| Media News Archive 2005 |
| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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'. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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." |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| '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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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." |
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| 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." |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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%. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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." |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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%. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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". |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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." |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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." |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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." |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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! |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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." |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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". |
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| 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." |
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| 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. |
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| 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." |
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| 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. From 10pm, BBC1 will have five hours from the Philadelphia show, while BBC3 will cover all the key shows from 7pm on Saturday to 5am on Sunday, and repeat the Philadelphia concert on the Sunday night. |
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| Radio 1 goes Stateside 27-06-05 |
Radio 1 is set to hit American airwaves. The station has struck a deal with SIRIUS Satellite Radio to broadcast across America, with the shows slotting into the same times as they do in the UK.
You'll be able to tune in to Radio 1 on SIRIUS later this summer - for more information go to www.sirius.com. |
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| Pressure groups call for free satellite service 27-06-05 |
| The Voice of the Listener and Viewer pressure group is backing the launch of an independent free-to-air satellite broadcasting system and has called on the government and Ofcom to support the creation of an independent satellite TV service to provide consumers with more choice. It believes Freesat has not being pushed enough and that many viewers are unaware that it is available. Jocelyn Hay, chairman of VLV, said she's concerned that BSkyB's Freesat users need to obtain a viewing card which guarantees them free access only for five years. "Sky has made it clear that, in the event of a card changeover, it will offer replacement cards to viewers for no more than £20," she said. |
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| Artsworld free-to-air 27-06-05 |
| Sky is to take full control of Artsworld and make it available to all its subscribers for no charge. From September, the majority of Sky's 7.7 million subscribers will be able to watch Artsworld, which was previously available only as an a la carte service at £6 a month. John Cassy, Artsworld's channel manager, said: "It is great news for the arts that a dedicated cultural channel will be available to millions of households." |
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| Sky to launch new video-on-demand service 27-06-05 |
| Sky is reportedly set to announce a Video-On-Demand over broadband service. It will let top tier subscribers (about half the total) download movies and sports programmes to their computers over a broadband connection. The move is being seen as a response to the aggressive plans of cable companies, telcos and ISPs to offer "TV on demand" services. Many media watchers expected Sky to tie up with an operator like BT. The Sky service will apparently only be available via PCs. |
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| Teletext now on all ITV channels 27-06-05 |
| Teletext has launched a digital teletext service across all ITV's satellite channels. Together with NDS, Teletext offers Sky viewers the familiar text based, information service on digital. Digital Teletext on ITV will enable satellite viewers to access content on news, sport, weather, travel and lottery results. |
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| Sky unveils new subscription prices 27-06-05 |
| Sky has unveiled details of its new pricing structure for its digital satellite customers as part of plans to offer greater choice and flexibility. The start of the new pricing on September 1 will coincide with the creation of six genre based packages of channels: Variety; Kids; Knowledge; Style and Culture; Music; and News and Events. Customers will be able to build a package that corresponds to their viewing preferences by selecting any two, any four or all six of the new channel mixes. Customers will pay £15/month for a "2 Mix" pack, £18 for a "4 Mix" pack or £21 for all six mixes, also known as the "Entertainment Pack". Irrespective of their selected combination of mixes, customers will be able to subscribe to any combination of Sky’s premium channels. Under the new model, the price of the top-tier package, Sky World (with Entertainment Pack), will be £42.50/month, compared to the current price of £41. |
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| July 2005 |
| Channel 4 to launch new quiz channel 06-7-07-05 |
| Channel 4 is reportedly set to launch a new phone-in quiz channel before the end of 2005. The channel will encourage viewers to play for cash prizes by ringing premium rate phone numbers, similar to rival services Sky Quiz Live and Nation 217. |
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| ITV and BBC clinch World Cup TV rights deals 06-7-07-05 |
| Football's governing body FIFA has announced the TV agreements for the 2010 World Cup. ITV and BBC have signed a deal to broadcast not only the World Cup Finals in 2010 in South Africa but also in 2014, to be held in South America. The deal covers all 64 matches of both tournaments. The two UK networks have shared the World Cup for the past 10 tournaments. ITV director of programmes Nigel Pickard said: "As the choice of channels increases, live events are ever more important to attract national audiences - and they don’t come any bigger than the football World Cup." |
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| BBC's interactive Wimbledon is a huge hit 06-7-07-05 |
| The BBC's interactive Wimbledon service proved more popular than ever with more than two and a half million viewers pressing the red button during the first four days of the event. Of Sky Digital viewers, some 2,647,000 viewers pressed red to access the service. |
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| New BBC transponder on Astra 2A 11-7-07-05 |
The BBC has contracted a further transponder, this time on the ASTRA 2A satellite at 28.2o E. The BBC, which already has six ASTRA transponders on ASTRA 2B and 2D, will use the additional capacity to reconfigure the satellite delivery of its portfolio of TV, radio and interactive services.
Alexander Oudendijk, ASTRA's Chief Commercial Officer and Senior Vice President, said: "The BBC is a broadcasting institution throughout the world, respected and admired for the diversity and quality of its programming. Once again the BBC has decided to expand our business relationship and we believe that this is in no small measure due to our like-minded commitment to quality and service."
