Author: Scott

Sony Crime Channel Complaints

Following the downgrading of the Sony Crime Channel Freeview service, RXTV-Log has reported a large number of complaints on social media. Sony appear to have responded by simply removing the Facebook and Twitter pages entirely.

There is speculation that the channel may not last much longer, however given some high profile business departures from social media such as Wetherspoons, this appears to be an attempt to control bad publicity.

In other connected news, children’s channel Pop Max has increased its broadcast hours on Freeview, and Movies for Men has taken over the ’40’ channel number from the Sony Crime Channel.

Virgin Media Renews Sponsorship Agreement

Virgin Media will continue to sponsor Southampton Football Club, under a renewed sponsorship agreement.

The deal will run to the end of the 2021/22 season. Virgin Media will be the sleeve sponsor for the first, under 18, and under 23 squads. From the start of next season, Virgin Media will become the first ever shirt sponsor for the women’s team, with their logo appearing on the front of the shirts.

Virgin Media, who provide broadband, TV, and mobile services, first started to sponsor Southampton Football Club at the beginning of the 2016/17 season.

BBC Starts VR Tour

On Thursday, the BBC started a tour of British libraries, to showcase the virtual reality (VR) video content that it has to offer.

As part of a joint initiative with Libraries Connected, and Scottish Library and Information Council, members of the public are able to try out VR experiences, using equipment supplied by the BBC.

The full list of upcoming tour dates can be viewed here.

Freeview Changes – Sony Crime Reduction

From tomorrow, the Sony Crime Channel will be cut down to a two hour placeholder on Freeview. Earlier this year, the channel had its coverage area cut, when it moved to a different frequency. The channel will also change number from 40 down to 60.

Sony Crime Channel only launched 15 months ago, replacing True Crime on Freeview, and Sony Channel on satellite. True Crime was reinstated in February this year, replacing Tru TV.

Freeview Changes – Channel 4 Number Shuffle

Channel numbers on several Channel 4 channels on Freeview will be changing on 13th May, following Channel 4s full acquisition of the Box Plus Network that was previously a joint venture.

E4 will move from 28 to 13 which is currently home to Channel 4+1. Film 4 moves to 14, with Channel 4+1 taking over 15. More 4 moves from 14 to 4 Music’s current number of 18.

E4+1 will move up slightly to 28, with 4 Music being pushed down to 29.

These changes will also affect Youview powered services from BT and TalkTalk, as these rely on Freeview from some of their channels.

The table below shows all of the old and new channel numbers.

Channel Old Number New Number
Channel 4 + 1 13 15
E4 28 13
E4+1 29 28
Film 4 15 14
More 4 14 18
4 Music 18 29

Eleven Sports Hands Back Ofcom Licenses

Due to the UK leaving the European Union (EU), Eleven Sports has now licensed its continental channels elsewhere, as UK broadcast licenses can no longer extend to other parts of the EU when the UK leaves.

Eleven Sports has been unable to obtain any carriage agreements on satellite or cable in the UK, they no longer require their Ofcom licenses, so have handed them back to the regulator.

Eleven Sports remains available online in the UK at www.elevensports.uk.

STV Launches Regional HD on Sky

STV has launch HD (high definition) versions of its channel for Aberdeen, Edinburgh, and Tayside on Sky. This means that all Sky viewers can now find the HD version of the channel on 103, as there is a HD version for all STV regions.

There was a slight delay in the launch of the new versions. They were meant to launch on May 1st, but did not go live until the 2nd.

Freesat viewers are unaffected by the change, as the new versions of STV HD are broadcast on a Pan-European satellite and are encrypted. The Glasgow version of STV HD is still available on 111 for Freesat viewers.

Keep It Country to Rebrand

Television station Keep It Country is to rebrand to Spotlight TV. The name change is to reflect the fact that the channel has diversified into other genres such as easy listening.

The channel has indicated that some programming changes will be made, although the full extent of these changes is yet to be announced.

The channel is currently available on Freeview 87, Freesat 516, and Sky 376.

BBC Submits Plans to Revamp iPlayer

The BBC has submitted to Ofcom plans to revamp their BBC iPlayer service. The proposals include making more box sets available, and making programmes available for up to 12 months instead of the existing 30 days. More archive material is also to be included on the iPlayer.

The BBC has already conducted a Public Interest Test, which has indicated general support for the proposals. Ofcom will now assess the impact on commercial providers which offer competing services, in order to ensure that rival services such as ITV Hub can compete on a level playing field. This process is expected to be complete by August.