Updated: BBC Parliament has now changed to being full-screen on Freeview for the first time in Freeview history. Viewers will need to do a full rescan / factory reset of their channel list to pick up the new full-screen version - as the quarter-screen version is still broadcasting as well. The new full-screen channel can be found at channel 81 after a rescan of your box, and the old quarter-screen version (complete with an updated MHEG explaining it’s now available full screen if you rescan) is still available - on channel 305. This is temporary until it is thought further BBC News Multiscreens will launch very early next year. The new full-screen service includes the same red button functionality as the other BBC channels.
Link of interest - BBC News Website
BBC Parliament will go full-screen on Freeview tomorrow. Viewers will need to rescan their set top boxes to receive it. It is expected the change will take place in the early hours of Monday morning.
Freeview’s new advertising campaign / rebranding exercise has now launched. This includes a new official website based around the “Welcome to free TV land” tagline. The new official Freeview website can be found at www.freeview.co.uk.
Radio stations Heart and Radio Music Shop have appeared on channels 728 and 729 respectively. Audio is being broadcast on them in some regions, but some appear to be just placeholders. It’s not known where the space to launch these radio stations has come from. More news as we get it.
Channel 4 will temporarily put Film4 +1 on Freeview to replace Quiz Call - the quiz channel they have sold off. The space has become available because they didn’t sell their Freeview space to the new owners of Quiz Call - meaning freed up space for Film4 +1. It is thought this move will only be temporary, until they launch a non-timeshift channel in it’s space, such as the rumoured E4 Music. Film4 +1 will replace Quiz Call on the 16th November.
As previously mentioned, as Channel 4 have sold off their quiz venture, Quiz Call, they will be keeping their valuable space on the Freeview platform. This means Quiz Call will remain on othe platforms like Sky, but not on Freeview. Quiz Call will close on Freeview on the 15h November and a new Channel 4 channel will be put in it’s place. This is thought to be Film4 +1 or More 4 +1 - or possibly a brand new channel like E4 Music. In other news - Top Up TV Anytime has “launched”, but the boxes haven’t been sent out yet - so no one can watch it. More news as we get it.
BBC Parliament will be going full screen on Freeview from the 13th November - as previously rumoured. This will be a good step up for the BBC on Freeview - as the channel is only quarter-screen with an MHEG overlay at the moment - owing to bandwidth restrictions. You will need to rescan your box on the 13th November in order to receive full screen BBC Parliament. More news as we get it.
Channel 4 have sold of the part of their business that runs quiz channel Quiz Call - available on cable, Sky and Freeview. This means they have sold the channel, the cable and Sky EPG positions, but not their valuable Freeview space. Channel 4 have stated they will be keeping the channel space and will not be selling it to the new buyers of Quiz Call - meaning the channel space currently being used by Quiz Call on Freeview will be freed up and used for a new channel. Quiz Call will be removed from Freeview and Channel 4 said they will now use the space on Freeview for another channel - which will be a non-quiz channel. This could mean Film4 +1 could be launched in the short term, or More 4 +1 could make a comeback on Freeview. In the long term, they could launch a new channel like E4 Music (speculated) or an American-acquisitions channel, which was talked about briefly in the past - a channel showing all of Channel 4’s US programming (similar to Five US). It’s not known when Quiz Call will be removed from Freeview, but we would imagine that - when it is - it is replaced by either Film4 +1 or More 4 +1 very quickly. More news as we get it.
