Should [.tv] return . . . ?

A few years ago, Sky decided to closedown "[.tv] the technology channel", due to poor ratings. There are now a vast
number of channels on Sky Digital, all devoted to (premium rate) phone in puzzle games. and all of which are just a
very poor imitation of what "Challenge TV" used to do in their "PrizeTime" segment. Surely, most (if not all) these
channels get a fraction of the viewers that [.tv] got, even when it was struggling to attract viewers.

Now, if there's room for those (IMO mostly pointless) phone in puzzle game channels, there must be room to spare
for a channel devoted to news and information about computers, the internet, video gaming, and general consumer
technology. Especially now that broadband is the perhaps most popular form of internet access, cellphones are
more popular than ever, and other portable gadgets such as the iPod have become "must have" items.

IMHO, the return of "[.tv] the technology channel" (or a similar technology related TV channel) is long overdue.

Which do you prefer . . . mind numbing phone in puzzle games, or "Chips With Everything" . . . ?

I say yes definitely. I really liked Chips with Everything myself. Couldn't get enough of Kate Russell, and it was funny hearing at the time the so-called experts on the panel telling users when they had problems with Windows ME to downgrade or "upgrade" as they called it to Windows 98.

I never saw the channel, although it sounded like it would be right up my street. A proper tech/computer channel is desperately needed!

In the mean time, Micro Live has appeared on a certain torrent site....

well all we have now is click online with that dire man with the suit and the hair

Sleepless nights, 24 hour edits, dealing with Sky flunkies, YIKES!
The demise of [.tv] was not due to poor ratings, it was a re-organisation of BSkyb after the expensive purchase of premiership rights. [.tv] was an experiment under the umbrella of 'Sky ventures'. When that got squeezed during the company wide look at expenditure, the channel became a casualty for two reasons -
1) All programming was original and bought in (From Prospect Pictures and Illumina television). Expensive - even at 6k and hour.

2) Where was it going to go? Invest more money for a niche audience, or free up the transponder for paying customers?

It was fun while it lasted, but don't forget it was around at the right time to capture a breed of PC user. That time has gone, people are savvy, and high-volume, low-cost programme junkies like me would rather eat their own arm than work under those conditions again.

The phone-in puzzle channels don't thrive on ratings (no ads as far as I'm aware) - they thrive on the mugs who call the 0901 numbers. And they're probably a lot cheaper to run than [.tv].

David

If .tv were to come back, i think it should be Skys first venture into Internet television. That would be a good channel to start with on the internet methinks!

A channel like [.tv] could still be re-introduced, but not necessarily funded by BSkyB. I'm sure there are several
other companies who could relaunch [.tv] or something very similar. It doesn't necessarily have to take it's own
channel number on the Sky Digital EPG. It could probably even share channel space with one of those phone
in quiz channels. There are several (far too many) slots within the EPG taken up by American infomercials
(under the guise of Teleshopping) anyone of which could become home to [.tv] .

At the very least, if [.tv] doesn't (or can't) return as a channel in it's own, timeshared or fulltime, there's another
possibility, Perhaps some of [.tv]'s more popular shows (branded as "The Essentials" due to their popularity
at the time) such as "Chips With Everything", "The Buyers Guide", and "Masterclass" could become part
of a technology related strand of programming on an existing channel like Bravo, Discovery Channel
or even within the (not yet finalsed schedules) of a soon to be launched channel such as ITV4.

Yes, perhaps on Bravo because they've had some quite popular technology style programs on there channel within the last few years. Gamepad being one of them. The last true computer gaming show which treated gamers like adults, unlike Gamezville of course. Shame they axed it!

The thing with "Chips with Everything" though was that it wasn't live. I think it personally would of worked a lot better as a live program, where people could actually phone in whilst watching.

Back in 1999, I was "on the phone" on an edition of that very program. I had sent an e-mail regarding using multiple
dialup internet connections on my (back then) Windows 98 based PC. They replied to my e-mail, saying they were
interested in featuring my question in an upcoming recording of the show, and asked if I'd mind being a caller,
to personally explain my question a bit further, and to discuss any solutions with the "experts" panel.

I think I still have that edition of "Chips With Everything" on a VHS tape somewhere - I'll dig it out, and encode it.

I do agree though about doing that show live. That'd work far better than the original arrangement of a pre-recorded
and edited timeslot of under 15 minutesw for each edition of the show, especially if it were to come back in some
capacity. They wouldn't have enough time for each caller if they were to stick to that old format

And I was an avid viewer of all 3 of those programmes until it closed down. Chris Long, Will Hanrahan, Kate Russell -- all fab presenters.

Annoying they lost Richard Topping for Masterclass, replaced it with someone who I can't remmeber the name of (dave?). The close was a complete mystery to me -- I came back after a long time away and got "587 (I think that was it): Channel Unavailable". Then checked their site which redirected to Sky News Technology, no thanks. VERY upsetting!

But aww, those were the days. [nostalgia]

DJGM would you post your clip of you doing on Chips with Everything for us all!

I think it would be good to have the American network "Tech TV" carried on Sky.