Is there any indication that some channels are getting their tiers changed after the recent freebies?
TCM HD, (Sky) History HD, and Nick HD (that I've noticed) are all still on Fun, and weren't part of that tier before.
I'm glad you asked this as the BT Sport element of Full House will shortly start being charged again and I resent paying it. The only way to get rid of the surcharge will be to downgrade.
There was a press release on that Tweet that I didn't see.
Sounds like they're just playing out the VOD content in a linear fashion to either increase it's exposure or make it look like they've launched a 'new' channel.
It is, relatively speaking, but on Freeview they gave it the most expensive carriage type i.e. a main national multiplex with 90% coverage. This coverage is of course partially responsible for the relatively good viewing figures.
I suppose it's always a trade off for operators between carriage costs & coverage.
Ch78 - NOW 70s has now closed on COM5.
Ch88 - Together TV has resumed previous broadcast hours on COM5.
We'll see if it returns, but the broadcaster isn't wording it like it is according to this article. https://www.rxtvlog.com/2020/0…oses-freeview-outlet.html
Seems an odd move as I thought that Now 70's was doing really well.
from 1/6/20, the EPG for Challenge +1 is saying 'Channel no longer available' (230).
All these suggestions sound sensible to me. The BBC is short of money and DTT is short of capacity and will be even more so when coms 6 & 7 are closed to make way for the mobile phone operators.
Don't Scottish viewers lose some radio stations when BBC Scotland is on air? Maybe any spare capacity could be used to keep these on air too.
I wouldn't be surprised if a larger broadcaster buys the whole thing. Given Sky's PSB comments recently they could use their Sky News news gathering operation in combination with it to provide better local news.
There's growing speculation in the media that BBC4 is to be axed, I wonder if this is the reason for the sudden desire to get Sky Arts onto Freeview in order to claim PSB status.
Probably a misunderstanding. Easily done when you (i.e.VM) live in a different part of the UK.
More likely their usual incompetence I would think 
I don't believe so.
I didn't think it did, so one wonders why VM bothered to make a logo for it!
Don't get me wrong, I agree.
Sky have done it in their German arm, they are just taking their sweet time in UK. Maybe they don't want the expense of sending out "free" boxes to SD subscribers until they absolutely have to? It may coincide with their UHD push, when it comes.
Aye, I remember on analogue the vast majority of German channels were free, whilst we had to pay. They even found a way to make the FTA VH1 appear scrambled to UK viewers.
It's just a bit of fun but anything like that comes with a risk. At the moment, it's probably just an EPG link to an app and not visible to the customer base, or to any boxes outside the 3 internal networks it is currently being tested on. The risk comes if it isn't updated to a proper service name when (if) it eventually gets added to customer networks. With VM's track record, it isn't a given that everything will be remembered before going live. I've said before that VM could use vague test names for this sort of thing.. and then they started doing just that, so erm.. yeah.
True, VM aren't the most competent of companies. I remember Sky Sports News & Sky News having 'news' amended to 'snooze' and Sky One being relabelled to Sky Gone'. I bet someone got a real roasting for that.
The daft thing about that logo (and others) were only added in the last few months, well after BBC 2 Scotland ceased.
Did BBC2 Scotland HD ever exist?
Display MoreSources for the following are a mixture of @ukdtt on Twitter and Freeview's own website.
4Music and 4Seven have moved to COM5 from COM6 but nothing more, their channel numbers are the same and so should their coverage areas be the same.
Planet Knowledge (265) and Sports Channel Network (266) are merging into On Demand 365 on channel 265.
Ketchup (211) and Yaaas! (212) are merging into Ketchup/Yaaas! on 211.
Spotlight TV, which was on the Manchester multiplex only, is to stop broadcasting on Freeview. So channel number 87 will become available. It's still available as a streaming channel on Freeview I believe though, on a different number.
Spotlight TV, the channel that "gets millions more viewers each day" "gets more viewers than Sky Sports on an important match day" and "should receive help from the TV licence"! I'm not surprised it's failing with all the rubbish & lies that come out of the owners mouth 
Seen a report that says that, from Sunday 24/5/20, the EPG listing for BBC 2 HD is saying 'Channel No Longer Available'!
Looks fine on my V6, but this person looks to be in Scotland, so maybe there is a problem up there or he has a different STB.
