CW
cwathen
Founding member
I think this is the end of ITV Digital. The whole launch of ITV Digital was centered around the ITV Sport Channel, their big 'don't get Sky get us' campaign this year was focused more around ITV Sport Channel than the 'but we're so much more simple than Sky' idea that they used in the ONDigital days.
And now, they look set to move ITV Sport to Sky? I think ITV Digital will now be trying to live on as a supplier of channels in the same veign as GSB and Flextech (maybe GSB channels will be absorbed into it).
And meanwhile, on the cosmetic front, they still haven't replaced the ONDigital-branded software in the STB's, or the ONDigital branded smartcards and while I obviously wasn't expecting everyone's boxes to be replaced, I did think by now that you would see new customers getting a box with ITV Digital on the front. But no, it's still ONdigital all the way.
Yep, I think ITV Digital as a DTT pay TV supplier will be wound up some time this year.
I will be very surprised if ITV Digital in it's current form gets to it's first birthday in July.
A shame, because if they fold it will probably put anyone else from trying DTT pay tv. And given enough space and a company which targets the right audience instead of trying to compete with someone providing an unquestionably better product (come on, no one has anything bad to say about Sky except that they 'don't want hundreds of crap channels' or they 'don't want to line Murdoch's pockets'. The technology behind the box, and the fact that they still have all of the good channels, many of which ITV Dig still haven't got, is never mentioned).
And now, they look set to move ITV Sport to Sky? I think ITV Digital will now be trying to live on as a supplier of channels in the same veign as GSB and Flextech (maybe GSB channels will be absorbed into it).
And meanwhile, on the cosmetic front, they still haven't replaced the ONDigital-branded software in the STB's, or the ONDigital branded smartcards and while I obviously wasn't expecting everyone's boxes to be replaced, I did think by now that you would see new customers getting a box with ITV Digital on the front. But no, it's still ONdigital all the way.
Yep, I think ITV Digital as a DTT pay TV supplier will be wound up some time this year.
I will be very surprised if ITV Digital in it's current form gets to it's first birthday in July.
A shame, because if they fold it will probably put anyone else from trying DTT pay tv. And given enough space and a company which targets the right audience instead of trying to compete with someone providing an unquestionably better product (come on, no one has anything bad to say about Sky except that they 'don't want hundreds of crap channels' or they 'don't want to line Murdoch's pockets'. The technology behind the box, and the fact that they still have all of the good channels, many of which ITV Dig still haven't got, is never mentioned).
MV
Mr Videowall
So going slightly offtopic, do we know what 3-7 will be? ITV Sport Extra? ITV Sport Select? Tests for interactive millionaire? What do we think?
CW
cwathen
Founding member
Umm, sort of missed off the end of my sentence there. Here is the last paragraph without the bracketed bit:
And given enough space and a company which targets the right audience instead of trying to compete with someone providing an unquestionably better product, DTT pay TV has a future.
By right audience I mean the niche market which can't have / don't want a dish or cable. If this market is targetted properly it could be a rather bigger niche than they realise. The average Joe Bloggs is just untouchable by ITV Digital, after 3 years of trying and failing to compete with Sky, I can't believe that they are still trying to. If anything, the ITV Digital rebrand should've been used to retarget it's audience to one they can reach. As it was, it really was nothing more than a name change (the flagship channel around the rebrand, ITV Sport didn't even launch until a month later).
And given enough space and a company which targets the right audience instead of trying to compete with someone providing an unquestionably better product, DTT pay TV has a future.
By right audience I mean the niche market which can't have / don't want a dish or cable. If this market is targetted properly it could be a rather bigger niche than they realise. The average Joe Bloggs is just untouchable by ITV Digital, after 3 years of trying and failing to compete with Sky, I can't believe that they are still trying to. If anything, the ITV Digital rebrand should've been used to retarget it's audience to one they can reach. As it was, it really was nothing more than a name change (the flagship channel around the rebrand, ITV Sport didn't even launch until a month later).
SE
Square Eyes
Founding member
Well of course you will all need to subscribe to see the ITV Sport Channel. However, in answer to Asa's questions, there are quite a few idents, depending on what the sport is. I've seen one for snooker, basketball, footie and rugby I think. They just show different shots of the sport in the centre part of the ident, depending on what they are about to show. The ident is accompanied by a kind of tribal drum theme, lots of grunting and the like.
ITV Sport Select shows the same games as Premiership+ on Sky, so I doubt that will be coming. ITV Sport Plus is an overflow channel when 2 live matches clash, ie. Champions League nights.
ITV Sport Select shows the same games as Premiership+ on Sky, so I doubt that will be coming. ITV Sport Plus is an overflow channel when 2 live matches clash, ie. Champions League nights.