2008/10/17 Gareth Davis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Brian Butterworth wrote: > > Given there are no companies that have both unencrypted and unencrypted > channels on the EPG, it would still seem that rule is part of Sky's > contacts... > > This is why, for example, Five can't just jump onto Freesat, because it has > to do Fiver and Five US at the same time! > > > I thought this was a simple case of capacity on Astra 2D. The rights > agreements signed for the content on the 'five' channels would prevent it > going FTA on the current transponders as they are on the 'south beam' that > covers most of Europe. >
The whole Astra 2D thing is a bit of a red herring. The Television Without Frontiers directive (89/552/EEC CHAPTER II, Article 2) allows for any terrestrial channel to be broadcast via satellite in Europe without encryption. There is no legal requirement for the broadcaster to use a "tight beam". (*) I found about this from when I had a great drunken evening at an IBC in Amsterdam back in the 90s with some German broadcasters. What I learned at that BT-backed dinner saved the BBC £60m in the end! (**) It's not like the BBC couldn't allow five a slot on 2D for a short while is it? They have duplicated the BBC News channel on both 2A and 2D at the moment. Five is going to be on BBC multiplex 1 (or is it B) on Freeview in the switch-over regions in less than a fortnight in the "Border" region. (*) There's details about this in Greg Dykes BBC memoirs. (**) I worked for BT Broadcast Services - we provided most of the satellite capacity, terrestrial, uplinking, monitoring and switching services for UK broadcasters including the BBC and Sky. -- > *Gareth Davis* | Production Systems Specialist > World Service Future Media, Digital Delivery Team - Part of BBC Global > News Division > 8 http://www.bbcworldservice.com/ + 702NE Bush House, Strand, London, WC2B > 4PH > > -- Please email me back if you need any more help. Brian Butterworth http://www.ukfree.tv - independent digital television and switchover advice, since 2002
