| January 2005 |
| Set-top box firm's profits up 10-01-05 |
Set-top box manufacturer Pace Micro Technology saw profits rise fourfold in the first half of its financial year, as the company shipped more than double the number of boxes it delivered in the same period a year earlier.
But the company said its financial recovery would "take longer than was initially anticipated", following on from a profit warning it gave last month.
In the 27 weeks to December 4, Pace shipped 2.1 million boxes - a half-year record - compared with 1 million for the corresponding period in 2003. The company - Europe's largest maker of set-top boxes - said BSkyB remained an important customer in the UK, thanks to the increasing take-up of personal video recorder service Sky Plus. |
|
| Two new free-to-air film channels on Sky 10-01-05 |
| The company that runs shopping channels Bid-Up TV and Price-Drop TV is planning to launch two new free-to-air film channels on Sky Digital. Called 'Real-Movies.tv' and 'Movies On 333', they will fully launch this summer. It's reported that the channels will be a low-cost venture, with an investment of under £3m. "These will be free movie channels aimed at specific demographics and will initially be broadcast on Sky, but we hope to be on other platforms in the future," said spokesman Ashley Faull. Real-Movies.tv will be female orientated, with an emphasis on true stories, while Movies On 333 will focus on Westerns, niche films and possibly British short films. |
|
| Sky to launch ad-free TV viewing service 10-01-05 |
| Sky has reportedly patented a new technology that allows viewers to record programmes without any ad breaks. While the Sky + personal video recorder allows users to skip through advertisements, even when played at 30 times normal speed, the ads can still be seen by viewers. Sky hopes to offer a service that allows viewers much greater control. One patent, filed in August 2000, allows viewers to "interrupt the recording of programmes so as not to record adverts". It could also allow viewers to edit shows so that only favourite acts were recorded from music programmes. |
|
| ITV & Sky at war? 10-01-05 |
| ITV has made a formal complaint to government regulators about the charges which Sky wants to impose on it for enabling satellite TV viewers to receive the correct regional version of the channel. ITV claims in a statement to OFCOM that Sky's proposed charges are: "unfair, unreasonable and unduly discriminatory and therefore in breach of Sky's obligations under EU and UK law." The complaint comes after the two broadcasters failed to reach an agreement regarding ITV's new contract with Sky, which was supposed to have been renewed in November. A two-month stay of execution was granted but talks reached a stalemate and ITV has since decided that it has no option but to have Sky investigated. ITV wants at least £13m slashed off its annual £17m a year bill for Sky's services to encrypt and regionalise its channel. |
|
| ITV to launch new Teletext service 12-01-05 |
ITV has announced a 10-year deal with Teletext to launch and operate text services across all the ITV family of channels in digital homes. The new service, which will be branded Teletext on ITV, will be accessible on all digital platforms giving viewers direct access via the text button on their remote control.
Teletext on ITV will first launch on digital satellite and digital terrestrial during early summer 2005. The service will include news, sport, weather, travel, lottery results plus entertainment features including content relating to ITV programmes.
Enhanced benefits compared to the Teletext service on analogue channels will include full colour pages, easy-to-read fonts, faster, easier navigation plus the ability to view programmes in quarter screen format whilst scrolling through content.
Teletext on ITV will extend and complement existing ITV digital services such as 24:7, ITV's interactive offering which includes enhanced programming features, gaming and downloads.
Mick Desmond, Chief Executive of ITV Broadcasting said: 'Teletext has a long-established track record as the leader in this field and this deal means we can offer our viewers the best possible service. ITV is committed to developing and enriching its digital offering and this new service adds depth and value for viewers.' The new text service will join Teletext's existing services on Sky and Freeview. |
|
| Media barons in £6bn bid to capture ITV 17-01-05 |
Media moguls Greg Dyke, Lord Hollick and Stephen Grabiner may launch an audacious £6 billion bid for ITV, City sources said last night. The three work for private equity houses that have held talks about forging an alliance to bid for Britain's largest commercial terrestrial broadcaster.
Dyke, the former BBC director-general who resigned after the Hutton inquiry, and Grabiner, ex-managing director of the Daily Telegraph, advise venture capitalist firm Apax. Hollick, recently appointed to KKR, the US private equity group, said last week that buying back ITV 'would have a nice ring to it. I wouldn't rule anything out'. |
|
| Teachers' TV channel starts in February 17-01-05 |
| Teachers' TV, a new channel for teachers, is to launch on February 8. Run by the Department for Education and Skills, the channel will provide advice, news and information to a range of teachers - including head teachers, newly qualified teachers, governors and support staff. Teachers' TV will be on air 24 hours a day on Sky Digital and cable. It will be available part-time on Freeview. |
|
| New gardening TV channel to launch in March 17-01-05 |
| A new channel for green-fingered viewers is to launch in March. Called UKTV Style Gardens, the channel will be the UK's first dedicated gardening channel and it's expected to include shows like Ground Force, Garden Invaders and Gardeners' World in its schedule. |
|
| ITV is considering buying UKTV channels 17-01-05 |
| ITV is reported to be considering a bid for UKTV's portfolio of digital TV channels which include UKTV Gold, Drama, History, People, Style and Documentary. The channels are currently run through a joint venture deal between the BBC and Flextech, but such a buy-out would strengthen ITV's digital presence against fierce competition from BBC, Channel Four and Sky. Media watchers believe that such a takeover would be subject to approval by the competition commission. |
|
| Five planning new kids TV channel 17-01-05 |
| Five is planning to launch its own childrens TV channel. The new station is being masterminded by Five's controller of children's programming, Nick Wilson, who plans to use the Five's existing 'Milkshake' kids TV brand to create a daytime station. The proposed channel is one of several options being considered, although no final decision has been made. Five has the option of launching as many as two channels on Freeview but its slots on the platform are currently leased to shopping channels. |
|
| Ofcom launches probe into ITV complaint 17-01-05 |
| Government regulators at Ofcom have launched their first investigation into Sky after ITV complained about the charges to be part of its platform. Talks between the two over the amount ITV pays to have its channels encrypted and included on Sky Digital's EPG recently broke down and Ofcom has confirmed that it has launched a probe. ITV pays Sky £17m a year for Conditional Access and EPG services, which enable viewers in each region to receive the correct local news and other regional programmes. ITV is alleging this amounts to overcharging. |
|
| ITV News now on Astra 2D 17-01-05 |
| ITV News have moved to the Astra 2D satellite, fuelling speculation that ITV will soon be broadcasting in the clear and abandoning Sky's Videoguard encryption. ITV News is now available on transponder 49, 10.832 H, Symbol Rate (SR) 22000, Forward Error Correction (FEC) 5/6. |
|
| Fizz music channel makes debut on Sky 24-01-05 |
| The broadcaster behind Channel U, which broadcasts a range of music videos, launches its latest channel, Fizz, on Monday January 24. It will be available on Sky Digital channel 468. |
|
| New dating channel starts on Sky Digital 24-01-05 |
| A new dating channel called Look4Love TV will launch on Sky Digital channel 685 on Monday January 24. The Hampshire-based channel was recently granted a broadcast license and has already begun test transmissions at 11.623GHz/H. |
|
| Sky to launch second slot credit card 24-01-05 |
| Sky is to introduce a credit card 'within weeks' that can be used via the second card slot in its digital boxes, according to media press reports. Three other broadcasters are also planning to use the card slot to launch loyalty-card schemes and offer high-street discounts to viewers. The Sky credit card will be marketed as a way to pay for home shopping and betting services via the Sky remote control and to respond to interactive adverts. One of the first uses for the service could be a retailer offering discounts on DVDs and CDs to viewers of a music channel. After inserting the loyalty card, viewers will be prompted at regular intervals to confirm via the remote control that they are still watching the channel, for which they will earn points. |
|
| New Freeview channel to launch this Spring 24-01-05 |
| ITV, Channel 4, Channel Five and Disney are among the broadcasters vying to launch a new channel this Spring on Freeview. Crown Castle, one of the three partners in the digital terrestrial service, is freeing up some of its multiplex space to enable a new channel to launch as soon as April. Crown owns two of the six multiplexes used to transmit Freeview and has said that technology developments are making it possible to squeeze in an extra channel alongside the existing 31 services. ITV, which is hoping to launch ITV4 this year, is reported to be interested along with a host of other broadcasters. |
|
| Ofcom to help EC investigate Sky football deal 24-01-05 |
The European commission has called in UK media and competition regulators to help its investigation into the way the Premier League sells its rights, including its exclusive £1bn pay-TV deal with BSkyB.
