Rumour - some ITV & C4 channels to be encrypted

[Analoguesat]

Theres no definite news on this yet, but there are rumours that ITV are in discussion with Sky to send ITV2/+1, ITV3/+1 & ITV4/+1 back into the Sky subscription service.

C4 are also said to be in discussion for their none PSB channels.

The reason for this of course is that both organisations have been hit very hard indeed by the economic downturn - advertising income has plummeted.

 

[Lazarus]

I hope you are just having a bad hair day and winding us up .............

In all seriousness, if Advertising revenues are down, why would restricting the viewing figures further help in any way?

Also, surely this would also have serious implications for the Freesat Platform, let alone for all those with generic reception gear?

Discuss.

 

[Analoguesat]

Sadly Im not joking - read the reports yourself:

_http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/jun/01/itv-bskyb-pay-tv

_http://www.brandrepublic.com/News/910114/ITV-talks-Sky-return-pay-TV/

_http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/?p=18964

Sky's current carriage rules about payment also mean that the channels may also disappear from FreeView!

 

[Lazarus]

I feel a great deal of chuntering coming on :mad:

 

[thecaretaker]

That will be a punch in the guts for Freesat viewers. Freesat is meant to be a joint venture between ITV and the BBC. I bet the beeb won't be too pleased either. Freesat folk are looking for more channels to join the platform, not less.

But, at the end of the day, ITV is in serious trouble financially, so they will have to make tough decisions.

The future doesn't fare good for ITV. Maybe it is time for ITV to throw in the towel, admit they got it wrong? Their programming sucks with cheap to make nasty reality shows and music contests for the mentally backward, ITV HD is a half hearted affair at best. Come to think of it, watching those old repeats on ITV3 of Arther Daily harp back to a period when ITV was king. Mmmm, where am I going with this lol

 

[Mickha]

This could just be a bargaining ploy to enable these channels to gain part of the television licence fee.
OFCOM has already supported a proposal for some of the money to be given to these channels, to allow continued minority programming, but the BBC is against this proposal.
Personally I wouldn't care if they all encrypted thier broadcasts as I never watch any of these channels and so will not miss them.

 

[Analoguesat]

As far as Im concerned ITV is a complete joke and should close their operation down completely.

ITV1 has been a disaster area ever since they killed off the full regionalisation

 

[woborny]

just wondering....
maybe ITV2,3,4 on astra 2d do a swap with the ITV1 regions on 12402, so all ITV1 regions are available without a sky card?
and another reason for no freesatfromsky card, with just FIVE channels being the main ones requiring the FSFS card ...until they go totally fta?

 

[Lazarus]

........... with just FIVE channels being the main ones requiring the FSFS card ...until they go totally fta?

IF !!!

No doubt Five are affected by the same declining revenues, so may shelve any plans they may have had (If they truly ever did) for their offshoots to go FTA anyway.

 

[woborny]

yes...big IF...should have made myself clearer in the post.

 

[rolfw]

I can't help thinking that ITV have gone this route before, they opted out of the satellite transmission of ITV in the early days and paid the price, Sky subscribers stopped watching it, as it wasn't on the digibox and advertisers started leaving the channel.

Now whilst I'm not too bothered about the +1 channels (PVRs tend to make these redundant), the removal of channels like E4, Film4 and the digital only ITV channels from the free platforms, will obviously affect the take up of Freesat, but I can also see it decimating advertising revenue and I can't see that package payments from Sky will entirely replace this.

"Well ITV must have considered this, done the sums and know what they are doing" I hear you say, but history would suggest that they probably don't.;)

 

[PaulR]

It'll be a black day if this does come to pass. I'm amazed that there might be a knock-on effect on Freeview as well. That would be nothing short of disastrous.

 

[newgen2005]

Very bad news, if we loose ITV (HD) and CH4 etc, it won't be much fun on the Freesat train!!! Only had my HD box 6 weeks

 

[Analoguesat]

ITV1 & C4 wont be affected IF it happens, (and its by no mean certain). No idea about the ITV HD situation.

If the worst comes to the worst then Id predict the following would go pay:

ITV2
ITV3
ITV4
More 4
E4
Film 4

plus all the timeshifts

 

[newgen2005]

Thanks for the info Analoguesat, Film 4 the only free movie channel with films worth watching may go, noooooo

 

[Expat]

Don't think it will ever happen, one would think ITV had learnt from past mistakes and not get involved with $ky.

 

[wod]

well good riddance to them as if itv continue to depend on shows like britains got talent and x factor because they are cheap to make is a bad move and good bye.

cant say i watch itv with having a couple of mixes on sky.

surely it wont make them much money as they will have to pay encryption costs which will be more than what they would get from sky.

 

[Analoguesat]

I havent watch Border / ITV1 since they lost the f1. The schedule is full of reality or low budget talent show sh!te - and Id rather have my teeth pulled out without anaesthetic than suffer that.

Im still annoyed that our lovely little ITV region has effectively been closed down and amalgamated into Choon Tees

 

[Markjose]

i know i was a lil too young but my farther was telling me in the days of reginal broadcasting, he had two ariel's situited on the house one for london the other was for oxford and bucks. on the old terrestrial analog. he said you could watch different films and programmes on a sunday afternoon.

 

[rolfw]

Yes, is fairly common in our area (Crystal Palace, London and Hannington, Southern), but when upgrading most people now opt for one good aerial, as the variety is better these days.