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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ProDave" data-source="post: 2891" data-attributes="member: 175209">[updated:LAST EDITED ON 30-Nov-01 AT 01:35 PM (GMT)]I am new here, and this is my first post.  I have only just found this site.  As there are a lot of people here, who like me only use a free to view card for the free UK channels, I would like to discuss about ITV2 and why it's excluded to Sky FTV viewers.  Apologies, it's a bit of a long posting!ITV2 is blocked now to people with a Sky Digibox and a free to view BBC card, and only available to someone with a Sky subscription of some sort.   It is however NOT encrypted, and so CAN be viewed with a NON Sky digibox. This raises several, I think important issues which I will outline, and hope others will discuss. Firstly, why do I expect ITV2 to beFTV? Well simply because it is FTV on Digital Terestrial television. Everything else that's free on DTT, is free on Satellite, so why is ITV2 an exception? Now call me a cheapskate if you like for only being interested in FTV digital television, but hold on before you do. Take a look at some recent surveys that show a very large pecentage of the population do NOT want pay television, they only want the free channels that are paid for by their TV licence, or supported entirely by advertising. Now these same surveys also show also that of these who only want free television, many think that they should not have to pay ANYTHING to change over to digital television. At least I am not that tight, I was prepared to pay the £100 to get my digibox and minidish for the free channels. So the government has this plan, to convert us all to digital television, and then turn off the analogue service. They have finally realised, that the only way to tempt people into changing to digital free to view, is to offer them more channels than the 5 they currently have (and make cheap set top boxes readilly available). So now there are talks about the possibility of some of the UK channels becominig FTV, and a major advertising campaign about FTV digital TV starting next year. This ITV2 thing therefore flies directly in the face of that. Now for the Sky subscribers. You are smug in the fact that you have access to ITV2, although from comments on this BB, many think ITV1 and ITV2 are not worth watching. But hold on, you will not be so smug when your Sky subscription rises to cover it. There was discussion here about forthcomming Sky price rises, and someone sugested that it Sky would justify it by the fact that ITV1 and 2 are now available. I said at the time don't be so silly, these are FREE channels. But I am wrong, Sky are going to charge you for something that should be free. So to all sky subscribers, when your subscriptions rise, write to Sky to complain that they are CHARGING you for what should be a FREE channel. And it's not like you have a choice to include it or exclude it from your package. At the moment there are only a very few people like me that have taken up Digital TV just for the free channels. Over time Free digital viewers will become the majority (if not analogue switch off can't happen) so it is important that a good range of free channels is available. Incidently I have no problem with ITV sport. It is a subscription channel on DTT, so I assume it will be subscription channel on Digital Satellite if it ever comes. All I want is a level playing field, where each channel is consistent in it's charging policy over all platforms. I'm sure there would be plenty complaining if Sky One became free on terestrial, but not on Satellite for example. I shall be contacting ITV2 to put these points to them. I shall also try and contact Patricial Hewitt/ Tessa Jowell's office to find their view on this ITV2 situation, and how it sit's with the governments Digital Television Action Plan.After sending lot's of emails, I have had this one repply after a week: (the one I sent to the Government's DTI website) QUOTE Thank you for your e-mail of 23 November about digital television. I have been asked to reply. Ministers appreciate your concern about being unable to receive ITV2 as a free-to-air channel on the satellite platform. You will be interested to know that these policies are, a result of wholly commercial decisions between the television operators, programme makers, and the rights holders of the programmes concerned - decisions in which the Government has no remit to intervene. It is however, a long-standing policy that broadcasting services are independent of Government. How Sky and other pay television services operate their services is purely a matter for them. Nevertheless, consumer protection from anti-competitive practices is considered very seriously in the UK. Any complaint on such matters should be brought to the attention of Mr John Vickers, Director General of Fair Trading (DGFT) at the Office of Fair Trading, Fleetbank House, 2-6 Salisbury Square, London EC4Y 8JX. If you have not already done so, you may wish to let Mr Vickers know of any concerns you have about possible anti-competitive practices. In response to your further concern, you will be interested to know that the Government has stated in the white paper 'A New Future for communications' that the Government is committed to ensuring that the free channels which are currently available on analogue, (BBC 1 and 2, ITV and Channels 4/S4C and 5) will be available as free-to-air channels on all digital platforms. I hope this is helpful. Sujan Kareer Broadcasting Policy Adviser Department of Culture, Media & Sport END QUOTE So I will now write to the Office of Fair Trading as "consumer protection from anti-competitive practices is considered very seriously in the UK" Now given that ITV2 is being broadcast Free to Air and can be received on a Non Sky digibox, I consider the fact that it is blocked to Sky Digibox owners to be an anti-competitive practice. I urge other free to air viewers to do the same. Only if enough people complain might someone apply pressure to change things.In the mean time, does anyone know a way to legally receive it, short of actually buying a non Sky digibox?</blockquote>

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