The BBC's acting Controller of Distribution Richard Waghorn, said: "The BBC aims to deliver its services across the UK on the platforms where our audiences expect to find them, free-to-air. The new transponder will increase our flexibility to meet our audiences' changing aspirations for the satellite platform. The BBC is pleased to be enhancing its long-standing relationship with ASTRA who can provide world-class technical expertise and experience, as well as proven security and back-up facilities." |
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| Men & Motors now FTA on Sky Digital 19-07-05 |
| Men & Motors on Sky Digital channel 136 has switched from being a subscription service in the Sky Family Package to a free-to-air channel. This means viewers with a Sky Digital or other digital box can now watch the channel for free. |
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| BBC has TV rights to 2012 Olympics 19-07-05 |
| The BBC will be the big winner at the 2012 Olympics when it comes to London that year. The BBC has exclusive UK rights to cover the event because the Olympics is a government-designated 'A-list' sporting event which can only be acquired by a public service free-to-air broadcaster. The BBC won the rights as part of its European Broadcast Union bid last year. |
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| ESPN to launch classic sports TV channel 19-07-05 |
| US sports broadcaster ESPN is to launch a UK version of its popular Classic Sport channel. The station, which has already launched in France and Italy, shows the 'greatest moments in sport' with footage including past Olympics. Russell Wolff, managing director of ESPN International, said: "We're very focused on launching in the UK." There are also plans to launch a 24-hour live channel across Europe. |
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| BBC may start Middle East news channel 19-07-05 |
| The BBC wants the UK government help to create a 24-hour World Service Arabic TV news channel to challenge Al-Jazeera. The World Service is now the biggest speech radio station in Iraq, where its weekly audiences have increased to 3.3 million (22 per cent of the radio audience) from 1.8 million (13 per cent) last year. The BBC says the service would cost £25 million a year to run. BBC World TV, did offer an Arabic version a few years back, the service ceased after preasure and complaints from regiemes in the region. |
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| Sky to offer movies over broadband 19-07-05 |
| Sky is to beef up its online service to include movies over broadband. Sky currently offers news and and football coverage, but will soon offer movies to those who subscribe to its top-end TV packages. The films, which will number around 200 at the time of launch, will be available to download and maybe at some point in the future port on to a dedicated personal media player. |
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| Channel 4 buys top US shows for E4 and More4 19-07-05 |
| Channel 4 has bought the rights to a number of US TV series from Warner Bros and Buena Vista in a bid to shore up the amount of quality programmes on its digital channels E4 and the upcoming More4. Channel 4 acquisitions boss June Dromgoole has bought the hurricane drama Invasion as well as family comedy series The War at Home and murder mystery Reunion. |
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| BBC HDTV in 2006 19-07-05 |
Transponder 13 on the Astra 2A satellite, downlink frequency, 11954 MHz Horizontal will almost certainly be used for the BBC's new High Definition Televison (HDTV) service.
Astra 2A has a much wider footprint than the Astra 2D satellite currently being used fby the BBC. This raises the question as to whether the BBC will adopt some form of encryption for the new services. |
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| August 2005 |
| Sky profits rise 08-08-05 |
| Sky has reported a sharp increase in profits, up 32% to £425 million. Operating profits also rose 34 per cent to £805 million in the 12 months to the end of June, while net subscriber growth of 83,000 took the overall subscriber numbers to almost 7.8 million. Chief executive officer James Murdoch, whose continued role has been questioned following the shock resignation of elder brother Lachlan as Deputy COO at News Corp, told reporters that while he only had a one-year rolling contract, he intended to remain "for the long term." He added: "I'm fully committed to the job in hand." |
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| Manchester TV news channel coming to Sky 08-08-05 |
| The Guardian Media Group is to launch its Manchester-based Channel M TV on Sky Digital next year as part of a major programme of expansion. The station, which has long-standing ties with the Manchester Evening News, is expected to have live shows including a breakfast programme and sport and entertainment programmes created for Manchester viewers. |
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| BSkyB signs "long-term" Astra deal 08-08-05 |
BSkyB has signed a long-term deal with SES Astra for three additional 28.2° East transponders. The deal comes ahead of Sky's expected launch of its HD service which will take advantage of the increased availability of the transponder capacity.
Richard Freudenstein, BSkyB’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “The launch of HD is a significant development in broadcasting, offering a step change in quality that will strengthen Sky’s appeal to existing and future customers. Innovation and technology leadership will remain at the core of the Sky brand as we progress towards our target of 10 million customers. |
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| New Sky HD Box Unveiled 08-08-05 |
Sky is looking at offering a range of HD channels next year including live premership football matches. It seems certain that the box will come with an Ethernet connection. Details of other features remain closely guarded, but a well educated guess would suggest it will tie in with the company’s recently launched broadband service.
The new HD box will also come with the usual Sky+ features. Pricing and exact launch details have not yet been announced.
Further information can be found at the Sky HDTV website. |
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| Sky to launch Sky Two & Three 08-08-05 |
BSkyB are readying the launch of two new channels - Sky Two and Sky Three to complement its Sky One service. According to Broadcast, BSkyB has secured a licence to launch two new channels under the name of Sky Two and Sky Three on cable and satellite. Media regulator Ofcom awarded the licenses to Sky for its new plans.
The existing Sky Mix channel is expected to be renamed Sky Two. The channel already offers another chance to see Sky One shows - Sky Two and both it and Sky Three would showcase content from their sister channel.
Sky Two and Sky Three would be differentiated by showing different themes of content, for example Sky Two could be dedicated to male-orientated sci-fi and fantasy shows and Sky Three to documentaries and drama.
A launch date and EPG numbers have not yet been confirmed. It is widely being speculated that Sky Two will replace Sky Mix on EPG 107 and Sky Three will fill the vacant 108 on the EPG. |
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| Five launches new interactive channel 15-08-05 |
| Five is moving into multi-channel TV for the first time by giving its daytime quiz show Brainteaser the interactive treatment and launching a channel of its own called YooPlay TV on Sky Digital. It will feature programming between 1pm and 1am and provide interactive games round the clock. Five is teaming up with production outfit YooMedia to launch the station. |
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| Sky buys extra satellite capacity for HD channels 15-08-05 |
| Sky has announced a deal with SES Astra to use three extra satellite transponders at 28.2° East. The extra capacity will be used to launch Sky's new High Definition TV service. Richard Freudenstein, Sky’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “The launch of HD is a significant development in broadcasting, offering a step change in quality that will strengthen Sky’s appeal. Sky has enjoyed a long-running and co-operative relationship with Astra. We look forward to extending this relationship into the HD arena as a result of this agreement." |
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| ABC1 to launch on Sky 15-08-05 |
| Disney-owned comedy channel ABC1 is to become available on Sky Digital shortly following its successful debut on Freeview. The channel, which broadcasts from 6am- 6pm each day, has already started test transmission on Sky Digital ahead of the launch. These can be watched at 10.862GHz/H (SR 22000, FEC 5/6) under the label "9010" and appear to be only viewable by subscribers to Sky's Family Package. |
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| BBC sells programmes to Iraq's TV 15-08-05 |
| BBC Worldwide has announced that it has sealed its first deal in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein. Under a one-year agreement, BBC Worldwide will provide news, current affairs and history programming to the Iraqi commercial broadcaster Al Hurra. No financial details were disclosed, but the BBC is providing 45 hours of programming including the documentaries Ghengis Khan, Auschwitz, Islamic History of Europe and Panorama, This World and Correspondent. |
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| ITV backs down in encryption row with Sky 15-08-05 |
| ITV has withdrawn its complaint to media regulator Ofcom about the charges it pays Sky for ensuring satellite viewers receiving the correct ITV1 region. The terrestrial broadcaster had claimed that Sky's proposed charges were "unfair, unreasonable and unduly discriminatory and therefore in breach of Sky's obligations under EU and UK law" when it originally made the complaint late last year. However, it has now withdrawn the complaint after talks on a new contract started with Sky. An ITV spokesperson said: "Negotiations have re-opened with Sky in relation to regionalisation services for ITV1 and as a result ITV has requested that Ofcom suspends investigation of its current complaint pending the outcome of these negotiations. ITV will not hesitate to re-submit the complaint if it judges that Sky's proposed charges for regionalisation services continue to be unfair, unreasonable and discriminatory." |
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| Sky+ gets new EPG software download 23-08-05 |
Sky+ v1 started receiving the new Sky+ EPG software this morning. This version contains both the software already downloaded to the standard digiboxes (direct access to radio - press 0; auto red dot removal and subtitles - press help) and the second phase of the EPG update which includes complete removal of adult channels from the EPG. In addition this is the first time the new light blue Sky background has been downloaded to digiboxes.
