BBC on the hunt for new channel for Freeview HD

BBC on the hunt for new channel for Freeview HD

LONDON - The BBC is potentially looking for a new broadcaster to provide content for Freeview HD, following the official launch of the digital TV service today (30 March).

The BBC's search follows news earlier this month that Five has been unable to organise itself in time for today's launch.

Freeview HD consists of the BBC HD channel, Channel 4 HD and ITV1 HD channels, and is now available to 4.5 million homes.

Five had planned to provide a mix of its own programming and commissioned shows from on its own HD channel, but failed to provide media regulator Ofcom with launch details in time.

The BBC acquired the right to use the unreserved capacity because it provides the Freeview multiplex the HD channels are being rolled out on.

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Mediaweek

IMO it would be a very bad move if they sold it off considering that they'll likely need it for the future when an overwhelming amount of their programmes will be made in HD. They'll already struggling to schedule things so that they don't upset too many viewers. I think the best move would be to make the current BBC HD into a simulcast of BBC1 and have the other one being a mixture of the other channels with an emphasis on BBC2.

I think Five's hiatus is only until 2012, at which point they will have the opportunity to put forward a channel for their reserved slot once again.

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It'll probably end up being Luxe.TV or something. Looks like though they're already making the same mistakes with HD as they made with the SD channels - selling off space as soon as it becomes available to anyone who wants it rather than thinking how it might be needed in the future.

C4 HD has gone live today, with ITV HD by the end of the week - whether anybody can actually watch them is another matter.

Sky News HD anyone?

Given Sky's previous posturing over setting up their own mini pay service on freeview I'd be very surprised.

I installed a Sony Freeview HD TV for a friend last week. Seems to work OK.

Seems true, but if they offer it as the HD version only, they can run HD Trailers and adverts for their Pay HD services, and still remove the SD Sky News Channel

The reason Five have to wait until 2012 is because that's when another, fifth, Freeview HD slot is up for grabs.

I hope not. It might look nice and pretty in HD, but it's an exceedingly boring channel. I don't think I've watched it for more than 30 seconds before switching over.

Yep - Five have permanently forfeited their access to the 4th, and only currently available, slot. The 5th slot predicted for 2012 is presumably based on an expectation of further encoder efficiency allowing bitrates to drop, or modulation efficiency within the specs allowing more data to be broadcast in the 6 RF muxes allocated.

For my money BBC One HD is the only sensible way to go, but you then have a bit of an issue with how you handle the "BBC Everything Else HD" channel... If BBC Four didn't have so much HD content (their drama, the Proms etc.) it would be simple - just have BBC One HD and BBC Two HD - but it isn't that simple... I wonder if the BBC are asking for submissions - but hoping that none appear - allowing them to launch a second HD channel with content people actually want to watch, and thus save the platform, as they pretty much did with Freeview when ITVDigital folded.

I can't see an argument for such a low-audience level prospect as Sky News HD getting a slot - nor can I see Sky paying the BBC for transmission and distribution.

Wonder if the maths makes sense for the Film4/S4C Kids hybrid that lost out to Five HD in the earlier fight for the slot. Somehow I doubt it in the current climate.

Given that the BBC run 2 of the 5 analogue terrestrials, it does seem slightly more sensible for them to get 2/4 (2/5 in 2012) channels on the HD platform - particularly as they generate more HD content (probably more original content) than the other broadcasters?