| British TV & Radio News February 2011 |
| Bliss & NME TV join Freesat |
| Tuesday, February 1 2011 |
Music channels NME TV and Bliss have joined the Freesat line-up.
NME TV (channel 516) is the home of the best new bands and icons from the alternative scene, featuring exclusive interviews, video led programming and festival coverage, while Bliss (channel 517) lets viewers get up close and personal with the biggest artists in contemporary pop.
The two channels come from the same family as music channels Chart Show TV, Flava and The Vault, as well as the True Movies stable and popular kids’ channels Pop, Tiny Pop, Kix and PopGirl.
Freesat’s head of channels, Mark Briggs said: 'The launch of NME TV and Bliss are fantastic additions to the Freesat music genre, reflecting even more diversity and choice for Freesat customers.
'In other genres, Freesat customers also enjoy more great subscription-free channels from CSC Media like True Movies, True Entertainment, and a range of children’s channels for all ages.' |
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| Channel 4 HD coming to Freesat |
| Wednesday, February 2 2011 |
Channel 4 and Freesat have announced that Channel 4 HD will launch on the subscription-free satellite platform in the spring.
From April, the high definition simulcast of the Channel 4 network will become the fourth HD channel on Freesat, joining BBC One HD, the BBC HD channel and ITV1 HD.
Channel 4 HD launched on Sky in 2007 and has since become available on Virgin Media in summer 2009 and the Freeview HD platform in April last year.
Freesat managing director Emma Scott said: "This is fantastic news for Freesat. Channel 4 HD is a high quality channel and we're sure it'll prove popular with our discerning viewers.
"The addition of a fourth HD channel makes Freesat an even more attractive offer for savvy TV viewers looking for quality TV without monthly bills." |
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| Freeview HD sales top 1 million |
| Wednesday, February 2 2011 |
Sales of Freeview HD TVs and boxes have reached 1.2 million, according to the subscription-free DTT service. In the nine month period after launch, Freeview estimates that 642,000 homes are now watching Freeview HD.
Freeview HD televisions, which accounted for nearly a quarter (22%) of the iDTV market in December, received a sales boost during the week after Christmas with week-on-week sales up by 378%, according to Freeview's figures.
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Sales of Freeview+HD recorders were boosted in the week after Christmas (+118%) and during December were outselling Freeview HD boxes by two to one.
Ilse Howling, Freeview's Managing Director said: "Reaching this milestone within the first year of launching Freeview HD is a great achievement. We know from talking to Freeview viewers that having high definition is becoming the standard when considering what type of equipment to buy. As Freeview HD continues to roll out to new areas of the UK this year, it's exciting that Freeview can meet this need by offering quality HD channels without a subscription." |
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| Channel 5 rebranding Fiver as 5* & Five USA as 5USA |
| Thursday, February 3 2011 |
Channel 5 has unveiled its new branding following its overhaul of digital channels Fiver as 5* (Five Star) and Five USA as 5USA.
The new logos are designed to underline the fun-loving attitude of the channels, home to shows including CSI, Home & Away, Neighbours and Sons of Anarchy.
They will be rolled out on-air from March following the new branding for C5, which will go live from 14 February.
As part of the changes C5 is also running a competition for unsigned artists to write the soundtrack for its on-air promos.
C5 director of programmes Jeff Ford said: “In a competitive marketplace, you need strong brands that jump out of the EPG, and the rebranding of Fiver as 5*, combined with exciting new shows, provides us with a distinctive channel.” |
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| Channel 6 to bid for local TV network |
| Wednesday, February 2 2011 |
Channel 6, the group set up to deliver local TV in the UK, has confirmed that it will bid to become the national "backbone" for local TV services under the government's new strategy.
Last month, culture secretary Jeremy Hunt announced plans to create a new national television channel for delivering local TV services in "10 to 12" major British cities.
Hunt called for potential bidders to submit proposals for providing the UK-wide channel on digital terrestrial television (Freeview) to act as a "spine" for local services. The channel would have a national schedule of programming, but enable local operators to "opt out" in certain areas to deliver local shows and adverts.
