsmack:

http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/showthread.php?p=728915#post728915

:p:

[orangebird]

currently on Sky1 I watch 'Battlestar Galactica'

when the new series start I'll be watching 'Stargate' & 'Stargate Atlantis'

I'm also hoping that a new series of 'Hex' will be made, as the first two were excellent (in my opinion :) )

Obviously, if you aren't 'into' that kind of program/genre, then it won't appeal :)


I can't stand anything like BSG etc. Yawnsville to me. Thanks tho!

[Gareth]

Why do peeps these days always mis-read technical information?Because to non-technical (at least in this context) people like me, talk of mutexes don't mean jack. For me, as an ex-code monkey, mutex stands for mutual exclusion object, and is all to do with simultaneous albeit exclusive access for threads to particular resources.

But, even being non-technical, I am interested in whether free-to-air channels are gonna be disappearing soon.

[Rillington]

It wouldn't totally surprise me if Sky One appeared on Freeview as part of a pay service following this judgement. Sky Three was set up specifically for Freeview as Sky was adament that Sky One would never follow channels like E4 and become FTA.

My guess is that the five trrestrials plus the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 offshoots will remain FTA along with the shopping and gaming channels and probably Sky News. However, any of the others may well end up as pay services.