On the Sky+ side of things there do not appear to be any major changes (as expected) but in addition to the “Keep” function there is a Lock/Unlock option (use the right/left arrow) to individually set programmes to not be deleted without the use of the pin and you can globally set pin protection to stop small fingers deleting programmes.
In addition I understand there are new bookmark options and there may be changes under the surface and I belive tis version of the software allows for control of the Sky Gnome via the unused serial port on the back of the box. |
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| Sky's HDTV Lineup 23-08-05 |
Sky have announced provisional details of the channels in its HDTV launch lineup. Among the offerings are Sky Sports, Sky Box Office, two Sky movie screens and simulcast HD versions of Sky One and Artsworld.
The broadcaster says it is in "advanced negotiations" with other broadcasters about joining the lineup; Discovery and National Geographic are among the channels tipped for inclusion.
From launch, Sky Sports HD will offer full live coverage of the Premiership in HD, with the added benefit of Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. In addition, there will be live rugby from the Guinness Premiership, mixed with other HD sports programming to be confirmed closer to the time of launch.
The two movie screens includes a slate of HD films such as Spider-Man 2, The Day After Tomorrow and House of Flying Daggers. "Up to ten movies a week" will be available through Sky Box Office HD.
The simulcast version of Sky One will include "a range of shows and cutting edge series" in HD.
Although Sky has yet to confirm pricing details or even a firm launch date, consumers eager to be amongst the first to sample the new service will be able to pre-register from this Friday (August 26). Pre-registration will be available at Comet stores around the country and at selected independent retailers.
"The launch of high definition will be the start of an exciting new era in broadcasting and Sky HD will offer stunning picture and sound quality for a broad selection of programmes," said Brian Sullivan, Sky's Director of Customer Products and Services.
"When this choice of viewing is combined with the Sky+ functionality of the Sky HD box, consumers who upgrade to HD Ready television sets can look forward to a viewing experience that will be truly transformed." |
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| ITV confirms plans for FTA kids channel 23-08-05 |
ITV has confirmed that it will be launching a dedicated kids channel "within the next six months". The as-yet untitled station will be available across all platforms, including Freeview, and is expected to timeshare with ITV4, the new male-oriented channel launching on November 1.
Programming will draw on the expansive CITV library, although the channel intends to "expand commissioning opportunities and acquisitions" in the coming months.
"A dedicated kids channel will enable us to fully exploit our existing library of quality children’s programming and build valuable brands around new properties such as Granada’s Pocoyo," said Jonathan Lewis, ITV’s Director of Digital Channels. "We will also reap the benefits of being the only commercial children’s channel on Freeview." |
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| Sky HDTV Pre-registration begins 23-08-05 |
| More details about Sky's upcoming high definition TV service have been announced - including information about the start of a pre-registration service this Friday (August 26th). While Sky remains tight-lipped as to a firm launch date for the service, widely tipped to be the first half of 2006, we do know the service will include a Sky Sports channel, Sky One, Artsworld, a Sky Box Office channel and two Sky Movies screens. It will also provide full live coverage of Premiership soccer with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. Sky's official HDTV Web site is available here and provides advance information and lets interested viewers sign up for more information. Brian Sullivan, Sky's director of customer products and services, said: "The launch of high definition will be the start of an exciting new era in broadcasting, and Sky HD will offer stunning picture and sound quality for a broad selection of programmes." |
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| BBC TV channels to be put on the net 29-08-05 |
The BBC's TV channels will be made available on the internet, BBC Director General Mark Thompson has confirmed. He announced plans for the MyBBCPlayer - which will allow viewers to legally download seven days of programmes - at the Edinburgh Television Festival.
A BBC spokesman said the corporation was aiming to simulcast a channel permanently but would restrict it to UK viewers only. The service is expected to start during 2006. |
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| Men & Motors doing well 29-08-05 |
| Men and Motors says it has almost doubled its audience figures since altering its programme schedule from adult material to that targeted at young male lifestyle. Viewing figures have increased on Freeview by 92% since May while there is a 12% increase on Sky and 20% increase in figures on cable, it says. The figures comes ahead of the launch of ITV4, which is also aimed at the young men, and will go on air on November 1st 2005. |
| ABC1 launches on Sky Digital 29-08-05 |
| Entertainment channel ABC1 will launch on Sky Digital channel 281 from Tuesday (August 30th), having signed a multi-year carriage deal with Sky. From Monday September 26, it will also increase its broadcast time from the current 6am-6pm block to transmit 24 hours a day on Sky, Telewest Broadband and NTL Digital. |
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| More4 launch details 29-08-05 |
Channel 4 has announced that its soon-to-launch digital TV channel More4 will debut on Monday October 10. It will be a free-to-air station channel offering at least one major original new drama or documentary a month plus a host of exclusive commissions especially for the channel, plus new daily live programmes and a second chance to see the very best of Channel 4 drama and factual shows. It will be available on Sky Digital, Freeview and digital cable.
Channel 4 has said two-thirds of its £33m programme budget for upcoming channel More4 will be spent on original UK commissions, including a daily news bulletin and late-night topical talk show. |
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| September 2005 |
| ITV aquires new satellite capacity 08-09-05 |
ITV has inked a "long-term" deal with satellite operator Astra for more new capacity at 28.2oE.The broadcaster, which already leases five transponders, has secured an additional 16Mbits of transmission space, allowing it to launch 4 or 5 standard definition channels. The space will be available from October and will be used for new services, "such as interactive programming".