The communications regulator Ofcom and the Office of Fair Trading - which have joint responsibility for competition regulation of the British media sector - have been asked by the commission to provide "specialist advice" about the UK broadcasting market and the value of the Premier League's rights. The European commission has waged a long campaign to force the Premier League to scrap its exclusive arrangement with BSkyB and share its live TV rights with other UK broadcasters. |
|
| Freeview reaches five million homes 24-01-05 |
| Five million British homes now have Freeview, according to official figures from the BBC, Sky and Crown Castle - its joint owners. The jump in figures come after approximately 190,000 set-top boxes were sold in each of the two weeks before Christmas. |
|
| Channel 4 may start new games channel 31-01-05 |
| Channel 4 is reported to be considering the launch of a new gaming channel on Freeview. The station could be an offshoot of the popular 9 Live Quiz TV show which was trialled on E4 last year. |
|
| ITV & Sky - the dispute continues 31-01-05 |
ITV has signed another temporary renewal to its carriage contract with Sky as the dispute between the two broadcasters rumbles on.
The extension will run through April, when independent regulator Ofcom is expected to report back on the situation.
ITV asked Ofcom to investigate what it called "unfair, unreasonable and unduly discriminatory" terms offered by Sky for the regionalisation of ITV1 across the UK. Sky is asking for an estimated £17m for ITV's encryption and regionalisation, in comparison to the £4m the BBC pays for regionalisation alone.
ITV confirmed today that the existing contract had been renewed for a further three months pending Ofcom's ruling. "ITV has agreed a further temporary extension to its existing regionalisation and encryption deal with BSkyB," a spokesman said.
"This means that ITV1 continues to be regionalised and, unless it opts otherwise, encrypted on the digital satellite platform pending the outcome of Ofcom’s investigation into the price BSkyB should charge ITV1 for the provision of a regionalisation service only." |
|
| February 2005 |
| Disney, ITV, Ch 4 & Five bid for Freeview channel 02-02-05 |
Several bidders, understood to include Walt Disney, ITV and Channel 4, submitted offers for a new slot on Freeview yesterday which is likely to value it at £4m-£5m a year.
Crown Castle, which owns the new free-to-air slot, said the auction had attracted a "good response". Executives were last night locked in meetings to discuss the sealed bids, submitted ahead of a 4pm deadline.
Both ITV and Channel 4 are keen to expand the number of channels available free-to-air. ITV executives have spoken with interest of a gaming channel. |
|
| ITV2 & ITV3 doing well on Freeview 02-02-05 |
| ITV2 and ITV3 have performed better than expected on Freeview and, in terms of audience share, the platform has been better for them than either satellite or cable television. |
|
| Sky's profits rise 02-02-05 |
Satellite pay-TV giant BSkyB today recorded better-than-expected subscriber figures, announcing it had added 192,000 customers in the last three months of 2004. That was ahead of all analyst forecasts, which on average predicted around 150,000 new customers, and took the group's total subscriber numbers in the UK and Ireland to more than 7.6 million.
It means Sky needs to add fewer than 100,000 new customers in each quarter this year to meet its target of 8 million subscribers by the end of 2005.
The BSkyB chief executive, James Murdoch, was also encouraged by a 35% increase in the number of households signing up to the Sky Plus personal video recorder service, a rise of 168,000 to 642,000.
Sky+, which allows viewers to pause and rewind live TV as well as record shows to a built-in hard drive, is seen as a crucial tool in increasing customer loyalty and driving up the average revenue the company receives per subscriber. |
|
| BBC Prime Suffers Transmission Problems 06-02-05 |
BBC Prime, the commercial station available to non UK viewers worldwide, has been experiencing severe technical problems today.
In some areas a total loss of transmission occured whilst in others, such as viewers in the area serviced by Hotbird at 13e received a FTA broadcast of the channel. This means anyone with a digital satellite receiver was able to receive the channel. Normally a subscription card is required to view the channels.
