All posts by Briantist
Below are all of Briantist's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Trevor Harris: It is more than likely that if the new Freeview 600MHz capacity becomes available that Ofcom will deem one (C37) for "public service broadcasting", so it will then be shared 50% BBC, 25% ITV, 25% Channel 4. This will be to "compensate" the BBC for the loss of half of multiplex BBCB, and to allow the other two public service broadcasters to double their high definition output. This would be in-line with the legal requirements in the Broadcasting Act 1996.
As ITV2HD and E4HD already exist, and the BBC already requires delivery of all programmes to it in HD, the need for another PSB HD multiplex would not therefore require Ofcom to make any charge for it.
| link to this comment |
Josh: Under the EU broadcasting rules, there is no requirement for any channel that is broadcast free-to-air in a member state to restrict broadcasts to within that member state by the use of encryption or any other method.
In fact, other states have a legal duty to allow rebroadcast of such channels, as long as no payment is demanded for reception of such re-broadcasts.
| link to this comment |
Mike Dimmick: It's here SES Contracts New Capacity with ITV | Business Wire
"SES Astra announced today that it has signed an agreement for satellite capacity with ITV, the UK commercial broadcaster. The long-term agreement provides for the renewal of ITV's existing capacity and for additional capacity to support future development with ITV's channel offer. ITV currently utilizes six transponders at ASTRA's prime 28.2 degrees East orbital position, serving the UK and Ireland. Under the new contract it will progressively activate three further transponders."
| link to this comment |
Trevor Harris: If Ofcom DO offer C37 for public service broadcasting as a SFN, then the BBC adding this to 80 existing sites, as appears to be the plan, the additional costs will be quite marginal.
Another effect of the new Astra capacity being taken by ITV is there will be room for another BBC stream on Astra 2D transponder 50.
Looking to the Olympics next year, the BBC has already said that BBC three will be used 24/7 for the Olympics (and BBC Parliament will close for the duration).
I rather suspect that BBC HD will become BBC TWO HD and the third slot become BBC three HD so there will be three HD channels for the Olympics at the very least.
BBC three has also just won "Digital Channel of the Year" - The Press Association: Stars see Sherlock pick up TV gong .
I also suspect that, at least for the Olympics, BBC three HD will be put onto the BBCB multiplex, in the place where Channel 5 HD will go at the end of the year.
| link to this comment |
Mike Dimmick: I'm not so sure if the Lyngsat "transponder ownership" symbols are much more than a guess, given that they use "Freesat" logos for some but "Freesat" is not a broadcaster, just a co-ordination and marketing company.
| link to this comment |
NottsUK: It is probably worth pointing out that for most non-premium Channels, the cost of "providing the EPG, and the free dish and box offer" is set by Sky to ofset the money that SSSL takes from the viewer.
Basically, the "platform access cost" of £234 a year is 100% per home taken by SSSL as their "basic operating costs" and the next level of access (all the basic channels) of £60 per home per year gets ofset too - the costs of encryption and EPG are charged against the subscriber collection.
A few broadcasters who were on the platform from the beginning, which includes UKTV and Viacom get a few pennies per viewer, everyone else gets their channel carried.
| link to this comment |
Les Nicol: I'm not sure if I really buy the "a gamble on Murdoch's part" for several reasons:
1) The gamble was at "small change" levels by comparison. Sky when it was "loosing money hand over fist" was in the terms of about a million-quid-a-week. Sky now takes in about £115 million-quid-a-week.
2) It wasn't just Murdoch's money. When BSB and Sky Ltd merged to form BSkyB, the majority of the money was the BSB shareholders. As I am sure you may recall, BSB held 90% the movie rights, for example. It was BSB that had the sports rights too, and the sports channel. Sky Television used Eurosport before the merger. The idea that it was all "down to Murdoch" is an often-repeated lie.
| link to this comment |
Tell you what makes me laugh every time I see it, is the "20 years of Sky Sports" promo with all the logos, because they miss out their original one!
| link to this comment |
David: Do you mean the original mast, the one that fell down in cold weather in 1969?
| link to this comment |
Sunday 28 August 2011 8:20AM
DaveCheltenham: Back in the misty recesses of 1998, Sky analogue was in about 1 million homes, and the only "terrestrial" broadcaster using a satellite transponder was Channel 5.
Before Sky Digital launched on the Astra 2A satellite, Sky had pre-booked a lot of the capacity, and resold this, along with their new digital encryption services, to various broadcasters.
The BBC didn't really have it's eye on the ball at this stage, as satellite was, back then, a bit "low end", so the BBC made an agreement with Sky to put a number of channels (BBC One UK-wide, BBC Two UK-wide, BBC News 24 (launched Nov 97 on cable), BBC Choice (Sept 98 on cable), BBC Parliament (Sept 98 on cable, replacing The Parliament Channel)) on a Sky transponder using encryption, for which the BBC was to pay Sky £5 a year per viewer.
Eventually after some prodding (not least from me) the BBC moved their services to Astra 2D (which didn't launch until December 2000), saved themselves £60m quid, and eventually launched all the BBC One/Two regional versions.
However, there was a legacy, which were the "interactive streams". Sky rather insisted, in the way that they do, that because these used the "OpenTV" (an oxymoron for a fully proprietary system) that they remain on a Sky transponder. It is for this reason, rather than one of actual rights, that the BBC continued to use a Sky-owned transponder, on a long lease.
Under the EU "single market" rules, there is no requirement for the BBC or any other broadcaster to restrict their satellite footprint to a single country, the only people who did this are the "right holders" who flout these regulations insisting on breaking the "single European market" into bits, so they can profit from rich countries like the UK.