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View Full Version : All change for Freeview...for the better?



jassian
07-10-2007, 10:30 PM
Now that Virgin 1 has come online, a number of other channels have disappeared! What's happened to ABC1 and FTN - I used to watch ABC1 every weekend morning - just to jolly me up. I believe UK BrightIdeas is also going - no big loss though.
Has anyone got any ideas on what channels we're finally going to end up with??

little_pob
08-10-2007, 04:27 PM
ABC1 was pulled by Disney a few weeks ago, with only running 6am-6pm they never got a primetime audience and so ratings (read as advertising revenue) suffered.

FTN and FTN+1 have been replaced by Virgin 1.

And if BskyB have their way the fta Sky 3, Sky sports news and Sky News channels will all be replaced by pay TV channels.

Diablo13
20-10-2007, 03:35 PM
I wish they would all stop bickering and buggering about so we all knew which channels we were supposed to be getting. You can't keep track of whats on in the tv papers anymore as they can't keep up. God alone knows what kind of a mess we will be in when they roll out digital only tv across the country. :(

Shipoftheline
21-10-2007, 11:31 AM
Now that Virgin 1 has come online, a number of other channels have disappeared! What's happened to ABC1 and FTN - I used to watch ABC1 every weekend morning - just to jolly me up. I believe UK BrightIdeas is also going - no big loss though.
Has anyone got any ideas on what channels we're finally going to end up with??


Disney couldn't get the primetime slot they needed to make it work because of all the crap +1 channels. FTN was a load of crap in my opinion and Virgin1 has now turned it into a winnner as the ratings are starting to show and as for Brightideas well it was one to get rid of it

Diablo13
21-10-2007, 10:17 PM
I've got to agree with you there Ship. I don't see the point of most of the plus 1 channels, especially on UK Gold as they already have UK Gold 1 +2 and the plus channels for them. They hog the bandwidth with nothing to show, it just runs on a time loop. Bright ideas was just someones bright idea of an advertising channel. Pity about Disney for the kids though. I wish they would put FX on freeview thats a great channel for new American series.

reuben
22-10-2007, 10:11 AM
I must agrre, FX is a great channel. As for Virgin 1, I would still rather have sky 1.

Shipoftheline
22-10-2007, 01:50 PM
Slightly off topic but I'm sure I seen an advert about a warnerbros channel on VM but can't seen to find it ?

little_pob
22-10-2007, 03:13 PM
Slightly off topic but I'm sure I seen an advert about a warnerbros channel on VM but can't seen to find it ?
Just had a quick look, it looks like its a WB VoD channel through "Virgin on Demand", rather than a true broadcast channel.

Also available on BT Vision: Watch This ? Warner Brothers TV on Virgin Media and BT Vision (http://www.watchthis.co.uk/?p=130)

Diablo13
22-10-2007, 08:59 PM
I must agrre, FX is a great channel. As for Virgin 1, I would still rather have sky 1.

I agree with you as well, much rather have Sky 1 than Virgin 1. Despite all the crap that comes out of America, I do like a lot of their telly programs like Stargate and Stargate Atlantis.
When Virgin first dumped the Sky channels they said they expected to get something sorted with them in a month. Seven months later I haven't heard any more about it? They did have a point about the pricing of Sky programs though.

Buster1892
05-11-2007, 02:17 AM
It is always interesting to see what will replace the nerfed channels.
I've been disappointed with freeview since I got it.
It could potentially be my reception but I find the quality is piss poor when watching fast moving detailed shots such as you find in sporting events or movies. Can you say artifact!
Plus they killed men and motors just after I bought the box.
Oh and they want me to pay for Eurosport?
I really hope the whole platform improves once analogue is switched off.

thelostone
18-11-2007, 11:44 PM
I have to agree i would sooner have sky one any day, anyone heard any more about sky picnic or what ever its called?talk about greed!!

zerofool2005
20-11-2007, 03:58 PM
Ofcom need to stick there foor in
And make all these companies sign contracts so they cant just pull the plug when they feel like it. Some channels should also be forced to be on the network
What happens when the UK is digital and there are no freeview channels?
What about the people who cant afford a subscription to sky or VM

There is going to be more stealing of services from these companies then.

Diablo13
21-11-2007, 12:15 AM
@ zerofool 2005, I agree with you about the contract idea so that channels could not be just pulled without say 3 months warning, this would give people the chance to unsubscribe then if they wished.
As far as forcing channels to be on a network, its free enterprise and private companies cannot be forced to transmit major loss making channels. That would lead to even worse programs and some channels closing all together, which would be bad for all of us, the viewers.
Freeview channels is a bit of a misnomer as it's really Free to View channels and their not "free" either. Just transmitted through free airspace on available frequencies. Most of these channels excepting the BBC make their revenue from advertising so they would still be widely available after switchover.
Private companies like Sky want their cake and eat it. You have to subscribe to them which generates revenue and then they show adverts which makes them even more money. That is what I would like to see stopped. Sky Movies for example show uninterrupted films so they have a legitimate reason to ask for subscriptions. Sky 1 on the other hand shows adverts and therefore should be non subscription.
Lots of people dont subscribe to Sky or Virgin Meddle but they still get the Freeview channels if they have bought a box and have a suitable aerial. In council owned properties incidentally they have an obligation to provide a suitable aerial for people to view what is widely available through the airwaves.

didsss
21-11-2007, 01:46 PM
I agree with you as well, much rather have Sky 1 than Virgin 1. Despite all the crap that comes out of America, I do like a lot of their telly programs like Stargate and Stargate Atlantis.
When Virgin first dumped the Sky channels they said they expected to get something sorted with them in a month. Seven months later I haven't heard any more about it? They did have a point about the pricing of Sky programs though.


I recon V1 will pull a coo...I recon they are buying up the cheap old US TV progs just to get online, I hope that they will then outbid Sky on some of Sky ones big hitters more out of commercial gain than plain spite...but i prefer spite I dislike money grabbing sky for previous dealings, its a principle thing....
Sure things can only get better for cable....

heady
26-01-2008, 01:32 AM
@Buster1892

British Eurosport has always been a pay channel.

Eurosport itself is a free to air channel, that plays out on Hotbird and Astra (the Old Sky Analogue Satellite System) but since Sky dropped their analogue service, this now seems to be centred around the Germans.

Heady-