Posted 16th June 2009 by Paul
General manager of Disney Channels UK & Ireland, Boel Ferguson, has revealed kids channel Jetix will rebrand as Disney XD.
Speaking to Broadcast Now she said “it will tap into boys’ quest for discovery and their love of sports and adventure. Boys have a need for a sense of accomplishment and feeling they have reached a ‘new level’, as they do in gaming. We want Disney XD to reflect that”.
It’s thought the rebrand will take place in August.
Tags: Cable (Virgin Media), disney xd, jetix
Posted 13th June 2009 by Paul
According to AGB Nielson’s website, MTV One will be changing its name to MTV from the 1st July, and MTV One +1 will change it’s name to MTV +1 on the same date. MTV UK became MTV One back in July 2007. MTV One is available on Virgin Media and Sky.
AGB Nielson – MTV One rebranding
AGB Nielson – MTV One +1 rebranding
Tags: Cable (Virgin Media), mtv, mtv one
Posted 12th June 2009 by Paul
Virgin 1 recently relaunched with a new on-screen look and refreshed channel logo. They’ve introduced a new mascot called Red who appears in the channel presentation. Click here for more information on the official Virgin 1 website. Programming changes are expected to take place later this year. Virgin 1 is available on Freeview, Virgin Media and Sky.
Tags: Cable (Virgin Media), Terrestrial (Freeview and Top Up TV), virgin 1
Posted 12th June 2009 by Paul
Some further confirmation has appeared that Virgin Media will be adding further HD channels to their service this year.
The original confirmation was last month when Neil Berkett (Virgin Media Chief Executive) said they’d “be launching as many as six high-definition channels in the third quarter”.
The latest confirmation that more HD channels are coming is on an official website setup by Virgin Media called “We Hear You”. It says “lots of you were unhappy with the amount of HD channels available on Virgin Media TV” and they’re “launching more HD channels later this year”. Click here to visit the “We Hear You” website.
It’s also been confirmed an HD version of Living will launch later this year. Broadcast Now reports “Virgin Media will roll out an HD version of Living this year as part of a cross-platform strategy to boost the channel’s brand”. Read more at Broadcast Now.
Tags: Cable (Virgin Media), hd, living hd
Posted 12th June 2009 by Paul
The red button interactive services and holding screen for the BBC World Service radio station on Freeview have been revamped to match the way the other BBC radio stations look on Freeview. A post on the BBC Press Red blog says “For years, this was all the visualisation possible within our meagre bandwidth allocation. But thanks to a recent reshuffle of services on the digital television multiplexes, we can extend the full Red Button radio interface to listeners of the BBC World Service in the UK – around one and a half million of them at the last count”. Read more on the BBC Press Red blog.
Tags: bbc world service, Terrestrial (Freeview and Top Up TV)
Posted 12th June 2009 by Paul
According to reports, ITV are considering making their digital channels into subscription-only offerings.
The Guardian says “ITV has held talks with BSkyB about switching its advertiser-funded free-to-air digital channels such as ITV2 to subscription, meaning they would no longer be available to Freeview viewers”. It’s being considered due to the downturn in advertising revenue recently. This would mean ITV channels would be pulled from Freeview where they currently are free-to-air if they decide to go ahead with the subscription-only strategy.Click here to read more on The Guardian website.
Tags: itv, Terrestrial (Freeview and Top Up TV)
Posted 12th June 2009 by Paul
Struggling sports broadcaster Setanta Sports may have been saved from going into administration following an offer by an American billionaire to take 51% of shares in Setanta for £20 million. If they accept the offer they will be safe. Setanta Sports have not been accepting any new subscribers and currently is said to owe money for SPL and Premier League coverage. Click here to read more at Digital Spy. Setanta Sports is available on Digital Terrestrial via subscription, on Virgin Media and Sky.
Tags: Cable (Virgin Media), setanta sports, Terrestrial (Freeview and Top Up TV)