Mick Desmond, Chief Executive of ITV Broadcasting, said: "In order to continue ITV's successful digital strategy we need to ensure that we have the transmission capacity to meet our future strategic objectives. We believe that digital TV will play an important role in maintaining our pre-eminent position as the UK's largest commercial broadcaster; the additional capacity will enable ITV to build on our successful family of digital channels and offer digital audiences the best programming and services available." |
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| BBC & ITV to start Freesat 08-09-05 |
The BBC and ITV have confirmed plans to launch a rival to BSkyB's 'Freesat' offering.
Freesat, launched last year, offers viewers more than 120 TV and 80 radio channels for a one-off installation fee of £150.
The new service - also to be called Freesat - will target the estimated 25% of homes unable to receive Freeview. "As we move from an analogue to a digital environment, Freesat - and Freeview - will enable every family in the UK to enjoy a wide range of quality channels for free," said ITV chief executive Charles Allen.
A spokesperson for the BBC added: "We believe that the development of a free satellite service as a simple, open standard will encourage innovation, quality and range among providers of satellite services, extend choice for audiences, and bring the UK an important step closer to being a fully digital nation." The service is expected to launch early next year. |
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| ITV aquires new satellite capacity 08-09-05 |
ITV has inked a "long-term" deal with satellite operator Astra for more new capacity at 28.2oE.
The broadcaster, which already leases five transponders, has secured an additional 16Mbits of transmission space, allowing it to launch 4 or 5 standard definition channels. The space will be available from October and will be used for new services, "such as interactive programming".
Mick Desmond, Chief Executive of ITV Broadcasting, said: "In order to continue ITV's successful digital strategy we need to ensure that we have the transmission capacity to meet our future strategic objectives. We believe that digital TV will play an important role in maintaining our pre-eminent position as the UK's largest commercial broadcaster; the additional capacity will enable ITV to build on our successful family of digital channels and offer digital audiences the best programming and services available." |
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| ITV to go Free To Air 08-09-05 |
ITV will go unencrypted on satellite as part of its plans to launch Freesat with the BBC, the broadcaster has announced.
The move follows the lead of the BBC, who went in the clear at 28.2oE two years ago as part of a cost-cutting drive.
"As the UK's largest and most popular commercial broadcaster we want our channels to be available to as many people as possible, regardless of technological and geographical constraints," explained Charles Allen, chief executive of ITV. "Today's announcement significantly strengthens ITV's digital presence and we are delighted to be taking a leading role in the marketing and development of free digital television."
Mark Thompson, Director-General of the BBC, added: "We welcome ITV’s intention to take all its channels into the clear on satellite, and also welcome them as partners in the project to develop a consumer friendly, subscription-free satellite proposition. This is great news for viewers. It paves the way to provide subscription-free digital television across the whole country."
Satellite viewers have been able to access ITV1 without charge since its launch on the platform in 2001 but have required a viewing card to do so (a Freesat from Sky card £20). Switching to a free-to-air delivery negates the need for such a card, meaning that anyone with a dish pointed at the satellite can access the services.
Although the 'footprint' of the satellite is tightly focussed on the UK, some viewers across Northern Europe with large enough dishes are able to pick up the channels, causing potential transmission rights issues for the broadcasters concerned.
Despite the problem, ITV today insisted that it had "consulted" with the relevant rights holders and would be able to proceed with its plans without incident. |
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| New Look for Sky's EPG 08-09-05 |
| Sky’s new EPG is being tested ready for the autumn channel reshuffle. Read the full story at www.digitalspy.co.uk. |
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| ITV4 programming lineup unvieled 21-09-05 |
ITV has unveiled the programming lineup for new male channel ITV4. The loneup includes a mix of mostly US series in the genres of crime, reality and talk but also features blockbuster films and coverage of sporting events.
Among the crime shows are a remake of classic detective series Kojak, starring Ving Rhames in the title role; Wanted, described by one critic as "CSI on acid"; and the UK premiere of a mini series based on the film Traffic.
Reality shows include Invasion Iowa, where William Shatner attempts to hoax an entire town, and The Assistant, a spoof version of The Apprentice previously shown on MTV.
ITV4 will also "give over weeknights" to The Late Show With David Letterman, the popular US talker that has been missing from the schedules since May.
Full Metal Jacket, Carlito's Way and Magnum Force are on the channel's film slate while planned sporting coverage includes Champions League, live boxing, Tour de France and the World Poker Challenge.
Stephen Arnell, editor of ITV4, said: "ITV brings a whole new dimension to the ITV family of channels, premiering brand new US shows and premium UK sporting events as well as quality movies and great comedy. ITV4 is set to follow in the footsteps of ITV2 and ITV3 as a successful addition to the ITV family of channels."
ITV4 is due to launch on Tuesday, November 1st, and will air daily between 6pm and 6am across all digital platforms. |
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| Freesat move wins support - even from Sky! 21-09-05 |
ITV's announcement that it is planning a new free-to-air digital satellite service with the BBC has been broadly welcomed by broadcasters—including BSkyB. ITV said it would join the BBC in developing a Freesat service which would complement Freeview, and target those homes unable to receive digital terrestrial television.
ITV—which has been negotiating encryption and EPG regionalisation contracts with Sky for months—will now broadcast its channels 'in the clear'. That will enable all of ITV's regional service to be seen across the UK for the first time in ITV's 50-year history. The announcement of ITV's Freesat pact with the BBC was widely seen as the two largest free-to-air broadcasters joining forces to take on Sky, which offers its own free satellite service.
A Sky spokesman told MediaGuardian: "Freesat services already form part of Sky's strategy for continued pay-TV growth. As analogue switch-off approaches, we welcome increased promotion of satellite reception by ITV and the BBC."Sky will be hoping that the free-to-view satellite service will tempt viewers to upgrade to Sky's pay-TV proposition.
A drawback of the ITV-BBC Freesat service will be that some free-to-view channels will remain encrypted, and therefore will not be available. Among them is Five and Channel 4's portfolio of channels. |
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| Jowell confirms UK switchover timetable 21-09-05 |
Culture secretary Tessa Jowell has confirmed the timetable for the completion of digital switchover. The Border television region will be the first to go in 2008, with three regions switched over each year in the following three years, leaving London and three remaining regions for 2012.
In a widely trailed keynote speech to members of the Royal Television Society (RTS), Jowell said a support scheme funded by the BBC through the licence fee would ensure that no one was left behind in the transition to digital-only television.
Jowell said the support scheme would fund the cost of digital equipment for households with one person aged 75 or over, or households with one person with a significant disability. Low income households would receive some form of assistance in a scheme to be determined by the BBC and the Government.
