ITV Regions on DSat

Hi,

I was wondering, if ITV would be regionalized on Sky, and I received Carlton (Central) as its what my region broadcasts, would I be able to perhaps ADD CHANNELS and then add the other regions and watch LWT, or Miridian etc?

Cheers.

I think Sky would use your postcode to set the region that you lived in as the default for channel 103, and possibly put other regions (if you live in an overlap area) on a 9XX channel. I don't think they'd let you receive all of the different regions, though - I think that would be against ITV's agreement with the ITC?

The regions that they are planning to put onto DSat (remember, it's not all the subregions), will be done in the same way as the BBC ONE nations - hidden from view. Your postcode will simply select which version you get, and you will not be able to choose others. They're currently deciding what to do in 'overlap' areas.

But you don't get regionalised BBC on SkyD as far as I know, just a nationalised prog called 'UK Today'

Yes, I know. I was referring to the BBC ONE Nations . While the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish versions of BBC TWO are available on channels 965, 966, 967 (not necessarily respectively), the BBC ONE nations are hidden from view. Has something to do with rights for sports events of something, methinks.

Well - the ITC officially recognises double and triple overlap areas - they are included on a map of ITV franchises / transmitters on their website.

This would imply that if you are in an overlap area you should be able to chose to watch either (or all ?) regions you currently receive.

However if you were able to change your ITV region this could cause problems (for the same reasons as BBC One) due to Sports rights AND Equity fees. (If a drama is shown at different times in different regions, and viewers can watch both versions, Equity class this as a repeat and would require repeat fees I believe)

It will be interesting to see how this is approached. I can imagine whoever deals with the viewing cards will be DELUGED with complaints from overlap areas if the decision is based purely on Postcode...

Update from today's Media Guardian : Page 5

Emily Bell, who is normally pretty on the ball, suggests that a possible date for ITV launching on Sky Digital could be August 18th, when they start showing Premiership Football highlights instead of the BBC.

I think this is a little unlikely - othe reports indicate Christmas as a likely launch date... Interesting though.

Found this today on the ITV relaunch (much of it's the same as what we've been saying though)…

ITV has contracted FutureBrand English & Pockett to re-brand ITV, in the teeth of an ongoing advertising downturn and mounting criticism of the ONdigital platform.

ONdigital will become ITV Digital, and ITV will also be renamed, as ITV1; other branding work will launch the new sports channel ITV Sport, as well as ITV Active and ITV.com.

The on-air branding for ITV Digital will be aimed at a '25 to45 year-old core audience.'

The concept for the new sports channel will 'focus on the channel's main output: football,' according to FE&P, while ITV1 idents will mix live action and 3D visuals using the ITV heart motif.



And I guess the hearts are staying too

Hmm.... hadn't been down that end of me digibox in ages. Just had a look, I've got bbc2 Wales and NI, then 2 Sky Latest channels.

Well, if you listen to that woman on channel 996 she says that the BBC ONE nations are available in the 9XX region of the EPG, so I guess they will be coming soon.

Probably on those 2 channels next door, since no-one needs to have that channel more than once.