Britannist

Sky News, Sky Three and Sky News Sports are to be removed this Summer from Freevew, the set-top box which decodes signals allowing for digital television reception through roof aerials (terrestrial transmission).

Critics will say the move defeats the object of 'Freeview' which is supposed to provide television and radio channels at no extra cost in reception fees above the cost of the annual television licence.

Freeview already includes 10 slots for pay television (Top-up TV) which can only be viewed by purchasing a card which has to be placed in Freeview set-top boxes with card slots. Another pay-to-view channel, Sentana Sports starts as part of the 'Top-up' line up on 1.3.2007.

Sky Television wants to introduce four new channels to replace the three it wants permission for (from Ofcom) to switch off on Freeview. The pay-to-view channels would only be available to people who buy new specially adapted set-top boxes. Existing Freeview boxes would not be able to receive the four new channels.

Over half of homes in the UK have at least one 'Freeview' set-top box digital receiver. Other people receive the Sky channels which are being removed from 'Freeview' via the Sky satellite. It is thought they will not be affected by the decision of Sky to cease broadcasting Sky News, Sky 3 and Sky Sports News via set-top boxes.

This report from BBC 1 Television Ceefax (Analogue page 122, 8.2.2007 at 9.22 pm):

'Sky’s top show sto go terrestrial'

Sky is to make some of its most popular programmes movies and posts available on digital terrestrial television.

The four channels on the new service will offer a range of shows for a monthly subscription from this summer.

Viewers will receive them through a normal TV aerial, with a new set-top box, rather than satellite or cable.

Sky Three, Sky News and Sky Sports News will disappear from Freeview to make way. Media regulator Ofcom must approve the plans before they go ahead.

There's also a more detailed report at:

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http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/digitalt...t-service.html

Independent UKIP

I hope Ofcom will reject the proposal. I won't hold my breath though.

The people who contribute to the uk.tech.digital-tv newsgroup are not impressed & neither am I.

Britannist

I've just gone and bought a second 'Freeview' box for a television in another room. I am not pleased at the news of this proposal by Sky Television (to remove its existing channels from Freeview) - because the intention of the second box is to watch Sky News through it.

If the (alleged) plans of Sky Television for Freeview are accepted it would mean 16 - 17 of the 40 or so television channels on the Freeview set-top box will be pay-to-view. This completely defeats what the Freeview box was supposed to be for. Ofcom will have to consider this fact carefully.

I would just add that it should still be possible to get Sky Television News, Sky Three (formerly Sky Travel) and Sky Sports News through satellite dish reception if/when those channels disappear from the Freeview set-top box line-up.

It will be interesting to see how many people choose to buy the specially adapted Sky set-top boxes to receive the four Sky pay-to-view channels which may/will replace those presently on Freeview. It's alot of money buying a new set-top box just to get four channels.

By the way Independent UKIP - could I ask what is uk.tech.digital-tv newsgroup please?

Independent UKIP

A lot of people (particuarly in London) in flats, HMOs, listed buildings etc cannot get Sky & cannot get Cable so we are a little stuck with Freeview at present. The forthcoming Tiscali TV may well be of interest to me as I cannot even receive all the current free Freeview channels at present (eg the 3 Five channels & ABC1). I don't think many people will upgrade to get the 4 new Sky channels. My signal strength for the 3 existing Sky channels is the poorest for all of Freeview I can access so I couldn't even be sure I would receive an acceptable signal for their suggested 4 channels.

I don't know your ISP Britannist but all 3 ISP's I have ever used have provided at least some access to newsgroups. They are availabe via Outlook Express (if you use that). Outlook Express for me has two parts. One is email the other is newsgroups. They were more significant during the earlier days of the internet when dial-up speeds were so slow so text communication was a good way of discussing things. There is another group called uk.politics.electoral which I look at, though Iain Lindley's website http://www.vote-2007.co.uk/ has partially superseded it. There are still discussions of local by-election results & other electoral things there. John Loony is a contributor to that newsgroup and fairly recently said he didn't know that he was contributing to a newsgroup. So there is at least someplace on the web a way to access and contribute to newsgroups without literally accessing them. I don't have a link for that though.

Alex McKee

http://groups.google.com/group/uk.te...ital-tv/topics

I like Usenet. But I almost always use the Google web usenet gateway now.

