Five HD on Freeview 'postponed' to 2012

Channel Five will not be launching a high definition TV service on Freeview before 2012 after failing to give a launch date or programming schedule to the media regulator Ofcom.


Ofcom, which last June reserved a slot on Freeview for a HD service for Five, said today that it would no longer reserve capacity on the service for the broadcaster, which made a loss last year. It is understood that the BBC, which already has a HD channel on Freeview, is likely to step in to provide another HD service.


Five had been unable to "resolve certain key criteria by the end of 2009" asked for by Ofcom, including committing to a launch date for a HD channel and providing satisfactory details and a commitment to a schedule.


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Media Guardian

Wouldn't it be just as likely that C4 could step in to provide another service on Freeview? After all, they are about the launch their third HD channel.

And they bid for the slot against Five. Although it is needed, there doesn't seem to have been any indication from the BBC they're interested in launching a second HD channel.

"The BBC will now consider options to ensure the capacity can be used to provide high definition services that will further benefit viewers of digital terrestrial television," - Ofcom

So whether they lease it out or offer a Red Button service - the additional capacity will be welcome for Wimbledon and other sporting coverage. I still think a second full-time channel is a step too far.

If you read the article Ofcom are not happy with the CH4 second service offerings. Film4 would be pathetic due to the range of available material in the library, E4 a possibility though,

Please no! The very thought of it taking up valuable space. I realise this is my personal opinion here, but I cannot think of anything worth watching on E4 in SD. All they ever seem to show is a drama about disgusting foul mouthed teenagers abusing drugs and having casual sex.

I would be very surprised if this didn't mean a BBC One HD launching soon, to accompany ITV1 HD and C4 HD on Freeview HD (and there is also space on Freesat HD/Sky since the BBC reduced their bitrate when they introduced better encoders)

The second stream could be used for BBC Two/Three/Four HD content - and in some cases for a second HD stream of sporting events (Olympics, Wimbledon etc.)

The BBC HD channel already has real problems accomodating HD content clashes - particularly when some content can only be simulcast and not shown at different times to the SD network.

It's a pity we won't see the CSIs in HD on Five HD for a while (they looked cracking on the London HD trial in 2006 and that was with old encoders) - but Five are running into real financial problems at the moment I think - I can't see them having any money to spend on HD in the near-future.

Won't somebody please think of the children!

I vote for the return of channel 302 that was taken away? (I think for this reason)

Trouble is as everything on that mux is encoded with a different transmission standard the majority of Freeview viewers wouldn't be able to receive it.

It doesn't work like that. Mux B is switching to DVB-T2 - and that is the mux that has spare capacity (now that Five HD have failed to meet their commitments to Ofcom or whatever).

This spare capacity can't be received by regular Freeview receivers (whether the TVs are HD Ready or not) - it can only be received by TVs and set-top boxes/PVRs with new DVB-T2 demodulators (which have yet to appear in any numbers in shops). Therefore if they DID start broadcasting 302 in Mux B - nobody would be able to see it...

Is it just me that thinks the whole HD rush has come a bit too soon?

I prey the last HD slot won't just go to whoever is prepared to stump up lots of money for I presume a very expensive slot rather than something quality, or the BBC ending up launching anything, but that may be a bit optimistic. Indeed lets just hope it doesn't end up being a repeat of the main freeview muxes and that QVC HD isn't on the cards (with some loose PSB commitment to selling TV's which can broadcast the news channels tacked on )! I presume Ofcom have gone down this road in the hope opening bidding again after the World Cup, when hopefully lots of people will have bought boxes, will increase the value. Have they ever revealed the additional costs/bids to broadcasters for licencing slots on the Freeview HD mux, as I'm guessing it won't have been gifted completely free?

Certainly the whole article read a lot more like typical Ofcom dumping them due to worries they weren't going to get enough cash for the licence or because a deposit date was missed rather than any worries over the viability of the channel plans of 4 of 5, or five being able to afford the setup to broadcast it. But maybe that's just my different way of reading between the lines...

I'll be over at DigitalSpy if you need me!