BBC Worldwide who operate BBC Prime are aware of the problem and are working now to resume a normal service. An apology was issued on the BBC Prime website. www.bbcprime.com. |
|
| Gay TV channel starts on Sky Digital 07-02-05 |
| A new TV channel aimed at gay viewers is to launch on Sky Digital this week. Called Gay Network, the entertainment channel will launch on Sky channel 688 and give gay and both bi-male and females the chance to communicate with each other. |
|
| NSAT channel ceases transmissions 07-02-05 |
| South African entertainment channel NSAT has stopped transmissions on Sky Digital channel 837 amid reports that it had been suffering financial problems. NSAT had hoped to become a subscription channel and begin 24-hour broadcasts later this year, the latest problems mean this now looks unlikely. |
|
| Teachers TV launches on Sky this week 07-02-05 |
| New educational channel Teachers TV will launch on Sky Digital and several other digital TV platforms on Tuesday (February 8). Funded by the Department for Education and Skills but editorially independent, the free-to-air channel will be aimed at helping busy teachers with programmes that share ideas and experiences. Teachers TV will be availale on Sky Digital channel 686, NTL channel 803 and Telewest channel 47. |
|
| 'Emmerdale' actor Stan Richards dies 13-02-05 |
| Stan Richards, who played Seth Armstrong in Emmerdale, has died at the age of 74. The actor passed away peacefully in his sleep, show producers Yorkshire Television said. Richards joined the soap 25 years ago, and was the longest serving soap actor outside of Coronation Street. |
|
| Coronation Street to go interactive 13-02-05 |
| ITV soap Coronation Street is to add 'red button interactivity' to its programme on Sky this summer. Interactive features planned for the soap will include additional sub-plots and background stories, out-takes, behind-the-scenes coverage and competitions. |
|
| Top Up TV subscriber numbers 'going to plan' 13-02-05 |
| David Chance, the chairman of Top Up TV, the digital terrestrial pay TV service, has said the service's acquisition of subscribers is “going according to plan" with around 150,000 customers having signed up. He added: "We said we’d achieve our break-even target of 250,000 within two years and we’re on target." The comments came amid speculation that the service is under pressure because of the low number of Freeview boxes equipped with pay TV card slots and its poor content line-up, which contains no sport or film channels. |
|
| ITV News Channel returns to Freeview 13-02-05 |
| The ITV News Channel looks set to reappear on Freeview this Spring. According to a Sky Viewers Enquiries helpline, the channel will resume in the Central region in mid March; Granada, Yorkshire and Tyne Tees in mid April; Meridian, Anglia, HTV West and HTV Wales in mid-May; Scottish and Grampian in late May; Ulster in mid July; and the Westcountry and Border regions in late July. |
|
| BBC is 'guaranteed licence fee for 10 years' 13-02-05 |
| The BBC is guaranteed to receive the proceeds of the UK's TV licence fee for another decade, according to Whitehall sources quoted in The Guardian. However, the government is likely to review the level of the licence fee in five years' time - amid concerns in some quarters that the BBC is still complacent and believes it has done enough to demonstrate it has put its house in order post-Hutton. |
|
| Ofcom outlines digital switch-off schedule 13-02-05 |
| Media regulator Ofcom has finally outlined its schedule for switching off the UK's analogue TV signal. It said a region-by-region process would start in 2008, with analogue transmitters being gradually turned off. In order to reach its proposed December 31, 2012 deadline for the final switch-over, it is proposing a phased switchover by ITV region rather than geography over the course of four years. Viewers in London and the Channel Islands will be among the last to have to make the digital transition. The Government is now considering Ofcom's timetable before deciding whether to give it the go-ahead. |
|
| BBC planning new sports TV channel 13-02-05 |
| The BBC has confirmed it is considering the launch of its own dedicated sports TV channel covering minority sports. Peter Salmon, director of BBC sport, said: "In the course of the next licence period, there should be a really good debate over the BBC and the diversity of its sports provision - including a specialist channel. I think it would be good for the nation's sporting life and good for the BBC as a public service broadcaster if we were in that business." The BBC has been linked to such a channel several times in recent years but the plans have never before come to fruition. |
|
| UKTV channels reshuffled in Sky line-up 20-02-05 |
| Three UKTV channels have moved within Sky's onscreen programme guide. UKTV Food is on channel 145 (previously 144), while UKTV Food +1 is now on channel 146 (previously 145), and UKTV Drama has switched to channel 147 (previously 146). The changes will allow UKTV Style Gardens to launch on channel 144, as reported in our separate story. |
|
| ITV1 FTA 25-02-05 |
| ITV1 currently FTA on 10.758 Vertical, 22000 5/6, Channel ID ITV5-Test1. It appears to be a simucast of ITV1 Meridian. All other regions are still encrypted. This channel keeps switching between ITV1 and ITV News Channel. Presently showing "William Road" Testcard. |
|
| EastEnders goes interactive 27-02-05 |
| The BBC is adding interactivity to EastEnders for the first time on Monday February 28th, while ITV is preparing the launch of its own Coronation Street service this summer. EastEnders Xtra will be available to digital viewers immediately after the show goes out on Monday nights and will provide 15-minute behind-the-scenes shows with more in-depth insight into the show's characters, cast, storylines and gossip. Meanwhile, Corrie is reportedly planning to offer behind-the-scenes clips, programme out-takes and supplementary storylines. |
|
| Sky confirms launch of second slot SkyCard 27-02-05 |
| Sky has announced plans to launch its own credit card which will be able to be inserted into Digiboxes to reward subscribers for remaining with the servivce. Viewers will be able to earn reward points on purchases made using their remote controls. Sky has signed a deal with Barclaycard to launch 'SkyCard', which subscribers will be able to insert into the second slot of their set-top boxes. Jon Florsheim, Sky's chief of sales, said: "SkyCard will build on the value delivered to customers, enabling them to save money through the loyalty scheme and to get more out of their Sky digital subscription." |
|
| Channel 4 reveals launch date for new channel 27-02-05 |
| Channel 4 has announced that its planned free-to-air factual channel More4 will launch in October. It will be targeted at ABC1 viewers over 35 and will have a huge £30m annual programme budget. It will focus mainly on documentaries with daily news programmes and current affairs shows which, according to Channel 4's director of TV Kevin Lygo, will be "more down-to-earth and accessible than BBC4." He added: "More4 will have clear public service ambitions and will commission original programmes across a number of genres. It will have a strong international and multi-cultural flavour." |
|
| ITV to cut Kids programmes 27-02-05 |
| Ofcom has given the green light to controversial plans for ITV to cut its religious and children's programming by as much as a half. Weeks after the broadcaster was given the OK to halve its non-news regional television output, Ofcom said the commercial broadcaster could slash its commitment to religious programming by 50% and cut back on children's programmes by nearly a third. The cuts mean ITV will have to show just one hour a week of religious programmes, and just eight hours of programming dedicated to children. |
|
| March 2005 |
| Top Up TV misleading the public 7-03-05 |
| Top Up TV, the pay-TV service for digital terrestrial viewers, has been reprimanded by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for trying to pass off five channels as 10 in its promotions. |
|
| New channel on Freeview 7-03-05 |
| Broadcaster Crown Castle has found room on one of its multiplexes to allow the launch of a further new channel on Freeview. The same compression techniques as used onm multiplex D will be applied to multiplex C to make way for a new 18-hour channel. ITV and Channel 4 are among the front-runners bidding to run the first extra channel while the loser, along with other unsuccessful bidders, may be invited to resubmit their proposals for the second channel. |
|
| New Sky interactive website 7-03-05 |
| Sky Interactive, the interactive arm of Sky Digital, has launched a Web site to help educate the TV industry about the opportunities for interactive TV services and drive further growth of the Sky Digital platform. Click here to visit the new site. |
|
| Radio London to launch on Sky 7-03-05 |
| Radio London has confirmed that it plans to launch on Sky Digital on March 21 on channel 940. The free-to-air station will broadcast a mix of popular, rock and R 'n' B music with regular news and weather bulletins. |
|
| BBC Charter News 7-03-05 |
| Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell has published a consultative 'Green Paper' on the review of the BBC's Royal Charter aimed at ensuring a strong, independent BBC for the future. A key recommendation is the abolition of the current board of Governors to be replaced by a new, transparent and accountable BBC Trust. Jowell also recommended that the licence fee should continue, at a level to be set in the next phase of Charter Review. Before the end of the next Charter period there will be a review of whether there is a case for other methods of funding the BBC beyond 2016 – particularly subscription. |
|
| Loophole in the Licence Fee 7-03-05 |
| A licence fee loophole may allow viewers to watch TV on the internet for free, according to press reports. Although the licensing authorities maintain that anyone watching TV on their computer would need a TV licence, Ofcom, the communications regulator, and the Department for Culture, question that claim with Ofcom saying it is a grey area. The uncertainty potentially leaves the BBC open to thousands of households avoiding the licence fee by watching TV on computers. |
|
| Thomson to build new Sky HDTV receiver 7-03-05 |
| Sky has announced that it has appointed Thomson as the initial manufacturer of the set-top box for its upcoming High-Definition Television (HDTV) service. Speaking at the DVB World conference in Dublin, Sky's Chief Operating Officer, Richard Freudenstein, said box would also feature a similar Personal Video Recorder capability to the existing Sky+ box. He also said that Sky would launch its first HDTV service in 2006, adding that while Sky's HDTV receiver will be compatible with any TV set, customers will require an 'HD Ready' TV set with a flat-screen display of 26” or larger to enjoy the full benefits of HDTV picture quality. |
|
| Dyke: BBC governance plans 'unworkable' 7-03-05 |
Former BBC director general Greg Dyke has branded the government's plan to replace the corporation's governors with a new trust and executive board "unworkable". Mr Dyke, an outspoken critic of the governors since they fired him in the aftermath of the Hutton report, said most of the plans outlined in the green paper were good news for the BBC. But he predicted it will not solve the thorny issue of governance.
