Author: Scott

Channel 4 HD and Box Plus Channels return to Freesat

Back in February 2018, a dispute between Channel 4 and Freesat over fees for inclusion on the platform saw the removal of Channel 4 HD and the Box Plus network of music channels from the Freesat satellite platform. All except 4 Music remained free-to-air, meaning they could still be manually tuned into Fressat boxes. However, 4 Music became encrypted due to rights issues and a move to a transponder with a wider footprint beyond the UK. The other Box Plus music channels also moved transponder, but as there were no rights issues to overcome, they were able to remain free-to-air.

Fast forward to today, and structural changes at Freesat have led to this decision being broadly reversed. Freesat, which oversees the free-to-air satellite platform, has been merged with Freeview, which performs a similar role for UK terrestrial TV. Channel 4 held a shareholding in Freeview, and has now gained a similar shareholding in Freesat, creating a more favourable position for the broadcaster.

This has seen Channel 4 HD return to the Freesat EPG, along with The Box, Box Hits, Kerrang, Kiss, and Magic which form part of the Box Plus Network, which is wholly owned by Channel 4. 4 Music remains encrypted, so cannot be included for the time being, though this may change.

Channel 4 HD appears further down the on the EPG, as not all advertising regions are available for the channel, with the standard definition version remaining on channel no. 104. The new EPG numbers for the re-added services are in the table below.

Channel Freesat Channel No.
Channel 4 HD 126
The Box 502
Box Hits 501
Kerrang 505
Kiss 503
Magic 504

Newstalk and UCB Ireland Leave Satellite

Changes that have escaped my attention until I started using satellite TV myself, are the removal of two radio stations, Newstalk and UCB Ireland, from satellite transmissions. Both changes appear to have occurred this year (2021), with Newstalk leaving satellite on the 31st August.

This will impact on most on Sky viewers in both the UK and Ireland, where both services could be found on the Sky EPG. Both services were broadcast free-to-air, so could also be accessed via generic satellite receivers, including dedicated Freesat receivers in manual or non-Freesat mode. Both stations are aimed at Irish listeners and continue to be available on other platforms, including FM (Newstalk), and Saorview terrestrial TV (UCB Ireland) in Ireland. For satellite listeners seeking Irish radio, stations from RTE continue to be available.

Both changes are understood to be cost driven, although few if any public announcements appear to have been made. Unlike with analogue radio, where there is one clear platform that proves most popular (FM), digital radio has struggled to see a clear winner.

DAB in particular has seen mixed fortunes, with DAB seeing a lot of investment in the UK, but hasn’t seen widescale adoption in Ireland. After a brief foray into semi-national DAB, RTE closed the only national DAB multiplex in Ireland, with commercial broadcasts never commencing beyond a handful of trials. The UK, although seeing more investment, has seen a race to the bottom with DAB and the newer DAB+ format. Broadcasters have sacrificed bit rates to squeeze on an ever increasing number of stations. This has (broadly) widened choice, but at the expense of audio quality, to the point at which some stations become unlistenable.

Going back to Ireland, beyond on-line listening, it would appear that digital listening is struggling in the popularity contest, with neither satellite or DAB able to muster much interest.

BBC Three Cleared to Return

Perhaps the biggest story missed in the past week is that the regulator Ofcom have given approval for BBC Three to return to our screens. The part-time channel with return to terrestrial platform Freeview, cable platform Virgin Media, and satellite platforms Sky and Freesat. The channel had closed in traditional form in February 2016, with programming moved to the BBC iPlayer.

Sadly, as the previous channel numbers have been re-allocated to other services, BBC Three will have different channel numbers on each of the platforms, but platform operators are required by Ofcom to give BBC Three a prominent channel number. This means that BBC Three will appear near the top of electronic programme guides (EPGs), but channel numbers are yet to confirmed.

Platforms operators have 18 months to accommodate this, meaning that BBC Three may initially appear with a temporary channel number. On Sky, Virgin Media, and Freesat, it is expected that a channel number will be made available by the launch of full regionalisation of BBC One HD (high definition). This will allow BBC One HD to take the top spot on the EPG, allowing the standard definition to drop down to a less prominent number, thus freeing up a slot for BBC Three.