Former Trinity Mirror executive Richard Horwood, the Channel 6 chief executive, has long championed a network/affiliate channel model as the best way to ensure a "vibrant, financially viable future" for local TV in the UK.
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Horwood said that local TV must offer compelling and quality programming to attract viewers and advertisers, and a dedicated channel would help providers "share costs, maximize advertising revenues, and deliver an attractive schedule outside local service opt-outs".
Under the Channel 6 plans, claimed to be "fully costed by industry experts", the organisation will launch the national network with around nine local affiliates on Freeview, Virgin Media and satellite in 2013. The number of affiliates will build to 39 by 2017.
Horwood said that the initial target locations will depend on work being done by Ofcom on the best ways to optimise the UK's transmission network. However, he believes that more than 200,000 households would be serviced with local content if the plans go ahead.
"Channel 6 will be entirely funded by advertising, with the initial investment from our national and local partners - we are not asking the government for a penny of subsidy," said Horwood.
"Channel 6 is not just about our own commercial programming. We know many people are keen to experiment with new ways of reaching local audiences, using low-cost production equipment and the enthusiasm and commitment of local activists."
He added: "Channel 6 will support community TV by making capacity available on our network - a whole additional channel broadcast alongside our own programming, and available at no cost to community groups.
"This could be, for example, for ultra-local news focused on a neighbourhood, or programmes of interest to a particular community. What is more, the £5m annual fund the BBC has set aside to buy local programming will be entirely available to those community groups."
In December, an advisory panel run by Lazards investment banker Nicholas Shott indicated that local TV would be viable in around 10 or 12 of the UK's largest cities, starting on Freeview but ultimately moving to IPTV platforms. Shott also estimated that a network of 10 local TV services would have a combined cost base of £25m, meaning £5m would have to come from local advertising and a further £15m from national advertising. The BBC would be required to make up the remaining £5m by providing local content.
However, former BBC director general Greg Dyke claimed that local TV would be commercially viable in at least 60 areas of the UK, largely because the services would "be cheaper to run than Shott believes". |
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| BBC Radio 7 to become Radio 4 Extra |
| Tuesday, February 8 2011 |
The BBC Trust has today approved a BBC proposal to transform Radio 7 into Radio 4 Extra as a way to encourage more listeners to use digital radio.
The Trust also approved a new strategy for BBC Children's radio designed to better serve young listeners of all ages, including all kids' programming on Radio 7 being refocused to appeal more to families.
Radio 7 will be repositioned as Radio 4 Extra in order to "raise awareness, bring more listeners to the station and promote DAB radio". The new station is expected to launch in the spring and broadcast a schedule more closely aligned to Radio 4, potentially including additional content around favourite shows such as The Archers. |
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| YouView to launch in early 2012 |
| Wednesday, February 9 2011 |
YouView has announced that it will have a product in trial by the end of this year, with a full consumer launch planned in early 2012.
YouView also announced it will shortly publish its core technical specifications for launch. This will allow any manufacturer to build a device using its underlying technologies but not necessarily under the YouView brand.
Richard Halton, CEO, YouView said: "Our focus has always been to deliver a product to consumers that is right, but not rushed. Creating a truly open TV platform that will bring consumers increased choice has required significant technological innovation. Our timings for the launch reflect the scale and complexity of this project." |
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| BBC iPlayer Coming to Android & iPad |
| Wednesday, February 9 2011 |
The BBC has clarified its plans for the release of its Android and iPad-compatible versions of its popular iPlayer application - the British TV and radio service that delivers streaming content to the desktop and mobile devices - in light of a flurry of recent speculation. According to a post on the BBC.co.uk's Internet blog, the media company plans to have its new Android and iPad applications in their respective app stores by the end of this week.
On Android, the iPlayer app will not be available for all devices, only on those running the Android 2.2 ("Froyo") version of the mobile operating system and Adobe Flash 10.1. This is because the player's Flash streams require "a powerful mobile phone processor and a Wi-Fi connection," says the BBC. |
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| Meridian switchover dates announced |
| Tuesday, February 15 2011 |
The dates for the start of digital switchover in the Meridian TV region have been announced by Digital UK.