"Overall it's very good news for the BBC and that should be welcomed," said Mr Dyke, adding that the retention of the licence fee was the biggest win for the corporation. However, he said: "The governance proposals are difficult to understand and it's very difficult to see how they can make it work. "The one area that still needs to be sorted is the area of governance. I don't believe the proposals can be made to work."
Mr Dyke is not alone in his prediction. It comes as opposition against the foundation of a BBC Trust and executive board - a so-called "high co" and "low co" - begins to build among some Lords. Many Tory peers in particular believe there is not enough separation between the two boards. |
|
| ITV1 suffers in the ratings 7-03-05 |
ITV1 has suffered one of its worst ratings slides in years, with audiences for the first two months of 2005 down 10%. And worryingly for the channel, almost a quarter of younger viewers have switched off over the past year. New audience figures show 23% fewer 16-to 34-year-olds watched ITV in January and February this year than in the same two months in 2004. Figures show that in January, ITV1's audience share was down from 24.5% in 2004 to 22.1% in 2005, a drop of 10%. In February the share was 22.3%, down from 24.6% last year. The only channel to lose more viewers over the same period was BBC2. Its average audience share for January and February was down 12% on this time last year.
The figures come just a few days before ITV's preliminary results, which are expected to show a rise in earnings of almost 40%. |
|
| New Sky Digital Software upgrade 7-03-05 |
| Sky digiboxes are expected to get an important over-the-air software upgrade this month which will provide several new functions. The downloads will reportedly go out from March 14 onwards and may provide several new features including blocking of specific channels at certain times, an option to highlight channels which offer audio description or subtitles, now and next listings for radio stations, and the ability to set the interactive red dot icon to disappear after 30 seconds. |
|
| New ITV Transponder switched on 11-03-05 |
| ITV1 Anglia and ITV1 Tyne Tees have moved to a previously unused transponder. The two channels can now be found on Transponder 41, 10.714 H, SR 22000, FEC 5/6. ITV Transponder 44, 10.758 V, 22000, FEC 5/6 previously carried ITV4, ITV 5 tests and the Williams Road testcard. There are no channels at present on this transponder, it remains switched on. |
|
| Channel 4 to launch documentry channel 11-03-05 |
| Channel 4 is to launch a dedicated broadband documentary channel, called FourDocs, that will celebrate all aspects of the genre and promote documentary film making in the UK. FourDoc users will be able to upload their own films and get practical advice from experienced programme makers, as well as sharing views about films. In addition, the channel will offer archives of celebrated documentaries, interviews with famous documentary makers and a clips library containing downloadable, copyright-cleared general shots to help filmmakers flesh out sequences for their own films. The documentaries can be on any subject but must be no longer than four minutes. |
|
| New Doctor Who leaked 14-03-05 |
| The BBC has launched an investigation into how a new episode of cult TV sci-fi series Doctor Who leaked onto the Internet. The classic programme, which has been off-air since 1989, makes a much-anticipated return later on March 26 with Christopher Eccleston starring as the time-traveling hero and former pop star Billie Piper as his sidekick. However, the BBC said one of the 13 new 45-minute episodes had been posted on the Web. "This is a significant breach of copyright which is currently under investigation," said a BBC spokesperson. |
|
| ITV and C4 may join Freeview consortium 14-03-05 |
| ITV and Channel 4 could soon become stakeholders in Freeview, according to Broadcast. The networks, who are currently vying for a vacant spot on the service, have been invited into the consortium, which includes the BBC, BSkyB and Crown Castle. Although they would not make any money from the not-for-profit organisation, joining the trio would give the broadcasters a say in important issues during the run-up to switchover, such as marketing. Freeview chairman Peter Abery admitted last week that they had held talks with a number of interested parties but would particularly welcome support from the two largest commercial networks. |
|
| BBC to adopt new interactive logo 14-03-05 |
| The BBC's interactive TV brand BBCi is to unveil a new-look logo, featuring a little red dot in place of the chunky 'i', a move that the corporation hopes will encourage more people to use the service. The entire BBCi service is being fully redesigned in the same black, white and red colours of the logo to help raise awareness among viewers who have not yet pressed the red button on their TV remote controls. The new look is the second stage of the BBC's move to make life easier for BBC viewers following the introduction of page numbers last year. The new logo has been created in-house by BBC New Media's interactive TV design team and will be launched on Telewest first before appearing on Sky Digital and Freeview during the next few weeks. |
|
| Grant Mitchell to return to EastEnders? 21-03-05 |
ITV chiefs are trying to prevent Ross Kemp from returning to EastEnders, by offering him a £500,000 contract to star in a new series of Ultimate Force, according to The People today.
Recent rumours have suggested that EastEnders producers are keen for Kemp, who played Grant Mitchell, to sign a new two-year contract, offering him £500,000 a year. However, ITV executives are apparently hoping that, by offering him the same salary for considerably less work, Kemp will be convinced not to return to the BBC.
An ITV source told the newspaper, "Ross is far from signed, sealed and delivered to EastEnders. If he stays with ITV, he would earn the same for six hours' screen work a year as for 44 weeks of hard graft." A spokesman for EastEnders said, "We are in early negotiations, but nothing is settled." |
|
| BBC to axe 1,730 jobs 21-03-05 |
| The BBC is to cut 1,730 jobs in the first round of its cost cutting exercise. Staff were told that 980 would be made redundant and a further 750 jobs "outsourced". The jobs are being lost from the BBC's professional services division. Trade Union officials have pledged to fight the announcement. |
|
| ITV4 will be on Freeview 21-03-05 |
| ITV is reported to have been successful with its bid to secure the vacant channel space on Freeview, according to The Guardian. The broadcaster is expected to fill the 18-hour slot, which becomes available on April 1, for its new male-targetted channel, ITV4. Crown Castle is reported to be offering a second Freeview channel to the highest bidder - and Channel 4 is likely to be among the front runners. |
|
| BBC to launch localised TV news channels 21-03-05 |
| The BBC is to trial a series of local TV news channel that will serve individual towns and cities. If successful, similar local news channels could launch in cities and counties across the UK. The first project will be piloted in the West Midlands this September and BBC Director General Mark Thompson said the service will go out on digital cable and satellite TV, as well as the Web. The areas chosen are Herefordshire and Worcestershire, Stoke and Staffordshire, Shropshire, Coventry and Warwickshire. A further service will also cover the area served by the BBC's WM radio station in Birmingham. |
|
| New Sky Software upgrade latest 28-03-05 |
The new Sky software upgrade, which should now be under way will include some of the following new features:
1. The first new feature will be the ability to block specific channels. It will allow us to PIN protect individual channels.
2. There will also be an option to highlight channels which have an audio decription or subtitles , and subtitles can be switched on/off from the search and scan banner.
