Men & Motors has now ceased broadcasting on Freeview.
There is now just a black screen with MM at the top, and it tells you that you can find M&M on Sky, NTL and Telewest, and it also tells you the channel numbers.
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a95/garry2k5/menandmotors.jpg What do you lot think about this?
They all do, and yes it is to make room for ITV Play. According to the information button, it is a test signal. In my opinion this is a terribly stupid act. Freeview has a pretty crap channel line-up compared to other digital services, but the likes of Men and Motors was a really good channel, alongside the likes of E4.
In my opinion this is a terribly stupid act. Freeview has a pretty crap channel line-up compared to other digital services, but the likes of Men and Motors was a really good channel, alongside the likes of E4.
I agree. Considering the restricted number of channels that can be broadcast on Freeview it seems such a waste to throw in another gaming channel when M&M is very good. I'm glad I've got Sky!
[/quote]They all do, and yes it is to make room for ITV Play. According to the information button, it is a test signal. In my opinion this is a terribly stupid act. Freeview has a pretty crap channel line-up compared to other digital services, but the likes of Men and Motors was a really good channel, alongside the likes of E4. [/quote]
It seems a stupid move to me. Even I have had to go a lot easier on Freeview over the past year or so as it did start to bring in the big name 'pay' channels and thus make multichannel via FTA DTT much more attractive than it has been previously.
Men&Motors was one such a channel (even if it was hugely overrated). Replacing it with cack like ITV Play (which from the sounds of it appears barely a step up from QuizCall)) will only start to take that collection of channels on the Freeview website back downhill again.
I continue to believe that the ultimate solution is to completely rethink the way that DTT is licenced. Remove all multiplex service licences, guarantee space only for BBC1/BBC2/ITV/C4/C5 and for a single additional channel (not half a multiplex) for existing analogue terrestrial broadcasters (perhaps make the BBC a special case and allow them to automatically keep all of their portfolio - but I'd draw the line at continuing to allow them two full time BBCi screens). All other channels should then be licenced individually (with 'interactive' services considered on the basis of whether or not the capacity they intend to use could be better served by a channel).
This will end this situation where ITV can announce the addition of a major brand name like M&M (which even improved slightly when it moved to DTT) and then on a whim scoop it out and install their new cacky quiz channel, of the sort of genre which should only be confined to satellite where this is sufficient bandwidth to allow this sort of sh*te to happen.
The way the whole thing operates remember is that its all free and therefore you want more 'specialist' channels than you damn as hell gotta pay for it.
But Sky has p**sed me off too much by pretty much removing every channel I actully enjoyed and watched reguraly. UK Play, .BBC Choice, [tv], Granada Plus and recently the loss of 'The Amp' was the final straw for me. If we can't even PAY to watch the stuff we want to see, whats the point.
One broadcaster's stupid actions doesnt mean that we should re-think the entire DTT situation. Channel Four, instead of abusing DTT has enriched it. Firstly it made E4 available through an aerial again through TUTV, then it brought it to Freeview and launched its new channel on it, and is bringing Film4 to it this summer. Admittedly yes it also has a Quiz channel, but that is filling space which was used by an interactive BB stream before that - the only other provider apart from the BBC to give Freeview viewers an interactive stream.
And it's not just C4: Sky has finally woken up to Freeview's capabilities by giving it what we all wanted in the first place- a FTA entertainment channel - and although UKBI and FTN may be cack they do show Flextech and UKTV have some interest in the platform. And let's not forget that ABC1 originally launched as a DTT-only channel, only going onto Sky much later.
So no I don't think DTT needs reorganising, I just think we need more regulation from OfCom as to the number of gaming and shopping channels (now at 6 - BidTV, QVC, PriceDrop, Ideal Crap, QuizCall, ITV Play).
And we also need ITV to be taken down a peg or two. In 2002 they ruined their incarnation of DTT with mismanagement and poor finances. Now they are ruining it through providing profit-driven cack passing as entertainment aimed at morons.
Let's look at ITV's record:
ITV1: Abolished regionalisation and identity in favour of depersonalised London-based uniform output which JCBs over 50 years of history. To see the ITV logo emblazoned with a 50 smears with excrement the good names LWT, HTV, Central and others built up over the past half century.
