So there's us thinking that Granada treated the ITV regions badly!
It's Sky's fault really, if the EPG wasn't allegedly full ITV3 would probably be happilly broadcasting on channel 176 now!
I expect many of Plus's programmes will appear on ITV3, after all if they've just paid for 100% of the channel and the rights it holds they arn't going to just waste them, but it'll take a few weeks as the schedules were designed to be running alongside Plus.
All this news about a company closing a station down for their gain reminds me of NTL closing down L!VE TV in 1999 .NTL didn't like paying carriage to L!VE and it was an agreement they couldn't get out of so they bought L!VE TV and closed it down that same week.
WILL ITV3 CONTINUE TO BE FREE TO AIR ON SKY DIGITAL????
I'm not paying any subscription at the moment for anything and I can't get ITV2 but tonight - hey...its been wicked...ITV3 has been FREE TO AIR....I couldn't believe it!!!!
Will it still be lke this 2moro or will they encrypt it after launch night?
With ITV3 launching tonight, ITV plc has this afternoon announced a deal to buy Sky Ventures' 49.5% share in multi-channel operation Granada Sky Broadcasting (GSB) for £10m, a deal that waves goodbye to Granada Plus.
Ending a year of negotiations and speculation over what would become of joint-venture pay broadcaster GSB's two remaining channels in the wake of ITV's multi-channel expansion, GSB channel Granada Plus will 'evolve' into ITV3, launching tonight at 21.00.
Granada Plus' signal was dropped at 16.30 today, and its library of shows, including Cracker, Sherlock Holmes, The Darling Buds of May, Wycliffe and PD James, will all go over to ITV3. The new older-skewing network will fill Granada Plus' channel 119 slot on the Sky EPG from 21.00.
ITV has not yet announced details of staff redundancies at GSB.
C21 understands that GSB staff were only told of Plus' demise 10 minutes before the channel was switched off today, and staff are understood to be "shell-shocked."
Only in August, ITV ceo Charles Allen told Edinburgh TV festival delegates that his multichannel digital strategy included Plus.
The Plus channel's director of programmes Katie Denton has been striving to turn the channel around in recent months, turning it into a crime-themed drama offering, matching its first-look access to Granada titles with first-run US acquisitions.
Denton was unavailable for comment today, and it is as yet unclear whether her acquired North American and Australian crime programming - including Aaron Spelling series 10-8, Canada's Blue Murder and Murder Call from Australia - will also go over to ITV3. Plus' first-look deal for Granada drama ended in September.
The new ITV3 channel will debut on digital terrestrial platform Freeview, digital cable and digital satellite, reaching some 13m homes. Backed by a £14m annual budget, it will showcase contemporary British drama from the ITV library with titles including Prime Suspect and Inspector Morse in addition to films and acquired US series like Hack, LA Law and Chicago Hope.
Carriage deals for the third ITV channel are now inked with all UK digital platforms: NTL, Telewest, Freeview and Dsat via Sky. The channel was previously expected to be off Sky on launch, due to tech and software issues.
Allen said: “ITV3 will be available on all digital platforms from launch, reaching the widest possible multi-channel audience. Incorporating recent popular drama from ITV1 and the best of Plus into ITV3 will create the strongest possible proposition for viewers and advertisers. This deal delivers on our strategic objective to build the ITV family of digital channels and will enable ITV3 to maximise its potential.”
BSkyB is understood to have pushed through Dsat carriage for ITV3 to avoid giving Freeview any advantage over its own free-to-air channel bouquet. Sky soft-launched its own freesat package last month in an attempt to check the explosive growth of Freeview.
Today's deal with Sky Ventures will also see BSkyB getting 49.5% of any proceeds from any potential sale of GSB's other pay channel: lads offering Men & Motors. M&M will remain on air till a buyer can be found. "Men & Motors will continue broadcasting in its current form pending a review of its long term future," said ITV today.
GSB launched in October 1996 with a four-channel package: Plus, Men & Motors, Good Life and TalkTV. However, TalkTV was dropped nine months later and Good Life later became Breeze but that too was dropped in May 2002.
What a way to treat loyal viewers that have watched the channel and shows since it's launch .The very least they could have done was transfer the daytime schedule over to ITV 3.