The Hannington transmitter serving parts of Hampshire, Berkshire and Surrey will be the first to switch on 8 February 2012 (completing on 22 February), followed by the Midhurst transmitter, serving most of West Sussex on 29 February 2012 (completing on 14 March).
Both the Rowridge (serving Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, parts of Dorset and West Sussex) and Whitehawk Hill (serving Brighton) transmitters will begin switchover on the 7 March and complete on 21 March 2012.
Switchover will see the five analogue TV channels permanently switched off and the Freeview service boosted to reach virtually all 2.48 million households in the Meridian region. Thousands of homes in previous digital blackspots such as Newbury, Henley, Haslemere, Salisbury, Poole, Dorchester, Winchester and Brighton will be able to receive Freeview channels for the first time.
The switchover dates for the eastern half of the Meridian TV region, including much of Kent and East Sussex, will be announced in the summer. |
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| BBC iPlayer to offer non-BBC content |
| Thursday, February 17 2011 |
The BBC has launched a new feature on BBC iPlayer that helps viewers find programmes from other broadcasters and on demand content providers.
According to the BBC Internet blog, metadata-sharing partnerships, will allow viewers to find programmes from ITV, Channel 4, S4C, Five, SeeSaw.com and MSN Video Player, directly from the BBC iPlayer website.
Either by using the 'schedule widget', or the 'search' function, viewers will be able to find other video on demand content, and link directly into the playback page of your chosen programme from one of the BBC's partners' websites. |
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| Sky complain about BBC iPlayer rules |
| Monday, February 24 2011 |
Sky claims iPlayer rules will deny access to millions of viewers, a 'perverse' ban on non-standard versions of the BBC's iPlayer could stop the service being offered to millions of Sky viewers.
Sky claims the BBC Trust's proposed new rules for syndicating iPlayer would prevent it from being available on more than 3.5million broadband-connected Sky+HD boxes.
The proposals would restrict the iPlayer to three standard designs and forbid development of new designs except in 'exceptional circumstances' - which don't include Sky.
Sky's response to the proposals says: 'The knowing exclusion of millions of existing licence fee payers is one of a number of perverse outcomes resulting from the Provisional Conclusions.
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'It demonstrates that the Trust has not acted in the public interest in arriving at its draft syndication policy.'
The Trust is also accused of failing to discuss the technical capacities of the Sky platform before claiming that Sky could use one of the standard iPlayer software designs.
Sky wants the BBC to offer catch-up TV via a 'hybrid' approach, which would allow platforms like Sky to offer a selection of programmes via services like Sky Anytime+, via both broadband and satellite 'push' on-demand, instead of offering the full iPlayer service.
Sky also said that the BBC-backed YouView would be a bespoke platform in contravention of the new rules, and that the BBC has previously developed a bespoke iPlayer service for Virgin Media's smaller customer base. |
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| 4HD launch date |
| Tuesday, February 22 2011 |
4HD is expected to launch on Freesat on the 1st April 2011, the date has not been officially confirmed as yet, by either Channel 4 or Freesat.
Before it's 'official launch' on the Freesat platform, 4HD is expected to go free-to-air on March 10 2011.
4HD is expected to utilise capacity on transponder 50 10.847 Vertical (BBC DSAT4).
4HD will be automatically included on the Freesat EPG after it offically launches, users of non Freesat receiver will have to manually tune in the channel from March 10. Like the BBC's HD channels, 4HD will be using MPEG4, so standard definition receiver (SD), using MPEG2 will not be able to view the channel. |
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| 5* & 5USA expected to join Freesat in 2011 |
| Wednesday, February 23 2011 |
5* and 5USA are expected to join the Freesat line-up during 2011 according to this mail received from Channel 5 by astra2d.com.
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Due to a lack of narrow beam capacity, we have been unable to make FIVER (5* from 7th March) and Five USA (5 USA from 7th March) available on this platform since it was launched. However, additional capacity on Freesat is likely to become available later this year and we are planning to make the channels available once this is in place.
The additional capacity refered to, is almost certainly Astra 1N, due to launch Q2 2011. No mention was made of Channel 5 HD joining the platform. |
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