3. The radio listings will also have now and next although there will be much bigger changes to radio in a future softwaredowload.
4. The interactive i symbol, or red dot can be set to switch off. There will be a 30 second timeout then it will automatically disappear. However change channel and it will re-appear (if only for another 30 secs again).
There is apparently another dowload scheduled, though no date has been given. This will have the EPG background changing slightly Also the facility to remove the adult channels fully from the PPV via a menu. |
|
| April 2005 |
| Strike threatens ITV 01-04-05 |
| Broadcasting unions are threatening to pull the plug on ITV shows including Coronation Street, Emmerdale and Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway next month in a series of strikes over a disputed annual pay claim. |
|
| Christopher Eccleston quits Doctor Who 01-04-05 |
| Christopher Eccleston has quit as Doctor Who after just one series. The news comes after the BBC announced it had already given the go-ahead to a second series following the success of Saturday's first episode, which was seen by more than 10 million viewers. Eccleston, who admitted he found the show's filming schedule "gruelling," decided to leave over concerns of becoming typecast. "The audience’s response for the new Doctor Who has been incredible and I am really proud to be part of it," he said in a statement. "I hope viewers continue to enjoy the series." Unusually, the BBC has confirmed it is "in talks" with Casanova star David Tennant as a possible replacement. Eccleston's final appearance will be in a special episode this Christmas. |
|
| Sky plans major EPG changes 01-04-05 |
Sky is planning a huge revamp of its digital EPG later this year, according to a report in Broadcast. Paramount to the changes is an expansion in the number of genre categories from seven to fifteen. The existing 'main menu' page of the EPG groups channels in the genres of Entertainment, Movies, Sports, News & Documentaries, Kids, Music & Radio and Specialist. Links are also provided to view listings for all channels, an A-Z programme guide and the Personal Planner / Sky+ menu.
Although the seven-category split was more than sufficient when Sky launched its digital service in 1998, the number of channels has exploded in recent years from an initial 140 to almost 500 by the end of 2004. As a result, an increasing number of channels have been launched into inappropriate categories - particularly in the 'entertainment' section - while an even larger number have found themselves hidden away in the depths of the guide.
Sky's solution is to more than double the number of categories to fifteen. In order to facilitate the changes, the main menu page will be split into two. Listed on the first page will be Entertainment, Lifestyle & Culture, Movies, Sports, News, Documentaries, Kids and Music, while the second page will house Radio, Shopping, Religion, International, Gaming & Dating, Specialist and Adult.
The assigned EPG numbers for most channels will also change, although the five terrestrial stations are guaranteed to keep their existing positions at the top of the guide.
Furthermore, Broadcast reports that Sky themselves will be assigning the channels to their new categories and EPG numbers. Broadcasters were notified of an initial decision today (March 31), although they are all being given an opportunity to modify channel content in time for a final review period in June.
"These enhancements are designed to improve navigability for viewers and to assist Sky to meet continued demand for EPG slots," said a Sky spokesperson. "Better signposting will help make it easier for viewers to find the programme and channels that they want to watch."
The new EPG structure will be rolled out to viewers "over a six week period" this autumn. |
|
| Digital reaching nearly 60% of households 04-04-05 |
| Just-released figures from media regulator Ofcom show digital TV penetration in the UK is close to breaching the 60% barrier, with 59.4% of UK households having made the switch by the end of 2004. Freeview's digital terrestrial service accounted for the lion’s share of this 6.6% growth on the previous quarter. The total number of digital households stood at nearly 14.8m as of December 31. Sky Digital's satellite service accounted for 7.3m of these, and Freeview 4.6m. While this represented only 2.5% quarterly growth for Sky, Freeview rocketed by 17.3%. |
|
| BBC and Sky in Football row 04-04-05 |
| The BBC and Sky are reported to be involved in a row over who will broadcast which of this season's FA Cup semi-finals. Arsenal take on Blackburn on Saturday week with Manchester United and Newcastle clashing the following day, both at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium. And the Sunday game is the one both the BBC and Sky Sports want - with neither broadcaster willing to back down, according to Sunday newspapers. |
|
| ITV to relaunch Men & Motors (ITV4) 04-04-05 |
| ITV has confirmed it will "relaunch" Men and Motors next month, a month later than originally expected. The news comes as ITV was named as the winner of the first vacant channel space on Freeview. "Men and Motors is changing and will be relaunched as a shinier, naughtier, funkier channel in May," said a message posted on the channel's official Web site. ITV is expected to overhaul the channel into ITV4 later in 2005. |
|
| Sky begins over-the-air Digibox upgrade 11-04-05 |
| Sky has begun sending out automatic over-the-air software updates to all Sky digiboxes in order to launch several new features. They include the ability to block specific channels at certain times, and an option to set the interactive red dot icon to automatically disappear after 30 seconds, under Services, then Picture Sttings. |
|
| More4 to launch FTA in October 11-04-05 |
| Channel 4 has confirmed the launch date of More4, its upcoming free-to-air digital TV channel. Starting in October, the channel will be available on Freeview, Sky Digital and cable and will premiere new episodes of popular US drama The West Wing and will have a strong emphasis on factual programmes plus original and acquired dramas and films. More4 will also have a daily news programme to extend the Channel 4 News brand, and there is likely to be a nightly talkshow covering topical issues. The new channel is part of C4's long-term plan to launch various digital channels and keep its voice in the multi-channel world. |
|
| Astra 2C moving to 28.2° East 11-04-05 |
| Astra 2C is to be relocated at 28.2° East, ASTRA 2C, currently in service at 19.2° East, and will be moved following the successful launches of ASTRA 1KR and ASTRA 1L, to provide additional capacity to meet the strong demand in the UK and Irish markets. |
|
| BBC2 lines up space comedy 11-04-05 |
| Six years after Red Dwarf last blasted off, BBC2 is launching a new comedy revolving around the dysfunctional crew of a spaceship that travels around the galaxy trying to promote Britain in the 22nd century. Referring to the acclaimed German film about a second world war German U-boat, the executive producer, Jon Plowman, said the sitcom, which has the working title Full Power, could best be described as a "hilarious version of Das Boot in space". |
|
| Two more channel slots on Freeview 18-04-05 |
| Freeview co-owner Crown Castle is this week reported to be preparing another two TV channel slots on the digital terrestrial platform for auction. It comes after the award of one slot to ITV and a widely expected deal with Channel 4 for a second slot. A Crown Castle spokesman told The Guardian: "While the effect of the new ITV and Channel 4 services on the existing Freeview channels remains to be seen, Crown Castle has indicated it can squeeze additional capacity on." Competition was fierce for the recent channel contests with Five, Turner and Disney reportedly bidding for the slot that went to ITV for an annual fee said to be over £5m. |
|
| Sky launches first interactive TV credit card 18-04-05 |
| The UK's first interactive TV credit and loyalty card has been launched by Sky. The SkyCard works like any other credit card in shops and cash machines worldwide, but can also be inserted in the interactive slot on the Sky Digibox, letting customers manage their credit card via their TV, view the latest rewards available and redeem Sky Points. |
|
| RTÉ launches on Sky in Northern Ireland 18-04-05 |
| Sky Digital viewers in Northern Ireland will be able to receive RTÉ One, RTÉ Two and TG4 in their channel line-up for the first time from Monday April 18th. RTÉ One will be on channel 267, RTÉ Two will be on 268, and TG4 will be on 269. Noel Curran, Managing Director of RTÉ Television, said: "We have always believed that RTÉ services should be available to as wide an audience as possible on all platforms and today is another step towards achieving that goal. We are now, along with TG4, the first broadcasters to be available on Sky digital on an all-island basis." |