Addressing the RTS' biennial Cambridge Convention, Jowell said: "Digital television is no longer a probability, it is a certainty. And I believe it can leave us with a legacy of more choice, for more people, than anywhere else in the world.
"When a new technology comes along, Governments have two choices. And only two. They can follow it, trying to make retrospective sense of how society is changing as a result. Or they can be ahead of the curve, shaping the future and ensuring that the fruits of technology are evenly spread. We have chosen the latter course."
Jowell said that while nearly two thirds of the population had "exercised their private choice to go digital" many of those yet to go digital needed help. "They have in many cases the most to gain from a fully digital world. And we have to make sure they aren't left behind."
Switchover will be co-ordinated by Digital UK, the industry-funded body formerly known as SwitchCo. Jowell's culture, media and sport department said the region-by-region timetable had been determined by broadcasters and media regulator Ofcom. |
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| ITV to launch two new digital TV channels 21-09-05 |
| ITV is planning to launch a further two digital TV channels in 2006, according to press reports. It hopes to launch channels in the shopping and gaming market. ITV chief exec Charles Allen said: "We are looking at transactional revenues through ITV Play and shopping." |
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| Digital TV now in 15.7 million UK homes 21-09-05 |
| Ofcom's latest figures for the second quarter of 2005 show digital TV penetration reached 63 per cent of households, up from 61.9 per cent during the previous quarter. The total number of digital TV households grew by almost 298,000 to 15,715,178. Sky added 75,000 subscribers to bring its total number of UK subscribers to 7,424,000 at the end of quarter two. There were over 700,000 sales of Freeview set-top boxes and iDTVs by the end of the quarter with Ofcom estimating Freeview is in 5,178,000 homes - up by over 118,000 homes during the quarter. |
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| Sky Three to launch FTA on Freeview 26-09-05 |
| Sky is to launch its first free-to-air entertainment channel on Freeview's digital terrestrial service next month. The Sky Travel channel will be replaced on Freeview by 'Sky Three' and will show programmes already seen on Sky One alongside original travel and lifestyle shows. At the same time, the existing Sky Mix channel will be renamed Sky Two. Early schedule highlights will include the first free-to-view broadcast of the third series of US drama 24. Sky Networks managing director Dawn Airey said the Freeview move would help Sky to "reach an even wider audience". She added: "Sky Three will offer digital terrestrial viewers the opportunity to enjoy a wide variety of popular programmes from Sky." Other Sky One shows to transfer to Sky Three will include US crime drama Cold Case and hypnotist Paul McKenna's series I Can Change Your Life. The news came just hours after ITV's new digital channel for men, ITV4, unveiled its programme line-up ahead of its launch on 1 November (see separate story below). Channel 4 made its digital channel E4 available on Freeview in May this year. |
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| More4 announces programme lineup 26-09-05 |
| Channel 4 has confirmed details of the launch lineup of its soon-to-launch digital TV channel More4, which debuts on October 10. More4 News will air each weekday at 8pm and will feature the most important news stories of the day plus own breaking news coverage. A short update will go out just before 6pm. Following at 8.30pm will be The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, broadcast on a one day delay. Talk show The Last Word will air on weeknights at 11pm. Entertainment shows will include The Sopranos, which will air weeknights at 11.50pm and ER, which will be on air weekdays at 6pm. The station will also broadcast films each weekday at around 4pm. |
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| ITV4 programming lineup unvieled 26-09-05 |
ITV has unveiled the programming lineup for new male channel ITV4. The loneup includes a mix of mostly US series in the genres of crime, reality and talk but also features blockbuster films and coverage of sporting events.
Among the crime shows are a remake of classic detective series Kojak, starring Ving Rhames in the title role; Wanted, described by one critic as "CSI on acid"; and the UK premiere of a mini series based on the film Traffic.
Reality shows include Invasion Iowa, where William Shatner attempts to hoax an entire town, and The Assistant, a spoof version of The Apprentice previously shown on MTV.
ITV4 will also "give over weeknights" to The Late Show With David Letterman, the popular US talker that has been missing from the schedules since May.
Full Metal Jacket, Carlito's Way and Magnum Force are on the channel's film slate while planned sporting coverage includes Champions League, live boxing, Tour de France and the World Poker Challenge.
Stephen Arnell, editor of ITV4, said: "ITV brings a whole new dimension to the ITV family of channels, premiering brand new US shows and premium UK sporting events as well as quality movies and great comedy. ITV4 is set to follow in the footsteps of ITV2 and ITV3 as a successful addition to the ITV family of channels."
ITV4 is due to launch on Tuesday, November 1st, and will air daily between 6pm and 6am across all digital platforms. |
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| October 2005 |
| More 4 starts promo trailers on Freeview channel 04-10-05 |
| More 4, the soon-to-launch entertainment channel from Channel Four, has started showing a promotional trailer highlighting forthcoming shows on the station. It can be seen on Freeview channel 35 in Wales and 13 in the rest of the UK. Channel 4 is launching the station on October 10. |
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| Launch date for Sky Three is announced 04-10-05 |
| Sky's soon-to-launch entertainment channel, Sky Three, will debut on Monday October 31 at 5pm. The broadcaster also confirmed that the channel will offer a mixed schedule of programmes from Sky One as well as original lifestyle commissions and travel documentaries from Sky Travel. |
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| Freeview planning to shuffle its channel line-up 04-10-05 |
| A major reshuffle of Freeview's Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) is being planned for October 18 to accomodate new channel launches and re-organise the stations by genre. The radio stations look likely to move to positions 700+, pushing the interactive streams to 300+, while kids channels will move to 70-79 and news channels will be between 80 and 89. The adult channels are tipped to move to 97 and 98, while teletext and other interactive services will occupy 100+. |
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| Sky Gnome price and details are announced 04-10-05 |
| Sky has announced that Sky Gnome, its wireless digital receiver system, that will allow Sky subscribers to listen to radio or TV anywhere around the house, will cost £69.99. It will come in a choice of 'Cool Blue' or 'Funky Orange' colours and will be available from mid-October direct from Sky. |
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| More 4 launches 10-10-05 |
A new entertainment TV channel from Channel 4, More4, is set to launch on Monday October 10 at 8pm. It will launch on Freeview Channel 13, Sky Digital channel 165, NTL on channel 166 and Telewest on channel 142. A highlight of the first night's schedule will be a comedy drama about David Blunkett. A time-shifted version of the channel called More4 + is scheduled to start on October 17.
