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S4C to stop broadcasting HD channel

Clirlun to close in December (July 2012)

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RO
rob Founding member
Quote:
Welsh language broadcaster S4C has dropped its HD channel as part of cost saving measures introduced due to budget cuts.

The broadcaster’s annual report revealed that Clirlun, the high definition channel, will cease transmitting at the end of the year saving the broadcaster £1.5m. It took the decision to cut the channel as it was not able to deliver value for money to its audience.

The Department of Culture, Media and Sport cut S4C’s public funding from £101.6m in 2010 to £83m in 2012 as part of the Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review. By 2015, its income will be 36% less than was expected before cuts.


Full article at Broadcast
MA
Markymark
rob posted:
Quote:
Welsh language broadcaster S4C has dropped its HD channel as part of cost saving measures introduced due to budget cuts.

The broadcaster’s annual report revealed that Clirlun, the high definition channel, will cease transmitting at the end of the year saving the broadcaster £1.5m. It took the decision to cut the channel as it was not able to deliver value for money to its audience.

The Department of Culture, Media and Sport cut S4C’s public funding from £101.6m in 2010 to £83m in 2012 as part of the Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review. By 2015, its income will be 36% less than was expected before cuts.


Full article at Broadcast


Presumably to be replaced on the HD DTT mux in Wales by C4HD ?
WP
WillPS
What are the costs of running a parallel HD channel?
:-(
A former member
Not wanting to appear facetious, but according to the headline it would be around £1.5m.
OV
Orry Verducci
WillPS posted:
What are the costs of running a parallel HD channel?

From a transmission point of view, after the initial investment in HD playout, the costs are the same as an SD channel. It's the cost of upgrading shows to HD production that is the issue, which is especially an issue for Curlin as it isn't simulcasting upscaled SD shows.

I expect S4C just can't afford to run an additional channel right now, regardless of it being SD or HD.

21 days later

CW
Cwilliams1983
S4C's problems, and I say this as a Welshman, is that they don't put bums on sofas. The channel's English-speaking audience has shrunk since Wales is now in the Digital TV age, so people are chosing to watch Channel 4 instead. They could be more self-sustaining by being more inclusive to the English-speaking audience as well as the international Welsh-speaking audience (such as Patagonia).
DO
dosxuk
I reckon they'd get more viewers if instead of broadcasting adverts, they played 15 minutes of music out instead, maybe with the odd heavily distorted announcement over the top.
JO
Jon
dosxuk posted:
I reckon they'd get more viewers if instead of broadcasting adverts, they played 15 minutes of music out instead, maybe with the odd heavily distorted announcement over the top.

They do, I saw a clip of it on YouTube! Laughing
CW
Cwilliams1983
dosxuk posted:
I reckon they'd get more viewers if instead of broadcasting adverts, they played 15 minutes of music out instead, maybe with the odd heavily distorted announcement over the top.


Oh Jesus, can you imagine? Very Happy

Seriously though, now you mention music, the Welsh music scene is one of the fastest growing in Europe. A dual-language representation of it would get the younger viewers interested.
GO
gottago
I think S4C could do worse than commissioning a few English language programmes to try and attract some much needed new and larger audiences to the channel. Obviously Welsh would be prioritised but I do feel that the English language programmes that would complement the schedule in the past really did help to prop-up the audiences for its Welsh language shows and they could do with reinventing that idea for the post Channel 4 service.
WP
WillPS
gottago posted:
I think S4C could do worse than commissioning a few English language programmes to try and attract some much needed new and larger audiences to the channel. Obviously Welsh would be prioritised but I do feel that the English language programmes that would complement the schedule in the past really did help to prop-up the audiences for its Welsh language shows and they could do with reinventing that idea for the post Channel 4 service.


Aren't they constitutionally prohibited?

There's no demand for 'English for Welsh' content anyway, see BBC 2W.
GO
gottago
WillPS posted:
gottago posted:
I think S4C could do worse than commissioning a few English language programmes to try and attract some much needed new and larger audiences to the channel. Obviously Welsh would be prioritised but I do feel that the English language programmes that would complement the schedule in the past really did help to prop-up the audiences for its Welsh language shows and they could do with reinventing that idea for the post Channel 4 service.


Aren't they constitutionally prohibited?

There's no demand for 'English for Welsh' content anyway, see BBC 2W.


2W didn't work because it replaced BBC2's far superior primetime schedule which was still accessible via analogue. There's still a decent range of Wales opt-outs on BBC1 and 2.

Perhaps they are prohibited (though they provide English language commentary for a few events) but something needs to change for the channel to work.

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