Competition for Freeview slot hots up

A bidding war has broken out over the new Freeview channel slot, according to MediaGuardian. There is expected to be a flurry of bids on Monday afternoon and it's likely that bidding could reach as high as £4.5 million per year for the 18-hour slot. When Freeview first launched new channels on the service were available for as little as £1 million. The slot is available on a 12-month contract with the winner having first refusal when this expires. The deadline for (sealed) bids is Monday evening.