More4 is Free To Air on Freeview digital terrestrial and encrypted on Sky Digital. The new channel is not available through Sky's Freesat from Sky card. |
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| Sky and Disney in cash wrangle over TV carriage 10-10-05 |
| A ten-year-old deal to carry the Disney Channel on Sky Digital has expired without a long-term agreement being agreed for the continued transmission of Disney's digital TV channels. The two broadcasters are reported to be haggling over a new contract and Sky has agreed to roll over the existing deal while the talks to continue. If the negotiations were to break down, Disney could be forced off Sky, although many industry experts think this is unlikely. The original agreement, signed in 1994, is one of the most expensive channel-supply agreements ever negotiated by Sky. |
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| The Baby Channel launches on Sky 10-10-05 |
| The Baby Channel launches on Monday October 10 on Sky Digital channel number 285. It will broadcast programmes aimed at pregnant women, expectant fathers and parents of pre-school children aged 0-5 years old. The free-to-air station will also be webcast on the Internet at www.babychanneltv.com. It will be on the air every day from 6.00am - 8.00pm, with the channel's flagship programme Baby Talk starting at 8.00am. Programmes have made with medical and parenting organisations including the Royal College of Midwives, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the National Childbirth Trust and St John Ambulance. |
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| Sky Three unveils its programme schedule 10-10-05 |
| Sky has announced the schedule of programming for its new general entertainment channel Sky Three. The free-to-air channel will launch on Sky Digital and Freeview on October 31 and will broadcast travel shows Airline, Undercover Customs and Far Flung Floyd, plus lifestyle programmes Search of Style, House Sitters and The Filth Files plus the daily magazine show Braniac: Science Abuse. Sky News' 5pm bulletin will simulcast on Sky Three, and in the evening there will be 24 season three, Jake 2.0, Tru Calling and Oliver Beene. |
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| ITV Kids Channel to launch in February 2006 10-10-05 |
| ITV's new childrens channel is set to go on air next February, it has been confirmed by the broadcaster. The channel will launch on February 11 and will show drama, entertainment, animation, factual and pre-school material. |
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| New look for Sky News 10-10-05 |
| Sky News will begin broadcasting from new look studios on Monday October 24, launching at 6am with Sunrise, anchored by Lorna Dunkley and former GMTV frontman Eamonn Holmes. It will launch a new on-air schedule built by fixed shows tied to specific presenters including Jeremy Thompson, Julie Etchingham, Martin Stanford, Adam Boulton and Kay Burley, who will all have their own shows. Sky News is also switching to a widescreen format. |
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| More4 encryption angers free satellite viewers 12-10-05 |
Channel 4 has been accused of misleading viewers after its supposedly free-to-view new channel, More4, launched on Monday as an encrypted subscription channel on Sky's digital satellite platform.
Viewers watching Sky channels without a viewing card were unable to access the new channel, which Channel 4 had said would be freely available from launch on Freeview, Sky and cable channels.
Several sent messages to forums on Digital Spy, and More4's own discussion forum. One Digital Spy forum member posted a letter they had written to their MP and the culture, sport and media department, complaining that having purchased a free satellite system they were now unable to watch More4. "The promise of More 4 for free was one of the few reasons I purchased the satellite dish," said the posting.
More4's forum contained messages accusing Channel 4 of misleading viewers. "Expect a lot of agro [sic] over this in the press and a lot of red faces ... I bet David Blunkett breathed a sigh of relief at all the viewers who could [not] watch a programme they had looked forward to all week!!". (A reference to More4's satirical drama A Very Social Secretary, which pulled in an average of 484,000 viewers on the channel's launch night.)
Other viewers contacted BBC News Online, which carried an explanation from Sky: "More4 is a subscription channel on the satellite platform under the agreement that exists between Sky and Channel 4."
Channel 4 confirmed that under its Sky contract More4 was a basic subscription channel. "More4 is positioned as a public service channel which we are providing for free and for which we are receiving no subscription income," a spokesman told BBC News Online.
"We would obviously like it to be made available to the widest possible audience. However, contractually the decision to place More4 in a basic subscription package rather than on their Freesat service is one that lies in Sky's hands." |
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| BBC wants hike in licence fee to pay for digital 16-10-05 |
| The BBC has asked for a new license fee increase of inflation plus 2.3% which it says reflects the expense of the switch to digital. The government has said it expects the licence fee to cover converting the disadvantaged, but the BBC expects most to pay ‘a modest fee' in addition to the licence, and its new fee claim does not include funding any subsidy. When questioned on whether the funding of the switchover might end up being separated from the licence fee deal, Chairman Michael Grade said: "That will be a discussion that will be had over the next three months, if we can't pin the numbers down." |
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| Channel 4 takes stake in Freeview 17-10-05 |
| Channel 4 is to take a stake in Freeview by joining the consortium of Crown Castle, Sky and the BBC that owns the free-to-air digital TV service. The partners are planning to market the Freeview box more aggressively. |
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| Time-shifted More4 channel goes on air 17-10-05 |
| A time-shifted version of Channel 4's brand new entertainment channel has launch on Sky Digital in the Entertainment section. Called More4+1, it is available on channel 286. |
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| ITV4 unveils feast of sport for launch schedule 18-10-05 |
| ITV4 will launch on November 1 with live coverage of the UEFA Champions League clash between Chelsea and Real Betis. The new channel will then become the home of ITV's second Champions League match on Tuesdays, through to the semi-final. ITV4 will also broadcast live coverage, on November 5, of the UK's Olympic boxing sensation Amir Khan. |
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| Unilver buys whole of ITV4's first advert break 19-10-05 |
| Household consumables manufacturer Unilever has bought the entire first advert break on ITV4's launch night, 50 years after the inaugural ad break it booked on ITV's debut night. ITV4 is to debut on November 1 with Unilever brands including Lynx body spray, Sure for Men and Marmite. As well as Unilever products securing the first ads on ITV's launch in 1955 with Gibbs SR toothpaste, the company also bought the first ad break on ITV3's launch night. Advertisers are increasingly keen to get involved with launch night deals - French car manufacturer Renault booked the whole of the first ad break on Channel 4's new More4 channel last week. |
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| November 2005 |
| ITV4 to launch on Sky Digital 19-10-05 |
ITV is removing its Men & Motors channel off Sky for Tuesday night only to enable viewers to watch the launch of ITV4.
The new male-oriented station had faced a delay of almost a week before it could launch on Sky Digital. Sky had claimed that it could not allocate the channel its own EPG number until November 7. As a last-minute measure, ITV4 will replace Men & Motors on EPG 136 on Tuesday November 1st only before formally launching on EPG 120 next Monday.