|
| New film channels launch 25-04-05 |
| Sit-up TV's two new film channel will launch on Sky Digital this week. Matinee Movies will be on channel 336 and Bad Movies will be on channel 339. Matinee movies will broadcast classic movies between 9am - 9pm each day, while Bad Movies will be on air from 9pm to 9am and will be the world’s first movie channel dedicated to the very worst in film entertainment. |
|
| Travel channel 3 25-04-05 |
| Travel Channel 3 is expected to launch on Sky Digital this week... On Sky Digital, FX has moved from channel 289 to 270, while Sky Vegas Live has moved from 295 to 272. |
|
| Greg Dyke is planning ITV Takeover? 25-04-05 |
| ITV's shares on the London exchange have climbed in recent days as rumours in the press continued to ciculate that former BBC Director General Greg Dyke is planning to team up with private equity firm Apax to launch a takeover. City analysts suggested that a bid would have to come in at about £7 billion but would be difficult to justify, given concerns about advertising at the UK's biggest commercial broadcaster. Meanwhile, there is also speculation that former Five chief executive David Elstein's company Sparrowhawk could also be lining up a bid for the company. |
|
| BBC to launch viewers film channel 25-04-05 |
| The BBC is giving viewers an opportunity to broadcast their own short films via interactive TV. It is launching a new 24-hour red button service on Sky Digital called Your Stories which draws on content produced out of two other BBC projects, Video Nation and Digital Stories, designed to arm people with the necessary skills to make their own films. Rahul Chakkara, controller of BBCi, said: "The BBCi audience is maturing. They are looking for content that is social and highly involving, and available to them whenever they want. Your Stories is the beginning of our efforts to meet this need. We go beyond involvement through interaction and we involve our audiences by encouraging them to produce their own content." |
|
| Fashion TV return to Sky - encrypted 25-04-05 |
| Eighty years after its launch in print, the BBC's TV listings magazine is poised to offer an electronic programme guide (EPG) in the UK. The Radio Times will provide listings content, previews and reviews to the subscription-free, seven-day EPG. Under the agreement the BBC Worldwide-owned Radio Times will sell all advertising on GUIDE Plus+ and will promote the service through its magazine and other media platforms. |
|
| BBC Three starts multi-screen TV 25-04-05 |
| From this Sunday (May 1), Sky Digital viewers will have greater choice over the way they watch BBC Three programmes. From 9pm, viewers will be prompted to press the red button to be offered the choice of three additional streams of programming complementary to BBC Three and categorised under Dramatic, Funny and Real. On a sample Sunday evening content available could range from Nighty Night and Bodies to Little Angels. Stuart Murphy, Controller of BBC Three, said: "The 'Best of Three' multi-screen trial is a bold and ground-breaking new application which offers viewers more control and greater access to the wide range of programmes on BBC Three. In the future we believe viewers will want to watch their favourite show when they want it and not wait until a scheduler decides to transmit it." Viewers will be encouraged to try out the service and the trial will last six months. |
|
| Men & Motors channel (ITV4) on Freeview 25-04-05 |
| A temporary preview channel advertising the upcoming launch of ITV's Men & Motors channel (ITV4) on Freeview has appeared on channel number 38. The relaunched channel will contain entertainment based programmes and feature lifestyle shows that will appeal to young male viewers. The channel fully launches on Freeview, Monday, May 2nd 2005. |
|
| E4 FTA on Freeview, pay channel on Sky 27-04-05 |
Channel 4 has today confirmed that it will launch its digital entertainment channel, E4, on the Freeview platform to coincide with the start of the sixth series of Big Brother at the end of May.
Big Brother fans in Freeview homes will be able to join those with satellite or cable in accessing live, round-the-clock streaming from the house, with E4 joining the free-to-air digital terrestrial TV platform for the first time. Channel 4 will launch time-shifted channel, E4 +1, on Freeview, at the same time. E4 will continue to transmit on satellite exclusively as part of the Sky Digital package, as a continuation of its existing carriage deal with BSkyB. However, BSkyB will no longer be required to pay Channel 4 a subscription fee in return for selling E4 as part of its Sky Digital line-up. There are no plans at present to place E4 on Sky's Freesat package. |
|
| May 2005 |
| Five may be planning women's TV channel 03-05-05 |
| Terrestrial broadcaster five, is reportedly considering the launch of a new digital TV channel aimed at female viewers. The station would have similar output to that of Living TV, according to press reports. A spokesperson for Five said that "a range of options" were being considered as part of the channel's digital strategy. |
|
| ITV3 a success, but not many viewers! 03-05-05 |
| ITV3 has been the most successfully launched digital channel on record, but has still failed to make much impact on the overall share for the ITV family of channels, according to new ratings figures. |
|
| Virgin Radio Classic Rock launches 03-05-05 |
| Virgin Radio Classic Rock has launched on Sky Digital. The station airs a mix of guitar driven rock including Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Van Halen, Aerosmith and The Who. It will initially be available on WRN's 'Radio' service on channel 934 but will move to a dedicated channel later in the year. |
|
| Travel Channel times change 03-05-05 |
| The Travel Channel on Sky Digital channel 148 has changed its transmission times. It has changed back to the broadcast hours of 7am-1am that it originally used. Meanwhile, its sister service Travel Channel 2 on Sky channel 149 has become a timeshifted service. Travel Channel +1 broadcasts from 8am-2am each day, providing the Travel Channel's schedule on a one hour delay. |
|
| Sky struggling to find new subscribers 03-05-05 |
| Sky is likely to report an 18 per cent increase in third quarter revenues this week, but the broadcaster could soon be running out of new subscribers in Ireland and in Britain, according to city analysts. In the previous quarter, Sky signed up 192,000 new subscribers, of which a disproportionately large 32,000 were from the Republic of Ireland. Analysts believe that competition from rivals, including Freeview, has reduced Sky's potential in its main British market. Indeed, some brokers forecast that Sky shares, which have barely risen since the start of the year will be little changed over the next year from current levels. James Enck, analyst at Daiwa Institute of Research in London, has a 12-month target for Sky of 549 pence - little changed from the 537p the shares traded at last week. |
|
| Top Up TV new 'pay-per-day' service 03-05-05 |
| Digital terrestrial pay-TV servuce Top Up TV is testing a new 'pay-per-day' service called Xtra which operates without a smartcard. Instead, viewers call a premium rate line which authorises the £1-a-day payment for the service. Top Up co-founder David Chance, a former Sky executive, said the service is a "cheap and flexible service." A full launch for all viewers is expected to go ahead soon. |
|
| True Movies launches on Sky 03-05-05 |
| Movies 333, the free-to-air films channel which shows titles with a true story theme, has been given a new name and extra broadcast time. Now called True Movies, the channel is on air 24 hours a day and is found on Sky Digital channel 333. |
|
| Dixon returns to Dock Green 03-05-05 |
| He was the old-fashioned beat bobby whose reassuring 'Evenin' all' became a national catchphrase. Now Dixon of Dock Green is to return after 30 years with six plays for Radio 4. |
|
| Sky heading for 8 million 09-05-05 |
| Sky says it is on track to reach its target of 8 million subscribers by the end of 2005, having reached 7,704,000 by the end of March. Its latest financial results show that net additions stood at 95,000 in the quarter ending March 31, while the number of Sky+ subscribers was up 128,000 to a total of 770,000, and multiroom subscribers grew by 90,000 to 563,000. Profits also continued to grow - rising £273 million from £243 million a year ago. |
|
| New EPG numbers for Viacom channels 09-05-05 |
| VH1 has moved from channel number 445 to 441, positioning it next to flagship channel MTV, MTV Hits has relocated from its previous home of 441 to 442 and MTV2 which was formerly available on 442 can now be found on 445 near to VH2. |
|
| BBC staff to strike next week 12-05-05 |
BECTU, NUJ and Amicus members at the BBC have voted for industrial action in protest at planned job cuts.
