The Newsroom

Why is the ITV News Channel not on Freeview?

ITV News Channel presently off air on Freeview. (February 2005)

This site closed in March 2021 and is now a read-only archive
NG
noggin Founding member
Londoner posted:
noggin posted:

Although they are marketed as being available FTA, by the Freeview marketing campaign, they aren't part of Freeview.

Freeview is technically just the BBC/BSkyB/Crown Castle enterprise - which is the 18Mbs 16QAM Muxes - 1,B,C,D.

The 24Mbs 64QAM Muxes - 2 and A - are the Digital 3/4 and SDN/Five muxes, and they aren't part of the Freeview operation.

Yes - the Freeview marketing campaign mentions ITV1/2, C4, Five etc. - but that doesn't mean they are part of Freeview.

That is just a longer-winded way of saying the same thing that I was saying... Very Happy

Anyway, the point is that as far as the consumer is concerned there is no distinction.


Nope - but as far as the Freeview consortium (i.e. Freeview) is concerned - there is.

Digital 3/4 and SDN/Five are both providing space for TopUpTV channels - which are nothing to do with Freeview for example...
LO
Londoner
noggin posted:
Nope - but as far as the Freeview consortium (i.e. Freeview) is concerned - there is.

Digital 3/4 and SDN/Five are both providing space for TopUpTV channels - which are nothing to do with Freeview for example...

Yes, but that only becomes an issue if you try to use Freeview as a synonym for DTT.

The (free) channels on Digital 3&4 and SDN actively describe themselves as being available 'on Freeview'. The fact that they are not part of the consortium which owns the Freeview brand is immaterial for most purposes.
NG
noggin Founding member
Ross Revenge posted:
The last time I checked the ITV News Channel was off air on Freeview Channel 41 due to maintaince. When will it come back on air?


Of course it will annoy people to point out that the ITV News Channel hasn't ever left channel 41 in London (via Crystal Palace)...

Just as five (aka Channel Five) installed a fibre (rather than satellite link) for their London transmitter - to keep it on-air when the satellite distribution failed due to bad weather - ITV realised that London is such a huge, and influential, region to cover that they had to stay on-air there come what may.

Annoying as it is, and un-regional as it is, that is life...
AD
Adam
One thing I heard about the new equiptment being installed to re-enable transmission of the ITV News Channel is that it would enable regional advertsing. If this is true, will the Leeds transmission centre be playing out the ex-GMG North (and Central) adverts and who will be dealing with playout in the Scottish, Grampian, UTV and Channel regions?
DV
dvboy
I don't understand why they would want to give the ITV News Channel the capability of being regional (whether it's for regional news or for regianl adverts) on DTT when it won't be regional on Sky or cable.
YO
yogibarney
well yes actually they could go regional on sky and cable.
With the cable companies it is the easiest as they just take the feed from your nearest transmitter but don't need to carry all regional versions.
With sky it is possible but a little more complicated as they would need to carry all regional versions for its customers
NG
noggin Founding member
dvboy posted:
I don't understand why they would want to give the ITV News Channel the capability of being regional (whether it's for regional news or for regianl adverts) on DTT when it won't be regional on Sky or cable.


It is just as possible to be regional on satellite as it is on terrestrial - you just broadcast more than one version of the channel - just as is the case with BBC One, BBC Two, ITV1 and Channel Four on satellite.

Sure it costs money to lease the satellite space, and to pay for backhaul and encoding, but it is entirely possible.

Cable companies could then derive their own feeds from DTT or DSat.

AIUI NTL used to provide advert playout facilities for the ITV News Channel - dating back to when they were major shareholders in the ITN News Channel (and it was nothing to do with ITV)

This move presumably means that ITV Playout will be handling ITV News Channel presentation (i.e. ad playout) now - if they don't already?
DV
dvboy
noggin posted:
dvboy posted:
I don't understand why they would want to give the ITV News Channel the capability of being regional (whether it's for regional news or for regianl adverts) on DTT when it won't be regional on Sky or cable.


It is just as possible to be regional on satellite as it is on terrestrial - you just broadcast more than one version of the channel - just as is the case with BBC One, BBC Two, ITV1 and Channel Four on satellite.

Sure it costs money to lease the satellite space, and to pay for backhaul and encoding, but it is entirely possible.


So adding to the already high cost that ITV have complained to OfCom about?
NG
noggin Founding member
dvboy posted:
noggin posted:
dvboy posted:
I don't understand why they would want to give the ITV News Channel the capability of being regional (whether it's for regional news or for regianl adverts) on DTT when it won't be regional on Sky or cable.


It is just as possible to be regional on satellite as it is on terrestrial - you just broadcast more than one version of the channel - just as is the case with BBC One, BBC Two, ITV1 and Channel Four on satellite.

Sure it costs money to lease the satellite space, and to pay for backhaul and encoding, but it is entirely possible.


So adding to the already high cost that ITV have complained to OfCom about?


Only slightly - currently ITV pay for encryption AND regionalisation (but not regional encryption) If they went FTA they would only have to pay for regionalisation services, as the BBC now do.

ITV don't pay Sky for backhaul or uplink - that is handled by NTL. Sky just provide encryption and EPG services (they provide NTL with a secure data feed to allow them to encrypt on-site AIUI)
JH
Jonathan H
noggin posted:
AIUI NTL used to provide advert playout facilities for the ITV News Channel - dating back to when they were major shareholders in the ITN News Channel (and it was nothing to do with ITV). This move presumably means that ITV Playout will be handling ITV News Channel presentation (i.e. ad playout) now - if they don't already?


NTL currently still handling playout for ITV News Channel, I believe.
AL
Allan100
Ross, please change the title of the thread! It's ITV not ITV

Please change it
RR
Ross Revenge
ITV should make provision on ITV 1 for regional news, so there is no need for the ITV News Channel to have regional opt outs. What happens if there is major news breaking during regional opt outs, what would the ITV News Channel do then?

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