Sky Digital viewers will still be able to view ITV4 by adding the channel manually. To do so, press services, then 4 (system setup) and 4 (add channels). Enter the frequency 10.758, vertical polarisation, symbol rate 22.00, FEC 5/6. Then select 'Find channels'. From the list that appears, select ITV4 or 10072 and press the yellow button, then select to store. The channel will now be accessible via services, then the 'Other Channels' menu.
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| ITV4 to launch on Freeview 01-11-05 |
ITV4 launches on 1 st November on Freeview channel 30, with the ambition of becoming Britain's biggest and best men's channel, broadcasting a compelling line up of smash hit US dramas like Kojak, blockbuster movies like The Fast and the Furious as well as live sports coverage; Boxing and UEFA Champions League.
Exclusively to ITV4 comes the electrifying Traffic: The Mini Series. Produced and directed by Emmy Award nominated Stephen Hopkins (24), Traffic takes an inside look at the illegal, highly lucrative world of trafficking in all its forms - drugs, weapons and humans. |
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| Sky Three launches FTV on Sky & FTA on Freeview 01-11-05 |
The new free channel from Sky, Sky Three has launched on Sky Digital (108), and Freeviw channel 11. A Freesat from Sky card is required to view the channel on satellite.
Highlights include the award winning drama 24, gripping crime drama Cold Case and I Can Change Your Life featuring hypnotist Paul McKenna, along with exciting travel documentaries and lifestyle shows. |
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| ITV Broadcasting Free To Air 01-11-05 |
| As of November 1st 2005, all ITV channels are broadcasting unencrypted and are now Free To Air. ITV1, ITV2, ITV3, ITV4 and the ITV News Channel can now be received with any digital satellite receiver. |
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| Sky+ soars past 1m subscribers milestone 04-11-05 |
BSkyB's personal video recorder (PVR) service Sky+ soared past the 1m milestone in the three months to the end of September. The number of Sky+ households increased by 139,000 to 1.027m, up from 474,000 a year ago.
Sky added 57,000 net new subscribers in its first quarter, taking its total subscriber base in the UK and Ireland to 7.844m, within reach of the broadcaster's long-held goal of 8m by the end of its financial year. Profit after tax rose by 15% to £140m on revenues of £1.023bn, up 8%. |
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| BBC announces multi-platform HDTV trial 08-11-05 |
The BBC is to simulcast highlights of BBC One's peaktime schedule in high-definition from mid-2006 on digital satellite and cable, and conduct a London trial of high-definition television (HDTV) on the digital terrestrial platform.
The corporation said it was in discussions with BSkyB—which plans to launch its HDTV service early next year—and merging cable operators ntl and Telewest over the technical trials, which aimed to "test delivery and reception of high definition broadcasts on the major television platforms".
In order to conduct the trial on the digital terrestrial platform the BBC will need to use an unused frequency on a temporary basis. The BBC said it would apply to media regulator for a frequency "currently not allocated to broadcasters and unsuitable for conventional broadcast use".
Beyond the trial, capacity for HD broadcasts on the digital terrestrial platform will be limited until regions start the switch to digital-only television under the Government's 2008-2012 timetable. Liberated spectrum could be used for HD services, though policymakers have yet to decide the process by which it might be allocated, and how much capacity will be given to the digital terrestrial platform.
"The BBC would like to see some frequencies made available to broadcasters for high definition broadcasting and is working with other broadcasters, Ofcom and the Government to explore this possibility," said the corporation.
HD downloads are part of the BBC's iMP (integrated media player) trial, now underway with 5,000 trialists. The BBC said HD downloads should also soon be available to selected cable subscribers. Current broadband infrastructure does not enable live HDTV to be offered.
BBC director of television Jana Bennett said: "From colour and widescreen to digital radio and television, the BBC has always been at the forefront of innovations in broadcasting. Our promise to our licence payers is to give them the highest quality television, so the time is right for the BBC to get involved in high definition.
"High definition may take time to grow in Britain, but as with the other technologies we helped to build, the BBC wants to prepare now to be able to deliver the benefits of HD to all its licence payers in the long term."
BBC has a target to move all television production to high definition by 2010. Current series Rome and Bleak House are already made in HD. |
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| BBC's Freesat faces delay, warn STB makers 10-11-05 |
Set-top box makers have warned the BBC and ITV that their Freesat service might have to be delayed for a year because the broadcasters have yet to provide detailed specifications.
"Unless we hear soon, we are realistically looking at [a Freesat launch] Christmas next year or later," Tom Parker, brand manager at Goodmans, told Broadcast magazine. "We are flying blind and need to be in the loop a bit more."
"The only thing we've heard up until now is that there has been a press release saying the BBC and ITV are starting a service like [Sky's] Freesat," said Paul Geurten, Philips senior business manager, digital TV.
ITV announced in September it would work with the BBC in launching a free-to-view digital satellite service in the first half of 2006. |
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| Sky welcomes BBC's high definition 12-11-05 |
| The BBC has confirmed it is introducing high definition for many of its best-known programmes. It intends to 'simulcast' highlights of BBC1's peak time schedule in HD format from the middle of next year on satellite and cable. It will also launch a trial of HDTV broadcasts via Freeview. The news was welcomed by Sky, and Richard Freudenstein, its Chief Operating Officer, said: "Sky welcomes the announcement by the BBC. The BBC's commitment to HD is very positive news for this exciting technology and ensures that viewers will be able to enjoy an even wider choice of programmes in HD quality. Falling prices for HD Ready TVs available before Christmas are also contributing to growing interest in Sky's plans to launch HD." |
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| Youth channel Rapture returns to Sky 14-11-05 |
| Youth clubbing channel Rapture TV has returned to the Sky Digital line-up after a long absence. It's available on channel 288 and is broacasting in the clear on 11.343GHz/H. |
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| Cartoon Network to launch two new channels 14-11-05 |
The company behind Cartoon Network, Turner Broadcasting, is to launch two new channels next year in a bid to further boost its audience. Cartoon Network Too and Boomerang +1 will launch in early 2006. Cartoon Network Too will focus on classic cartoons such as Wacky Races and Hong Kong Phooey while Boomerang +1 will show family toons including Scooby-Doo and Tom & Jerry.
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| Intellect repeats BBC 'promoting Freeview' charge 16-11-05 |
Electronics trade body Intellect has again accused the BBC of plugging Freeview boxes as the preferred option for viewers in switching to digital television.
