Sorry I don't understand... The MG article says Sky will be using compression to squeeze four channels out of the existing three. So Sky News will not be disappearing.
The four channels will be four
new
channels covering live Premiership footy off of Sky Sports 1, movies off of Sky Movies, and the best of the stuff on Sky One.
Where does it say four new channels? I am assuming it's only going to be one new channel showing the best of content from movies & Sky One - hence the Ofcom approval. There is no way Sky News is going to leave Freeview when it is a platform that reaches most of the UK and will have more viewers the Sky Digital. It doesn't make sense!
Oh dear.... constant change like this really isn't making Sky News look like a confident channel. In fact they give the impression of being in freefall - which actually isn't even that fair, as they're perfectly capable of being outstanding.
I can see why people would want a 15-minute news roundup when they're about to rush out the door first thing in the morning - but at that time of the evening viewers tend not to be in a hurry, so it's the perfect time for intelligent discussion and longer items. And Martin Stanford did that so well.
I really don't understand what's going on with the channel. They're making themselves look like a struggling channel through their own chopping and changing. And I absolutely agree that, if Sky News isn't providing strong competition, News 24 will just lapse into the sort of channel it was five years ago.
Two stories dominating this thread at once - and a bit of irony about it all.
For Digital Satellite viewers, you have to question the point in the 15-minute summaries when they can access the headline service on Sky News Active.
So are they doing it for the benefit of Freeview viewers then - you know, the Freeview viewers they're ditching.
It's all subject to OFCOM approval (and as questionable as it is, I'd be surprised if they had the teeth to block it), but the plan is to ditch Sky Three, Sky Sports News and Sky News from Freeview and replace them with a subscription bundle of four channels which are rumoured to include Sky News, Sky One, Sky Movies and Sky Sports.
So it'll still be on Freeview - but you'll have to pay for it. And get a new set top box as Sky want to change the encoding to MPEG4 which current Freeview boxes don't support.
Well I am stunned, I have just read the Press Release and it is true, Sky News is leaving Freeview.
Quote from release
The new service will make use of existing capacity that Sky currently uses to broadcast Sky Three, Sky News and Sky Sports News. As a result, these channels will cease to be available free-to-air via DTT in advance of the launch of the pay-TV service.
I suppose there is some tiny consolation in that Sky News is now broadcasting 24/7 audio online, and they do switch the video stream to the main Sky News service during major events, so it could be worse.
I imagine that all the feedback has been overwhelmingly negative though, not that they'll really care.
There are around 8.5 million Sky Digital viewers and around 9.3 million Freeview viewers. Not sure how cable viewers there are? but I just cannot understand why Sky News would purposely remove themselves from nearly 10 million homes.
but I just cannot understand why Sky News would purposely remove themselves from nearly 10 million homes.
they aren't. it's nearly the same situation as with the ITVNC - it is BSkyB (not Sky News) making a business decision.
So do BSKYB still consider Sky News to be part of their strategic future or is there a change of direction on the cards which doesn't include Sky News?
There's a further article now on MG which confirms that Sky News is staying on DTT but NOT on Freeview - it'll become part of the four channel pay line up, likely to be Sky One, Sky News, a Sky Sports channel and a Sky Movies channel.
As to the 15 minute slots in the evening rumour - absolutely dreadful. Perhaps they really are trying to kill Sky News off! Martin Stanford's show is the only rolling bit of any news channel that I can happily stay tuned to for any extended length of time! Ridiculous.
There's a further article now on MG which confirms that Sky News is staying on DTT but NOT on Freeview - it'll become part of the four channel pay line up, likely to be Sky One, Sky News, a Sky Sports channel and a Sky Movies channel.
As to the 15 minute slots in the evening rumour - absolutely dreadful. Perhaps they really are trying to kill Sky News off! Martin Stanford's show is the only rolling bit of any news channel that I can happily stay tuned to for any extended length of time! Ridiculous.
Ha, you have to love John Ryley's quotes in there.
Basically what he is saying amounts to "Sky News is a big draw and people will pay for it". B-llocks they will. Sky News has never, ever, been a major draw to Sky Digital so god knows why they think it would be a draw to DTT viewers who have always overwhelmingly favoured News 24.
I really don't like the sound of "allowing us to concentrate on core viewers" or whatever phrase he used - i.e. viewers with Sky Digital. Presumably this means suffering a return of the nauseating Sky News Active promos every five minutes.