77.6% of BECTU voters in the main BBC voted to strike: out of 2457 votes, 1907 were cast in favour of industrial action, with only 549 members voting against. 199 votes were cast at BBC Broadcast; of those, 175 were in favour of industrial action. In BBC Resources, there were 413 votes in total - 357 in favour of a strike.
2159 votes were cast by NUJ members, with 1810 in favour of industrial action and 348 against. Results from Amicus are not yet available.
Of the votes cast, the plurality in favour of industrial action was overwhelming. However, turnout figures were somewhat low: only 49.4% of BECTU members in the main BBC voted; in BBC Broadcast, 54.5% of members voted; and in BBC Resources, 56.1% of members voted. The NUJ's turnout figure was higher, with 64.2% of that union's members voting. "This is a clear signal to Mark Thompson that he is going too far, too fast, in his plans for changes," said Luke Crawley of BECTU. "We've got an overwhelming mandate for strike action, proving that the Director General is badly out of touch with his staff." |
|
| E4 goes 24 12-05-05 |
E4 has confirmed plans to broadcast 24 hours a day, with a new "Music Zone" block of programming to air from 6am to 2pm daily.
The channel, which is currently only on air from 2pm to 4am, will as usual provide live streaming coverage from the Big Brother house during the series' upcoming sixth season. Once BB ends, the E4 Music Zone will air daily. The news coincides with the launch of a music download store featuring unsigned bands on Channel 4's website. |
|
| NDS Videoguard with Dragon CAM? 12-05-05 |
It now seems possible to use a Dragon CAM for decrypting Sky Digital with an original Sky card. Firstly you must tell your Dragon CAM the serial number of the original Sky receiver your card is married to.
You can find this 10-digit number in the menu of your original Sky box,
services->system setup->system details.
You need the SERIAL NUMBER (and NOT the viewing card number!)
Now go to the menu of you Dragon, settings->NDS Box serial.
Here, enter the 10 digit serial number including any leading zeroes.
If your NDS card was already inserted into the Dragon, remove and
re-insert it after changing the Box Serial. Failure to set the recivers serial number will result in premium channels not beind decrypted.
There is no confirmation that the Dragon CAM will work with other versions of Videoguard, used by Viasat and Sky Italia. |
|
| Yorkshire film channel starting on Sky 16-05-05 |
| A new film channel exclusively showing content from Yorkshire and the Humber will be launched on Sky Digital at the end of the year. Called 'Propeller', it will initially broadcast for six hours a day showing local-produced hits such as The Full Monty, Brassed Off and Calendar Girls. The region is building a stable of independent producers and digital media companies and hopes to further boost this with the new channel. The channel is being financed by a £2.9m deal from Yorkshire Forward, a regional development agency. |
|
| Jackpot TV games channel launches on Sky 16-05-05 |
| A new interactive games and quiz channel has been added to Sky's line-up. Jackpot TV has launched on Sky Digital channel 275, and is on air from 10am until 10pm each day. |
|
| Music channels shuffled in Sky Digital EPG 16-05-05 |
| Several music channels in Sky Digital's line-up have been shuffled around in the Electronic Programme Guide (EPG). MTV Hits has moved from 441 to 442, MTV2 has moved from 442 to 445, and VH1 has moved from 445 to 441. |
|
| BBC staff on strike 23-05-05 |
| BBC staff are to strike for 24 hours on 23 May and 48 hours on 31 May and 1 June in a row over job cuts. Unions say a fourth stoppage will also be announced to create the "greatest amount of disruption" possible. BBC employees are protesting at plans to cut 3,780 jobs and privatise parts of the corporation. The unions said the cuts were the most damaging in BBC history. The corporation said it regretted the decision to take industrial action. |
|
| Channel Four profits rise 34 per cent 23-05-05 |
| Record income from advertising helped Channel Four's profits rise last year to £46m, up 34 per cent from £34.3m, according to official figures out this week. It was helped by a four-fold rise in operating profits from commercial arm 4 Ventures to reach £12.1m. Chief executive Andy Duncan said the profits were being re-invested in the core C4 terrestrial channel, along with digital channels E4 and soon-to-be launched More4. |
|
| UEFA Cup Final in HDTV 23-05-05 |
| German satellite channel ProSiebenSat.1 will broadcast a live transmission of a major sports event in high definition format. The UEFA Champions League final between FC Liverpool and AC Milan on May 25, 2005 will be transmitted live from the Atatürk Olympia Stadium in Istanbul in high-resolution HDTV. It will be available at 19.2° East at 11.4355GHz vertical. |
|
| FHM Music TV launces on Sky Digital 23-05-05 |
| Men's magazine FHM has launched its own music TV channel, FHM Music TV and claimed that it offers the "sexiest singers, bikini-packed videos, urban and cult classics." The schedule includes programmes called Pump it Up, a daily workout session; Battle of the Butts, featuring the backsides of female celebs; and School of Rock, playing air-guitar anthems. Shirley Renwick, MD at Emap TV, said: "The decision to push FHM into a music channel just makes sense. The audience feedback on our FHM branded shows has been tremendous: they want more FHM, so that’s what we’re giving them." The channel is timesharing with existing music channel Q on Sky Digital channel 453, broadcasting between 4pm and 6am daily. |
|
| Astra 2D Website has moved to www.astra2d.com 23-05-05 |
The Astra 2D Website has moved to a new website and now has a new domain name, (www.astra2d.com). The old webspace and domain were provided and owned by a sponsor. The site was down over the weekend and there was no way to continue with the old address.
The new domain and webspace are owned by this website, so this is now the new permanent home for the Astra 2D Website.
