I realize the BBC is likely waiting for the next DSO before launching local HD feed but will they drag their feet even further by holding off on the HD feeds until all their regions are compatible?
I realize you guys have mentioned that if the BBC simulcast the London news on the HD channel viewers likely wouldn't change to their correct region. Why is then that ITV feels like they can get away with their larger HD regions vs the local SD ones but the BBC can't do the same? Surely ITV has a lot at stake if an advertiser buys a spot for a proper region but most viewers won't see it if they're in HD.
I realize the BBC is likely waiting for the next DSO before launching local HD feed but will they drag their feet even further by holding off on the HD feeds until all their regions are compatible?
As mentioned earlier, it's more to do with their infrastructure and contracts rather than the next DSO. It'll be before that. I doubt they'd do it just for some regions, they're doing it from scratch so it's probably just as easy to do all than it is to so some. That said on terrestrial they share the HD MUX with ITV so might share their regional mapping at least initially
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Why is then that ITV feels like they can get away with their larger HD regions vs the local SD ones but the BBC can't do the same? Surely ITV has a lot at stake if an advertiser buys a spot for a proper region but most viewers won't see it if they're in HD.
Because the regions that don't have HD equivalents are the smaller ones. They've more at stake by not having an HD version of, say, Westcountry than Central because that's a bigger region with more ad revenue. It'll all be a factor of what benefit they get from it compared with what it costs
As mentioned earlier, it's more to do with their infrastructure and contracts rather than the next DSO. It'll be before that. I doubt they'd do it just for some regions, they're doing it from scratch so it's probably just as easy to do all than it is to so some. That said on terrestrial they share the HD MUX with ITV so might share their regional mapping at least initially
I brought up the next DSO because I thought I read here or at the ever trustworthy and kind folks at DigitalSpy that some of the current equipment that's used for the current HD regions may not be compatible with the next standard.
Now would the BBC initially upscale the current SD operations for the HD regions or would they wait until they're all ready?
Well then those that are viewing the HD channel that does not coordinate to their main region.
They sell ads in layers with the main variation being macro-regional, then regional, then sub-regional.
All of the macro-regions (eg South, where Meridian shows in the Anglia region) are on DTT HD. D-SAT HD actually has more participants (eg Anglia and Meridian show separately). I wonder if ITV has taken the view that at is enough for now that regional level HD appears in Sky households (because these are deemed more attractive for advertisers) and that DTT can wait.
Its interesting that the Anglia region on D-SAT is the Norwich version rather than the Cambridge one. The western side (Cambridge and MK) of the Anglia region is more populous and wealthier than the eastern side (Norwich and Ipswich). Sub-regional advertising seems limited to national/regional brands that mention specific stores, or train operating companies that only serve a particular sub-region. Abellio advertise on Anglia-East, but apart from a slow CBG to LST service have no significance whatever in Anglia-West. I wonder if the HD region is actually sold separately to the two sub-regions?