Either that or the BBC funding cuts are really kicking in 
Indeed, Sky Arts & Sky Arts HD still have the override flag.
Sky certainly do appear to want to make Sky Arts programming more widely available; hopefully this adds weight to their seriousness about getting it onto Freeview.
There's speculation here that Com 6 is to go T2 and the where and why's of the changes:
Wonder if the pandemic has caused a delay like it has with the new Sky channels, not sure if this sort of thing can be done from home?
The ratings are actually pretty good. The last 4 weeks (source BARB) have a 0.44 share, that's the same as DMAX and a little above Comedy Central (inc +1) on 0.41.
Bearing in mind that the rights to the type of content it shows will be very low cost and that it's supposedly run with a tiny number of staff, the only big expenditure is its Freeview carriage, DTT being historically much more expensive than Cable and Satellite.
The problem certain channels have is their demographic. Particular demographics attract different advertisers. Their channel just so happens to attract adverts for things that are greatly affected by the current situation e.g. cruises.
The ratings are actually pretty good. The last 4 weeks (source BARB) have a 0.44 share, that's the same as DMAX and a little above Comedy Central (inc +1) on 0.41.
Bearing in mind that the rights to the type of content it shows will be very low cost and that it's supposedly run with a tiny number of staff, the only big expenditure is its Freeview carriage, DTT being historically much more expensive than Cable and Satellite.
The problem certain channels have is their demographic. Particular demographics attract different advertisers. Their channel just so happens to attract adverts for things that are greatly affected by the current situation e.g. cruises.
That's true. Their demographic is said to be mainly the over 70's, so things like stairlifts won't be being advertised either as they won't currently be able to enter their homes to install them.
Talking Pictures are now struggling due to the coronavirus lockdown:
START
Dear Supporters of Film and TV History,
It’s been difficult at Talking Pictures TV HQ this week. As you know we rely on adverts to pay all the bills to keep us on air for you all – for free. Without adverts, we have no way of putting a shilling or two in the meter and paying for all the film rights, the transmission centre, the satellites, the cables, etc. With the current situation we don’t have any advertisers. There are no cruises, no holidays, no products to advertise as all the warehouses are closed, so we are grateful for any adverts we can get at the moment. In these difficult times I thought I should make you aware of the situation as sadly we don’t get a license fee to help towards the costs. It’s more important now than ever that you go forth as Talking Pictures TV ambassadors and spread the word in any way you can. There have been some great supporters of ours on Radio Shows ringing in to make people aware of us; also newspapers and articles talking about how Talking Pictures TV is their safe haven. I know everyone appreciates the work Dad and I do for you all, but honestly if there was ever a time we needed you to campaign for us, it is now.
END
If this is the case with one of the most successful niche channels, I think it likely that we will be losing some channels on VM 
Sky was rebranding even when the analysis started several years ago. It used to create a major headache as it triggered a change in every module, which is why fixed SID names were used in the database to replace constantly changing service names.
I'm not sure that there will be a fee for changing the name, it will only be a minor amendment to the service licence but it must be annoying for Ofcom as they have to publish the changes.
If I read the Ofcom fee structure correctly, it costs £200 to amend a licence each time after it's been approved- peanuts to Sky.
It's what they used to do, so don't see why they changed to actually renaming the channels all the time.
Anyone know when all this Sky film channels renaming started?
At a rough guess between one and two years i would say. It must be to their advantage to keep doing it, but it is annoying. I'm sure that Ofcom find it to be an annoyance too, even though Sky will have to pay them to keep changing the names of various channels.
It enables Sky to give the illusion that they keep adding lots of new film channels, we're supposed to be too thick to realise what they're actually doing.
Display MoreThere were further changes on Thursday, being NIT linkage changes on internal networks. Again, there was an early scan on Friday, so a possibility of further NIT linkage changes. Further NIT linkage changes will be picked up later today or on the overnight and details will be posted on the weekend update.