On Freeview, it is expected that all channels from 25 onwards will be moved down 1 number to accommodate BBC Three, except Dave Ja Vu (+1 version of Dave) which will move from 23 to 25. This will allow BBC Three to occupy channel number 23. In Scotland, BBC Four occupies channel 24, with that number left unused in other parts of the UK.

It is expected that BBC Three will make its return some point during February 2022, only a few weeks after the initial planned return month of January, despite the lengthy consulation. Satellite re-configurations have already been made to accommodate the channel. As the channel will share bandwidth with CBBC, the latter channel will revert back to a 7pm finish time, from 9pm.

Sky News Expands Reach with Terrestrial in Ireland

Sky News has expanded its reach in the Republic of Ireland, by joining the Saorview terrestrial platform today (30th November 2021), increasing the number of TV channels on the platform to 12. Saorview is Ireland’s equivalent of the UK’s terrestrial TV platform Freeview, using land based transmitters to broadcast two multiplexes both using the DVB-T2 broadcast standard. Sky News is broadcast on multiplex 2, and can be found on channel number 23.

Unlike Freeview, however, all Saorview transmitters carry both multiplexes, with no distinction made between main and relay transmitters. However, compared to even the UK Freeview relay service, Saorview carries significantly fewer channels. Another difference is that a satellite based service Saorsat is used to reach rural locations, which unlike the UK based Freesat, is aimed squarely at plugging coverage gaps in the terrestrial service. Saorsat carries even fewer channels, with the three Virgin branded services being notable absentees. Sky News is also unavailable on Saorsat.

Sky News broadcasts a single service for the UK and Ireland, meaning that the Republic or Ireland doesn’t get a specific Irish only service from Sky News. However, separate feeds are provided to allow for advertising targeted to Ireland. The addition of the service to Saorview provides a near universal reach for the channel. However, thanks to its absence from Saorsat, and the 2% of population not covered by Saorview, Sky News is yet to become available to all viewers.

Like Acquires Glasgow Small-Scale License

Like Media Group, under the Like DAB banner, have acquired the license for the Glasgow small-scale DAB multiplex from Nation Broadcasting. Nation Broadcasting latterly operated the trial small-scale multiplex in Glasgow, having acquired the multiplex alongside Dumbarton area station Your Radio in 2018, from Brave Broadcasting.

Nation Broadcasting subsequently won the permanent small-scale multiplex license from Ofcom earlier this year, with the license having been uncontested. Recent developments saw the trial multiplex close to focus efforts on the permanent multiplex. The previous news article on the trial multiplex closure can be read here.

Meanwhile, Your Radio itself has now effectively closed, with the station having simulcast Nation Radio Scotland since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. This move looks set to be permanent, although no official confirmation of this has been given, beyond obtaining the necessary license variations from regulator Ofcom.

Like DAB won the Isles of Scilly small-scale multiplex license, and are preparing to launch both multiplexes in 2022. Like appear to be re-focusing their efforts on small-scale DAB, having removed their main station, Like Radio, from the Gloucestershire, Hereford and Worcester, and Somerset local DAB multiplexes.

Like Media Group previously owned Imagine Radio in the Greater Manchester and Peak District area, sold to and subsequently closed by Bauer Media. Like Media also for a time operated the Durham and Darlington FM licenses, using the brand names Durham Radio and Alpha Radio. These have also been sold, and now broadcast Sun FM, a station owned by Nation Broadcasting and based in Sunderland.

Nation Broadcasting appear to be taking the opposite approach, instead concentrating on expand their larger regional FM services, alongside shareholdings in larger local DAB multiplexes. Nation Broadcasting have recently expanded their DAB portfolio, with the recently launched Channel Islands DAB multiplex, and the soon to launch Morecambe Bay DAB multiplex.

Even this Website Couldn’t Escape Storm Arwen

Sadly, even this website couldn’t escape the impacts of Storm Arwen. Due to a power cut at the authors home, no news stories could be written or published, and no updates to resource pages could be made.

Thankfully, the actual servers which run the website are in a different location, and it would appear that the website remained online for the duration. Thanks go the our website hosting provider, for their continued hard work and dedication in maintaining the equipment needed to deliver the website to you.