In March Intellect complained that the corporation was promoting Freeview converters rather than integrated digital TV sets and more advanced set-top boxes. This week the trade body told the Commons culture, media and sport select committee's probe into digital switchover that the BBC was inhibiting consumer choice by promoting Freeview.
MediaGuardian said Intellect's response to the committee had told MPs it did "not believe that it is in the interests of switchover for the BBC to promote a price point of £40 for set top boxes ... Intellect believes that it is outside the BBC's remit to set price points in the market and the BBC should take a more responsible approach that does not inhibit consumer choice."
Giving evidence to the committee, BBC strategy director Caroline Thomson said the corporation supported all digital television platforms. MediaGuardian quoted marketing director Tim Davie saying the BBC's support for Freeview kept choice in the market. "Our research shows that licence fee payers want choice and affordable options, Freeview is one of those."
Meanwhile Thomson argued that public service broadcasters should not be forced to pay spectrum tax, and called for some spectrum liberated from analogue switch-off to be used for high-definition broadcasting on the Freeview platform.
Broadcastnow.co.uk quoted Thomson as saying: "If the BBC cannot offer some programming in HD to the millions of consumers who have chosen, and have yet to chose, DTT, those viewers will be relegated to an experience which will increasingly be seen by them to be second class. This would also leave DTT unable to compete with other platforms." |
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| December 2005 |
| S4C warns on digital 'funding gap' 06-12-05 |
Government-funded Welsh-language broadcaster S4C has warned it could face a multimillion-pound funding gap by 2009 unless new subsidies are found for digital broadcasting. New S4C chief executive Iona Jones told The Guardian that extra funding would be required to help S4C meet its obligations to digital switchover and allow it to move into new media. Without extra funds, the creative sector in Wales would be undermined, warned Jones."The whole infrastructure would be under threat," she told The Guardian.SC4 is partly funded via a grant of £86m from the culture department. |
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| Channel 4 mulls FilmFour for Freeview 07-12-05 |
Channel 4's subscription movie channel FilmFour is set to join its erstwhile pay-TV sister E4 on the UK's free-to-view digital terrestrial platform, Freeview. E4 went free-to-view at the end of May after Channel 4 chiefs concluded that Freeview's fast growth—it is now in more than 5m homes—meant advertising revenues would soon exceed lost subscription income. Now Channel 4 chief executive Andy Duncan is said to be mulling a similar move for FilmFour, which currently costs £7 per month. Channel 4 won last month's auction for a spare channel slot on the Freeview platform. Channel 4 was said to have paid £12m a year for the slot, which is due to be used to carry timeshift channel More4+1. That slot could now be used for FilmFour, or a free version of it while Channel 4 discusses making the channel a free proposition with BSkyB. Were FilmFour to make it to the Freeview it would become the platform's only free-to-view film channel. Top Up TV, the digital terrestrial pay-TV operator, offers the TCM Turner Classic Movie channel as part of its 11-channel package for £7.99 per month. |
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| ITV News Channel wins stay of execution 07-12-05 |
The ITV News Channel has won a stay of execution after ITV chiefs agreed to put off a decision on whether to close the channel until the New Year. Launched five years ago the loss-making digital news channel is the UK's least-watched of the three rolling news channels, despite prominent cross promotion on ITV's flagship channel, ITV1, and a growing reputation for its quality coverage. Last month the ITV News Channel's Freeview hours were halved to 12 a day in order to make way for ITV4. Now the news channel could be scrapped altogether as ITV embarks on the launch of a children's channel in February. The channel's fate is expected to be decided at an ITV board meeting in January. |
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| Freeview increases share as DTV reaches 66% 09-12-05 |
Freeview, the UK's free-to-view digital terrestrial platform, increased its share of the digital television market to 35.1% in the three-month period to the end of September. That's up from a 28.2% share a year ago, and 32.9% share by the end of June, according to new research released by media regulator Ofcom. Its Q3 Digital Television Update reveals a UK digital television penetration of 65.9% of UK households, up from 55.9% a year ago, and 63% in the previous quarter, as a further 760,235 homes made the switch the digital, taking the total to 16,475,413.
According to Ofcom, the number of households with Freeview as the only digital platform grew to 5.8m, up from 5.2m at the end of the previous quarter. Ofcom estimates there are around 545,000 free-to-view digital satellite homes, taking the UK free-to-view digital household total to 6.3m, 1.2m behind BSkyB's UK subscriber base. While Sky remains the UK's dominant digital broadcaster with a 48.7% share, its digital market leadership position has slipped from 53.6% on the year. Merging cable operators ntl and Telewest saw their share of the digital television market fall to 16.1% from 18.1% on the year. Pay-TV's UK penetration stood at 43.2% at the end of September, up one percentage point on the year but hardly unchanged on the previous quarter.
Total multichannel homes—those taking either digital cable, satellite, terrestrial, ADSL or analogue cable—had a 68.5% penetration at the end of Q3, up from 59.4% a year ago, and up from 65.8% by the end of June. |
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| Five plans second spinoff channel 09-12-05 |
Five is developing not one, but two spinoff channels for launch early next year, according to C21. The stations have the working titles Five.2 and Five.3 and are expected to be available across all digital TV platforms.
Details of the two channels will be announced in the New Year but Five.2 is likely to be a general entertainment offering with a Milkshake-branded kids block. Possibities for Five.3 include a movies channel or an ITV2-style, female-skewed lifestyle channel. |
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| ITV to close news channel in January 09-12-05 |
| ITV has announced the closure of its digital news channel with the expected loss of 70 jobs. Launched five years ago as the ITN News Channel, and renamed the ITV News Channel when ITV purchased it in 2002, the loss-making news service is the UK's least-watched of the three rolling news channels, despite prominent cross promotion on ITV's flagship channel, ITV1, and a growing reputation for its journalism. The channel's future was thrown into doubt last month when its Freeview hours were halved to 12 a day in order to make way for ITV4. ITV plans to launch a children's channel in February on Freeview. ITV said the channel's closure—it will cease broadcasting in January—followed a review of its news services. ITV's director of television, Simon Shaps, said television news would look very different in 10 years' time. "Increasingly, viewers will want news on demand via a variety of different platforms and we are investing in the technology and expertise to deliver that." ITV said money saved from the closure would be reinvested in bulletins on ITV1 as well as new news bulletins on ITV2 and ITV3. The closure of the ITV News Channel leaves two major players in the UK's rolling news market: BSkyB's recently revamped Sky News and the BBC's BBC News 24. |
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