ITV2: Initially good with additional shows but has descended into a mire of soap repeats, Judge Judy marathons, films repeated every month or so and a plethora of the very worst kind of show - post-ITV1 show shows (like Dancing On Ice Defrosted). It's one saving grace - football - is now on ITV4. And it's become a dumping ground for Quizmania.
ITV3: Began with ignominy as its arrival on Sky caused Plus TV to be shut down with barely any notice at all. Ideal for anyone over 40 but useless to the rest of us. Could be a vehicle for promoting digital TV to the older generation - i.e. those who are currently wary or put off by DTT but instead is underpromoted and underscheduled. Where's the midweek ITV drama repeats on a Sunday? Where's the classic Corrie?
ITV4: Supposedly aimed at men aged 18-35. With shows that were made well before any of these 18 year olds were alive. Now known as a football and boxing channel and nothing else.
CITV: Belated attempt to catch the children's channel market. Attempting to catch CBBC / Cbeebies / Cartoon Network / Toonami / Disney / etc long after the boat left. Shunted off at peak time on Sunday afternoons for Setanta Sports coverage.
But Sky has p**sed me off too much by pretty much removing every channel I actully enjoyed and watched reguraly. UK Play, .BBC Choice, [tv], Granada Plus and recently the loss of 'The Amp' was the final straw for me. If we can't even PAY to watch the stuff we want to see, whats the point.
Apart from .tv & The Amp, Sky had no say over those channels closing down.
One broadcaster's stupid actions doesnt mean that we should re-think the entire DTT situation. Channel Four, instead of abusing DTT has enriched it. Firstly it made E4 available through an aerial again through TUTV, then it brought it to Freeview and launched its new channel on it, and is bringing Film4 to it this summer. Admittedly yes it also has a Quiz channel, but that is filling space which was used by an interactive BB stream before that - the only other provider apart from the BBC to give Freeview viewers an interactive stream.
And it's not just C4: Sky has finally woken up to Freeview's capabilities by giving it what we all wanted in the first place- a FTA entertainment channel - and although UKBI and FTN may be cack they do show Flextech and UKTV have some interest in the platform. And let's not forget that ABC1 originally launched as a DTT-only channel, only going onto Sky much later.
So no I don't think DTT needs reorganising, I just think we need more regulation from OfCom as to the number of gaming and shopping channels (now at 6 - BidTV, QVC, PriceDrop, Ideal Crap, QuizCall, ITV Play).
And we also need ITV to be taken down a peg or two. In 2002 they ruined their incarnation of DTT with mismanagement and poor finances. Now they are ruining it through providing profit-driven cack passing as entertainment aimed at morons.
Let's look at ITV's record:
ITV1: Abolished regionalisation and identity in favour of depersonalised London-based uniform output which JCBs over 50 years of history. To see the ITV logo emblazoned with a 50 smears with excrement the good names LWT, HTV, Central and others built up over the past half century.
ITV2: Initially good with additional shows but has descended into a mire of soap repeats, Judge Judy marathons, films repeated every month or so and a plethora of the very worst kind of show - post-ITV1 show shows (like Dancing On Ice Defrosted). It's one saving grace - football - is now on ITV4. And it's become a dumping ground for Quizmania.
ITV3: Began with ignominy as its arrival on Sky caused Plus TV to be shut down with barely any notice at all. Ideal for anyone over 40 but useless to the rest of us. Could be a vehicle for promoting digital TV to the older generation - i.e. those who are currently wary or put off by DTT but instead is underpromoted and underscheduled. Where's the midweek ITV drama repeats on a Sunday? Where's the classic Corrie?
ITV4: Supposedly aimed at men aged 18-35. With shows that were made well before any of these 18 year olds were alive. Now known as a football and boxing channel and nothing else.
CITV: Belated attempt to catch the children's channel market. Attempting to catch CBBC / Cbeebies / Cartoon Network / Toonami / Disney / etc long after the boat left. Shunted off at peak time on Sunday afternoons for Setanta Sports coverage.