Power has now been restored, but a number of news articles which were originally intended to be published over Friday and Saturday have now been delayed. Time constraints mean that it may be a few days before all of these are published, and they may not appear in the correct timeline order. I’ll do everything that I can to restore a near normal service as soon as possible.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you continue to find this website both enjoyable and informative.

BBC Radio Cumbria To Go DAB+

BBC Radio Cumbria is joining digital radio for the first time next Wednesday, with the station joining the new Carlisle/North Cumbria and Morecambe Bay DAB multiplexes. Both multiplexes are expected to launch on 1st December (2021), and are operated by Bauer Media and Muxco Cumbria respectively.

However, unlike most BBC stations, and following in the footsteps of BBC Radio Guernsey and BBC Radio Jersey, the station will use the newer DAB+ format. Reasons for this are unknown, as the BBC have 128 kbps of space reserved on each multiplex, enough to broadcast in joint stereo using normal DAB.

There is some speculation suggesting that the BBC may use the Morecambe Bay multiplex to improve coverage of BBC Radio Lancashire to the north of that station’s coverage area. Speculation also suggests that the BBC may use spillover from the North Cumbria multiplex to broadcast BBC Radio Scotland on digital radio to parts of south west Scotland, but this appears less likely.

In any case, the use of DAB+ will mean that some listeners with incompatible DAB radios will be unable to access BBC Radio Cumbria on digital radio.

Channel 4 Disruption Mostly Over

Channel 4’s disruption following Red Bee Media’s server failure appears to be over, with music channel Kerrang returning, and the restoration of accessibility services.

Although not directly observed, it has been reported by some outlets that Kerrang had previously returned to air shortly after the initial incident, using back up facilities. However, the service was then taken back off-air as part of efforts to restore other services. Kerrang was the last of the channels in the Channel 4 owned the Box Plus Network to return.

The restoration of accessibility services mean that viewers can now access subtitle and audio description services where they would normally be available.

No doubt work will be in progress in the background, to build more resilient backup facilities. The level of disruption caused has been less than ideal for Channel 4. As yet, Red Bee Media have yet to reveal the exact cause of the disruption, but it would appear that an issue with fire suppression equipment led to accidentle activation, damaging playout servers.

Slow Recovery for 4 Music

Music/entertainment channel 4 Music has now resumed normal programming following disruption caused by playout provider Red Bee Media.

With efforts having focused on the main Channel 4 services, the music based channels (including 4 Music) in the Box Plus Network were at a lower priority, and took longer to return.

The Box was the first of these channels to return, followed by Box Hits. 4 Music simulcast The Box as a temporary measure for a few weeks, following this with a shorter simulcast of Box Hits.

When 4 Music finally returned, it carried a full 24 hour service of music videos, instead of the hybrid music and entertainment format that the channel normally broadcasts.

This finally ended on Tuesday (9th November 2021), when the channel resumed normal broadcasts, with shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Sabrina the Teenage Witch returning to the schedule. Rick and Morty, and The Goldbergs have also joined the schedule, with these having previously been shown on E4. In most cases, 4 Music are showing each series in order, starting with the very first episode of each.

In total 4 Music has faced around 7 weeks of disruption. It is understood that rock music channel Kerrang is still yet to return, and the launch of festive service Boxmas (which temporarily replaces Box Hits) is delayed. All other Box Plus Network channels have resumed broadcasts.

Launch Date Confirmed for Morecambe Bay DAB Multiplex

Muxco Cumbria have confirmed that the forthcoming DAB multiplex for the Morecambe Bay area will launch on the 1st December.

The multiplex, which will also cover South Cumbria, will launch with a variety of national, local/regional, and community services. Included from launch will be BBC Radio Cumbria, community services Cando FM and Bay Trust Radio, and national services Capital, Heart, and Smooth Radio.

The multiplex coverage area will broadly mirror existing FM services, and will use a mixture of conventional DAB and the newer DAB+ format. Some older DAB radios will not be able to receive all stations.

Muxco Cumbria is a joint venture between Nation Broadcasting (owners of Nation Radio), and local DAB multiplex operator Muxco.