Freeview
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Freeview (DTV Services Ltd) | |
|---|---|
| Image:Freeview retro logo 2006.png | |
| Type | Digital terrestrial television provider |
| Founded | 2002 |
| Headquarters | Image:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg London |
| Key people | Ilse Howling (General Manager) |
| Industry | Media |
| Products | Package of free-to-air digital terrestrial television channels |
| Slogan | Welcome to Free TV Land |
| Website | www.freeview.co.uk |
Freeview is the operator of free digital terrestrial television in the United Kingdom, using the DVB-T standard. The Freeview brand name, owned by DTV Services,[1] is used to promote the free digital terrestrial television service as a whole and those services operated by companies who rent capacity from Freeview Consortium shareholders.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Overview
Freeview was launched on 30 October 2002 at 6 am when it took over the digital terrestrial television (DTT) licence to broadcast on three multiplexes from the defunct ITV Digital (originally called ONdigital).
The founding members of DTV Services were the BBC, National Grid Wireless and British Sky Broadcasting. On 11 October 2005, they were joined by ITV plc and Channel 4. The Freeview service broadcasts free-to-air television channels, radio stations and interactive services from the BBC, Sky and other broadcasters.
As of the end of December 2006, 30.4% of first sets and 25.6% of all TV sets in the UK use Freeview. 7,703,000 of the 25.3 million UK homes are 'Freeview only', with 15.3 million Freeview enabled TVs (and integrated digital televisions) in 10.5 million homes.The Freeview model has been copied in a number of countries including France and Spain.[citation needed]
[edit] Service costs
Freeview offers no premium or pay-per-view channels and no subscription channels; the name distinguishes the service from ITV Digital, cable and satellite digital TV services. To receive the Freeview services, a set-top box (typically available from £20) or a new television with an integrated digital tuner is required. DTT reception cards for computers are also available for a similar price. Some viewers also need an aerial upgrade which can cost around £80 to £180.[4] In addition, the annual television licence must be purchased, as is required for all viewers of broadcast television in the UK irrespective of the method of reception.[5]
In addition to Freeview, a subscription-based service, Top Up TV, launched in March 2004 using unused channel space on Multiplexes that were owned by parties, who at the time, were not members of the Freeview consortium. The Top Up TV service is not connected with the Freeview service; it simply runs alongside it on the DTT platform. It was possible to receive Top Up TV selected Freeview set-top boxes or televisions equipped with a card slot or CI slot, however, this was discontinued in 2006 in favour of "Top Up TV Anytime", a service which depends on a proprietary set top box.
The Digital TV Group made up of all the multiplex owners, is responsible for co-ordination between Freeview and Top Up TV services.
[edit] Coverage and reception
Approximately 73% of households are in a location that can receive Freeview broadcasts.[6] Maximum Freeview coverage of the UK whilst analogue and digital services are running in tandem has now been reached.[7] The British government plans to switch off analogue transmitters region-by-region, starting in 2007,[8] to allow for an increase in both Freeview coverage and transmitter power. The government estimates that the coverage level of the three public service broadcasting multiplexes will reach 98.5% of the population (the same as analogue television) and six-multiplex reception will cover 90% of the population once the digital switchover has been completed in 2012.
[edit] Freeview Playback
Freeview Playback is a consumer brand created in the UK by the DTG Group to "raise consumer awareness and promote sales" of Freeview-capable digital video recorders. Players which meet specified quality and functionality criteria are permitted to carry the Freeview Playback logo, and benefit from joint marketing and consumer confidence.
[edit] Freeview channels
A full list of digital terrestrial television channels in the UK is also available, which includes the additional Top Up TV and Setanta Sports services.