Britannist

Independent UKIP -

As you may know, it is possible for anyone who is allowed to put up a dish to receive all the 'free to air 'channels from the Sky satellite without subscribing to Sky Television to receive the channels people pay to watch. About half a million homes in the UK are receiving their television this way. It means they don't use their roof aerial (if they have one) for the television which is connected to the dish.

There's no satellite dish here but I am now seriously considering it for non-subscription reception (in view of the decision of Sky to end transmission of its news, sports news and Sky 3 channels on 'Freeview'). There is the initial cost of installing/putting up the dish, but I think that, after that one-off payment that's it (unless one later decides to pay to receive subscription channels from Sky Television via the Sky satellite dish).

As for people who aren't allowed to put up a satellite dish and can't receive cable, then, as you say, Independent UKIP, Tiscali may eventually provide an option of viewers of Freeview being able to continue to receive the the three Sky Television channels mentioned earlier which are to disappear from 'Freeview' (if the regulator Ofcom allows Sky Television to remove them) from Tiscali (plus, of course, all the other Freeview television and radio channels).

As 'Freeview' (the set-top box) is more-or-less a BBC initiative, it seems to me that only the BBC television and radio channels on it are entirely 'safe' on that (Freeview) platform.

We lost the ITV news channel (from Freeview)) about 18 months ago. Now those of us who presently watch on Freeview are about to lose Sky Television News too. That means that out of the original three news channels on Freeview when it started - only could remain on it by the Summer. And the ITV news channel slot on Freeview, I notice, is still empty.

ITV also removed 'Men and Motors' a while back (although it is still, apparently, available on the Sky satellite and possibly cable). Some of the more interesting channels have gone and are being replaced either by blank screens or by channels only viewable if one buys a card from 'Top up TV'. This is not helping the credibility of Freeview.

As for Freeview reception and you not getting ABC or the three 'Five' channels (which broadcast over Freeview). On my oldest Freeview box (the new one I bought a couple of weeks ago I haven't tried yet) I was not able to receive the picture for BBC Parliament but could get only the sound until recently. However, now BBC Parliament has gone widescreen (about eight weeks ago), for some reason, I can get both the sound and the picture. Maybe they increased the signal strength when widescreen was introduced on that service. I also can't get the community channel or Teachers TV, although relatives can on their televisions without problem.

Thank you, Independent UKIP, for the details about News Groups. Iv'e made a note of your recommendations - uk.politics.electoral and Iain Lindley's website http://www.vote-2007.co.uk/

Britannist

Yes, it looks interesting. Thanks for recommending it 8) . I've made a note to go back again tomorrow. I feel like a moan about losing the Sky channels from the Freeview box :? :shock: .

Britannist

Apart from the merger of Tiscali and Homechoice (which provides television/internet/'phone services in London and Stevenage), I've just remembered that they said on LBC 1152 AM radio a couple of hours ago that Sir Richard Branson is hoping to compete against Sky Television with new services.

It will be interesting to see if this new Virgin service will include carrying Freeview services.

I understand that having bought NTL, Sir Richard Branson intends to re-name NTL under the Virgin banner. NTL already includes Telewest, of course. Telewest set up the popular television channels Living TV and Bravo. Programmes from both these channels can also be seen on FTN - one of the channel on Freeview (set-top box) platform. Although FTN tends only to show programmes first broadcast on Living TV and Bravo several years ago.

Anyway, FTN on 'Freeview' is now a Virgin channel. It may even be re-named as Virgin Television (remember, you heard it here first :wink: ).

If Virgin try to follow Tiscali, Sky and cable in the delivery of television channels then Freeview might well be carried by Virgin over broadband (as, apparently Homechoice - now part of Tiscali - were carrying all the television channels on Freeview and may well still be doing).

I hope to find out more about Virgin (i.e. Sir Richard Branson's) plans when I have time to go through the newspapers.

Britannist

Some reports about Virgin's entry into broadcasting I have just come across (it appears that Sky Television's decision to end its free channels on the 'Freeview' set-top box platform may have been in preparation for anticipated competition from Virgin):

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Branson: VM launch "milestone" in media
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/digitalt...-in-media.html

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Virgin offers 'VIP' pack for £85 a month
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/digitalt...5-a-month.html

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Virgin to launch hybrid linear-VOD channel
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/digitalt...d-channel.html

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Virgin Media 'ready to kick some ass'
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/digitalt...-some-ass.html

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'CSI' added to Virgin's on demand library
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/digitalt...d-library.html

Alex McKee

You're welcome, and enjoy your 'moan'