Last night's scan showed further channels entering a free to view period:
Date TSID SID EPG SID Name Channel Code Pack Codes Added Notes 17/04/2020 2 202 245 Eden Override added Override added Free To View Period 17/04/2020 2 203 126 alibi Override added Override added Free To View Period 17/04/2020 3 301 191 alibi +1 Override added Override added Free To View Period 17/04/2020 3 305 280 Home & Health Override added Override added Free To View Period 17/04/2020 3 306 257 Discovery History Override added Override added Free To View Period 17/04/2020 3 308 252 Discovery Science Override added Override added Free To View Period 17/04/2020 3 309 256 Discovery Turbo Override added Override added Free To View Period 17/04/2020 3 317 266 National Geographic Override added Override added Free To View Period 17/04/2020 3 318 267 National Geographic+1 Override added Override added Free To View Period 17/04/2020 3 321 271 HISTORY +1 Override added Override added Free To View Period 17/04/2020 5 502 259 Animal Planet +1 Override added Override added Free To View Period 17/04/2020 5 503 260 Discovery Science +1 Override added Override added Free To View Period 17/04/2020 5 505 261 Discovery History +1 Override added Override added Free To View Period 17/04/2020 5 506 284 Home & Health +1 Override added Override added Free To View Period 17/04/2020 5 507 281 Discovery Shed Override added Override added Free To View Period 17/04/2020 6 609 222 Crime+Inv +1 Override added Override added Free To View Period 17/04/2020 7 722 182 Comedy Central Extra Override added Override added Free To View Period 17/04/2020 11 1111 246 Eden +1 Override added Override added Free To View Period 17/04/2020 20 2004 251 Animal Planet HD Override added Override added Free To View Period 17/04/2020 24 2402 265 Nat Geo WILD HD Override added Override added Free To View Period 17/04/2020 27 2704 272 HISTORY2 HD Override added Override added Free To View Period 17/04/2020 28 2803 212 alibi HD Override added Override added Free To View Period 17/04/2020 30 3002 268 National GeographicHD Override added Override added Free To View Period 17/04/2020 31 3101 521 Eurosport 1HD Override added Override added Free To View Period 17/04/2020 31 3105 209 Crime+Inv HD Override added Override added Free To View Period 17/04/2020 31 3106 270 HISTORY HD Override added Override added Free To View Period 17/04/2020 33 3301 247 Eden HD Override added Override added Free To View Period 17/04/2020 33 3306 275 Love Nature HD Override added Override added Free To View Period 17/04/2020 34 3405 522 Eurosport 2HD Override added Override added Free To View Period
So... really not very much left on the proper subscription packs. I'll have a look at those in the next post.
There really isn't much point in subscribing to the packs above the basic pack at the moment.
Of the Hillsborough disaster, yes. Although LTV does tend to have short FTV periods, so not unexpected.
Just read a post that said that there were no scheduled programmes on the channel on the FTV day anyway!? No idea if this is correct or not, but if so it seems to have been a waste of time.
Display MoreOvernight changes - compiled from the scanner's analysis.
Free To View Period:
Date TSID SID EPG SID Name Channel Code Pack Codes Added Notes 15/04/2020 26 2607 544 Liverpool FC TV Override added Override added Free To View Period
Another free to view period, this time for LFC TV.
It's still encrypted on my box.
Is that the "I Love Lucy" show from donkeys years ago?
I remember it being on ITV on Sunday afternoons in glorious black & white!
M+ were written to to say they were being moved up to Fun, so I'm amazed it's not been removed as it's been quite aome time now.
So, in theory, there shouldn't be any M+ customers anyway!
Sky Documentaries and Sky Nature were supposed to launch on 7/4/20, but because of the pandemic they have all been delayed.
I believe that the current estimated start date is now 27/5/20.
Think this is only for Virgin
It is, are you not with Virgin?
Interesting those override flags JJ20X. Some of them (e.g. the UKTV ones) weren't in the email listing 18 channels for all that VM sent out.
Note: I've not seen the email myself. Presumably I didn't get it as I had all the ones listed
What's this about? Is it a coronavirus thing or have these channels moved down permanently? Are these now in the M/Player pack? It's making less and less sense to carry on paying for the top package.
Edit: Found this, it's only for a month https://www.virginmedia.com/vi…new-channels-on-virgin-tv
Why should we need to ask them to pause it, if they aren't providing it they shouldn't charge for it
And how do we sake them, hang on the phone for ever to their customer service?
Totally agree. You don't even need to speak to their abysmal call centre that's located God knows where, you can do it via this form https://www.virginmedia.com/he…ing-of-leaving/talk-to-us
