More Channels Depart TV Player

TV Player, an online streaming platform for free and subscription television has suffered a further loss of channels, as Paramount Global removes all of its remaining channels from the platform.

The channels removed are free-to-view services Channel 5, 5 Select, 5 Star, and 5 USA, plus subscription services Comedy Central, Comedy Central Extra, and MTV. It would appear that other Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS) channels, such as Nickelodeon and 5 Action (formerly Paramount Network), had already been removed.

TV Player is one of few places that offer online live streaming of regular TV channels found on other platforms, such as satellite, cable, or terrestrial. The website was largely unique, as it works directly with broadcasters, ensuring that consents are fully obtained and required royalties are paid.

TV Player first launched in 2014 (official launch), and has seen channels come and go since then. However, in most case channels have been removed from the platform, with the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Discovery Inc. all having removed channels, largely in favour of developing their own platforms.

TV Player is currently owned by Alchimie, a digital content distributor, based in France. TV Player currently operates in the UK, France, Spain, and USA. UK content is now largely limited to niche market services, with most currently unavailable on other platforms.

Alternatives to TV Player have also expand in recent years. Pluto TV, owned by Paramount Global, offers several free online channels, largely unique to the service, and curated around individual TV series. These include content from Channel 5, via a range of bespoke My5 branded channels.

Kapang is another alternative, owned by View TV Group. This largely replicates traditional viewing, with live streams available for a large number of free-to-view channels found on other platforms such as Freeview and Freesat. Channels include those from the BBC and ITV, plus others operated by View TV Group themselves, including a reboot of the Men and Motors channel. View TV Group are probably most known for online motoring channel OnlyMotors, and the ill-fated digital radio station Rathergood Radio.

Further Cuts to TV Player Streaming Service

Yet more channels have been removed from the TV Player online streaming service. The following channels have been removed entirely:

  • BET
  • Clubland
  • Total Country
  • NOW80s
  • BBC Red Button, BBC Parliament, and BBC Alba
  • Showcase
  • Fashion TV
  • S4C
  • Together
  • France24
  • NHK
  • Euronews
  • TRT World
  • Al Jazeera English
  • Russia Today (RT)

Additionally, premium channel Baby TV has also been removed. The changes have taken place in the past week.

Some of the affected channels can be streamed on their own websites.

Note: Going forward, TelevisionSRS will regard TV Player as a minor/insignificant broadcaster/platform. As such, future news posts will be limited, and TV Player will not be included within the resources section.

UKTV Live Streams are Now Available

Following UKTV removing its channels from online platform TVplayer, the company has introduced live streams of its Freeview channels to its UKTV Play website.

The channels included are:

  • Dave
  • Drama
  • Home
  • Really
  • Yesterday

These channels will also be available to live stream on UKTV Play mobile apps in the next few weeks. The UKTV Play website can be found at uktvplay.co.uk.

TV Player Suffers Outage

Online streaming platform TV Player has suffered a major network outage, affecting most of the channels in their free package. At the time of writing, these channels are still offline.

TV Player is a available via its website, as well as apps across several devices. Free and paid for services are available, and a sign in/log in is mandatory.

The service has recently faced criticism for moving most ITV channels to premium package, despite these services remaining free to air on platforms such as Freeview and Freesat.