30 April 2009

UKTV Style becomes "Home"

UKTV Style has become the latest UKTV channel to be re-branded. As of today, the channel will go by the name of Home. The channel is available to Top Up TV subscribers on channel 26 between 13:00 and 16:00 daily, and on demand.

27 April 2009

Fiver and Five USA on the move

Fiver and Five USA will change their Freeview channel numbers on May 12. Fiver will leapfrog it's sister channel, moving from 36 to 30, while Five USA will move from 35 to 31.

Virgin 1 to go 24-hours, +1 to launch

Virgin 1 will move to multiplex A and broadcast for 24 hours a day from May 20, it has been revealed. It's possible that it will replace Bid TV, which was previously operated by Virgin Media Television but recently sold off. The 12-hour slot it previously occupied on Multiplex D will be used to carry Virgin 1+1.

23 April 2009

ITV confirm intentions to sell off SDN

Beleaguered broadcaster ITV has confirmed that it has put multiplex A operator SDN up for sale, in an attempt to raise funds and focus the business on broadcasting. Analysts estimate the value of SDN at between £175m and £225m.

21 April 2009

Virgin 1 changes ahead?

A message on the Virgin 1 website suggests that some changes may be happening to the channel on Freeview next month. The notice advises viewers that they may need to retune their receivers to "keep receiving Virgin 1 on Freeview after 20th May".

08 April 2009

Betfair to launch Freeview service

Betfair are to launch a service on Freeview. The service was awarded a licence to broadcast on Freeview by Ofcom last week, and according to Betfair's 2008 annual report, it will provide "games and fixed odds overlays onto live TV sports broadcasts".

Switchover begins in Westcountry

The next stage of the UK's digital switchover programme began today, when analogue broadcasts of BBC Two were switched off from the Beacon Hill transmitter and its relays. According to some reports, this has left around 1,500 people without the channel, but that's because they haven't bought any digital equipment (and not because of any problems with the switchover plan). The remaining channels currently being broadcast in analogue will be switched off on April 22.

05 April 2009

Round-up: NHS Direct, CNN, Top Up TV

NHS Direct has been re-named NHS Choices and has had a mini-makeover. The service can be accessed from Teletext and on Freeview channel 100.

• As mentioned previously, CNN changed its broadcasting hours last week. Programming is broadcast between 19:00 and 00:00 midnight, but the stream on Freeview channel 84 continues until 02:00 showing a simulcast of SuperCasino. As a result, Top Up TV Anytime 2 now starts at 02:00 (one hour later than previously).