Please update your links and bookmarks! |
|
| ITV Confirms Autumn launch for ITV4 29-05-05 |
| ITV chief executive Charles Allen has confirmed plans for a new channel targeting male viewers. Addressing ITV's annual meeting, Allen said the channel, ITV4, would launch later this year. It will be available on the Freeview platform after ITV won an additional channel slot in an auction earlier this year. Allen said ITV's family of digital channels—ITV1, ITV2, ITV3 and ITV News—was driving growth for the broadcaster and predicted an overall 3% rise in advertising revenues in the first half-year. |
|
| June 2005 |
| Ofcom aiming for 98.5% DTT coverage 06-06-05 |
| Ofcom says digital terrestrial television (DTT) coverage in the UK should reach at least the same proportion of households (98.5 per cent) after switchover as are reached by current analogue TV broadcasts. This is to ensure that after switchover UK households continue to receive the nationally available public service TV channels such as BBC1, BBC2, ITV1 and Channel 4. |
|
| Virgin TV to launch on mobile phones 06-06-05 |
| Virgin Mobile is to launch a TV service that will allow customers to watch a range of digital channels and even record programmes on their mobile phones. Virgin Mobile said that the service will take the existing digital broadcast signal and adapt it so it can be viewed on a mobile phone. Virgin Mobile has reportedly abandoned its network partner T-Mobile for the service, but will use the company's 3G network to offer interactive elements. |
|
| South Asia World available on Sky Digital 06-06-05 |
| An Asian news TV channel, South Asia World, has launched on Sky Digital channel 540. Broadcasting live from India and the US, the English-language channel targets South Asian viewers with a mixture of news and programmes from India and the Asian continent, plus local content from the US and UK. The channel is broadcasting on a free-to-air basis until the end of June when it will join the five ZEE channels on a subscription basis. |
|
| New quiz channel starts on Sky Digital 06-06-05 |
| A new quiz channel has launched on Sky Digital channel 276 called The Great Big British Quiz. Former kids TV presenter Timmy Mallett was the first face seen the station. Managing Director Mark Murphy said the British public has a huge appetite for quizzes and games, and claims the new channel is the only service to consistently give away high returns to its viewers. The free-to-air station is on air daily from 3pm until 2am. |
|
| Eurosport joins Top Up TV's line-up 06-06-05 |
| Freeview viewers who subscribe to the £7.99-a-month Top Up TV package can now watch British Eurosport after the sports service decided to join Top Up's 10-channel package on channel 49. It has replaced E4, which is now free-to-air. Eurosport is on air for nine hours a day between 2pm and 11pm. It is the second sports channel on digital terrestrial TV, joining Sky Sports News which is free-to-air. |
|
| Faze TV channel unveils launch plans 06-06-05 |
| A brand new gay channel called Faze TV will make its debut on Sky Digital on September 1. The pay-TV station will launch after a big advertising push at this summer's gay pride festivals. "The launch of a TV channel just for gay men is long overdue in Britain," said Bouchier. "The channel’s schedule will appeal to every aspect of being a gay man in Britain today and we will avoid the clichés which mainstream channels use to appeal to their ‘straight’ audience. There are many gay men on television today – but no TV for gay men." |
|
| MGt to provide Freeview support 06-06-05 |
| MGt, a supplier of support services to the media industry, has been chosen by Freeview to provide its customer services. All aspects of Freeview's customer service requirements will be covered by MGt over the next two years. All telephone enquiries will be routed via the company's Scottish contact centre, and its CRM system will be used to answer many queries automatically via advanced speech recognition (ASR) technology. |
|
| BBC to air slaughterhouse film 06-06-05 |
The BBC is bracing itself for a barrage of complaints this summer over a documentary that shows animals being slaughtered. An insider who has seen some of the footage said: "We are bound to get complaints. Even one animal being killed in a wildlife documentary upsets some viewers. But it's an interesting and challenging documentary, covering a profession that not many people know about."
Due to air on BBC2 later this summer, Slaughterhouse - the Task of Blood, is a one-off documentary that focuses on a family-run abattoir in Oldham, Greater Manchester. |
|
| EastEnders blamed for bad language 06-06-05 |
The BBC is objecting to a forthcoming Ofcom report that blames flagship soap EastEnders for bad language on TV. BBC drama executives are angry that the watchdog's report includes criticism that EastEnders features bad language that could set a bad example to children.
The BBC and other broadcasters including ITV are notoriously cautious about what they include in soaps, and coarse language is rarely a feature of serials such as EastEnders, Coronation Street or Emmerdale.
Ofcom's research on children and their "viewing environment" is due to be published over the summer. |
|
| ITV regional channels come to Sky 13-06-05 |
| After a lengthy wait, several of the remaining sub-regions for ITV are to launch on Sky Digital. The two Central East and Central South sub-regions that have been absent from Sky since ITV first launched on the platform are expected to become available this week on channel 103. Viewers in those regions have been getting Central West, which includes the news for Birmingham. Next week, it is expected that the Anglia East and Scottish TV East regions will be added to the Sky Digital line-up. |
|
| More native language channels says Ofcom 13-06-05 |
| Ofcom has called for dedicated digital channels to be set up for Wales, Scotland and Ireland in order to safeguard indigenous languages in the nations. There are already channels in all three countries, S4C in Welsh, TVG in Scotland and Teilifis na Gaeilge (TG4) in Ireland. |
|
| Freeview now in five million households 13-06-05 |
| Freeview has passed the 5million household mark according to latest figures from Ofcom showing the free-to-air platform has helped digital penetration reach almost 62% of UK homes. The regulator's latest report shows 643,517 households began taking digital TV in the first quarter of 2005, bringing the overall total of digital TV households to 15.42million. Accelerating the growth is strong take-up for Freeview, with 5.06million homes now receiving the service on at least one TV set. A further 445,000 homes receive free-to-air satellite television, taking the total number of homes with free digital TV to over 5.5m. |
|
| Smooth FM launches on Freeview 13-06-05 |
| Smooth FM has launched on Freeview, replacing Jazz FM on channel 88 which ceased broadcasting live programing last month. A new screen has appeared on channel 88 stating "102.2 smoothfm - go with the flow". |
|
| Sky to shake up subscription packages 20-06-05 |
| Sky is shaking up its subscription packages in a bid to achieve its target of 10m households by 2010. It follows this week's announcement by Freeview that it is continuing to grow rapidly, having added 466,430 new viewers in the three months to March 31, helping it pass the 5m mark, while Sky pulled in just 87,000 new subscribers during the same period, taking its total number of homes to 7.3m. From September, Sky is launching six new genre-based bouquets of channels, under the headings of variety, kids, knowledge, style and culture, music, and news and events. New subscribers will be able to choose a combination of either two, four or six of these, with the latter becoming the equivalent of Sky's present Family Package, which costs £19.50 per month. A Sky spokesman said: "We need to address viewers who haven't yet subscribed to pay-TV and target our marketing more effectively." |
|
| High-definition version of Artsworld to launch 20-06-05 |
| TV regulator Ofcom has granted a broadcast licence to Sky for a high-definition version of Artsworld. The new channel is likely to launch later this year. Artsworld currently broadcasts from 2pm-12am daily on Sky Digital channel 157. |
|
| OFT probes ITV's purchase of SDN 20-06-05 |
| The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is to investigate ITV puchase of digital terrestrial television multiplex operator SDN to ascertain whether the deal is anti-competitive, according to press reports. The OFT said the £134m deal between ITV and SDN could be referred to the Competition Commission. The OFT said: "Should it be found to be a relevant merger situation, the OFT will further consider whether the creation of that situation may be expected to result in a substantial lessening of competition within any market or markets in the UK for goods or services that warrants reference to the Competition Commission for investigation and report." |
|
| BBC planning blanket coverage of Live 8 20-06-05 |
| The BBC will offer blanket coverage of all the Live 8 concerts across its network of terrestrial and digital TV channels. BBC1 and BBC2 will share live coverage of the July 2 event in London's Hyde Park live from 1pm-9.30pm. Included will be elements of the gigs in Paris, Berlin and Rome. Fro |