[edit] TV channels
- BBC One (some regional variations in programming)
- BBC Two (some regional variations in programming; variations from analogue in Wales and Northern Ireland)
- ITV1, STV or UTV[9] (some regional variations in programming)
- Channel 4 (except Wales) or S4C Digidol (Wales only)
- Five
- ITV2
- BBC Three
- Channel 4 (Wales only) or TeleG (Scotland only)
- BBC Four
- ITV3
- Sky Three
- UKTV History
- Channel 4+1[10]
- More4
- QVC (reduced hours in Wales)
- The Hits
- Dave
- Virgin 1 (does not broadcast for its full hours on Freeview)
- TMF
- Ideal World
- bid tv (reduced hours in Wales)
- price-drop tv
- ITV4
- E4
- E4+1[10]
- ITV2+1[10]
- Film4
- Five US
- Five Life
- SmileTV (does not broadcast for its full hours on Freeview)
- Nuts TV
- Gems TV (does not broadcast for its full hours on Freeview)
- The Jewellery Channel (does not broadcast for its full hours on Freeview)(also on Five US between 10am - 12pm)
- CBBC Channel
- CBeebies
- CITV Channel
- BBC News 24
- BBC Parliament
- Sky News
- Sky Sports News
- S4C2 (Wales only)
- Community Channel (does not broadcast for its full hours on Freeview)
- Teachers' TV (does not broadcast for its full hours on Freeview)
[edit] Radio stations
- BBC Radio 1
- BBC Radio 1Xtra
- BBC Radio 2
- BBC Radio 3
- BBC Radio 4 (FM version)
- BBC Radio 5 Live
- BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra
- BBC 6 Music
- BBC 7
- BBC Asian Network
- BBC World Service (English language European service)
- The Hits Radio
- Smash Hits (not available in Wales)
- Kiss 100
- Heat
- Magic 105.4
- Q
- Oneword
- 102.2 Smooth Radio
- BBC Radio Scotland (MW version; Scotland only), BBC Radio Wales (Wales only) or BBC Radio Ulster (Northern Ireland only)
- BBC Radio nan Gaidheal (Scotland only), BBC Radio Cymru (Wales only) or BBC Radio Foyle (Northern Ireland only)
- Mojo (not available in Wales)
- Kerrang!
- talkSPORT
- Clyde 1
- Premier Christian Radio
- U105 (Northern Ireland only)
- Virgin Radio
- Heart 106.2 (Northern England, Southern England, Wales, Southern Scotland and the Isle of Man only) or 100.7 Heart FM (West Midlands only) or Heart 106 (East Midlands only)
[edit] Text and interactive services
[edit] Former channels
- 3C – Closed on all platforms on 27 March 2007 at 5 p.m., replaced immediately by Clyde 1
- ABC1 - Closed on all platforms 26 September 2007
- CBM – Never launched; tested in May to August 2003, before termination of contract.
- FourText – Channel 4-owned digital teletext service, replaced by Teletext on 4 in 2003.
- Film4+1 – replaced on Freeview with Channel 4+1
- Ftn - replaced by Virgin 1 on all platforms on 1 October 2007
- ITV News Channel – Hours reduced in November 2005 to make room for ITV4; removed and shut down on Friday 23 December 2005 at 6 p.m. to provide space for CITV.
- ITV Play – Closed on all platforms on 13 March 2007, replaced on 15 March 2007 by ITV2+1.
- Jazz FM – Replaced by 102.2 Smooth FM in June 2005, then by 102.2 Smooth Radio in March 2007.
- Men & Motors – Removed in April 2006, replaced by ITV Play, itself removed in March 2007.
- More4+1 – 1 hour timeshift of More4, removed on 18 May 2006, replaced by Big Brother Interactive Channel, which in turn was replaced by Film4 on 23 July 2006.
- NTL – Two day TV guide removed in Summer 2003
- Quiz Call – Channel 4 owned Quiz channel sold to iTouch, closed on 15 November 2006 and replaced, temporarily, by Film4+1.
- Radio Music Shop - Closed on all platforms on 4 October 2007.
- Sky Travel – Replaced on Freeview in October 2005 by new channel Sky Three
- Teletext TV Guide – TV Guide section of Teletext removed 2004 for the addition of Teletext Cars.
- TV Travel Shop – Space bought out by Top Up TV in January 2004, now hosts Top Up TV encrypted channels. Channel shut down.
- Thomas Cook TV - closed
- UKTV Bright Ideas – Closed on all platforms on 14 October 2007 replaced by Dave on 15 October 2007.
- YooPlay Games (previously Free2Play then F2P Games) – closed 18 July 2006, space leased to SMG plc for Virgin Radio, which launched the same day.
[edit] See also
- Digital terrestrial television in the United Kingdom
- Freesat
- BT Vision
- Top Up TV
- Télévision Numérique Terrestre
- UK topics
[edit] References
- ^ DTV Services Limited Company Profile (February 22 2007).
- ^ Channel 4 buys new Freeview slot (29 November 2005).
- ^ a b The Communications Market: Digital Progress Report Digital TV, Q3 2007. Ofcom (19 December 2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-19.
- ^ Frequently Asked Questions. Confederation of Aerial Industries Ltd. Retrieved on 2006-06-22.
- ^ TV Licensing - TV Licence Information. Retrieved on 2007-05-04.
- ^ Freeview Facts: When will I be able to get Freeview?. Retrieved on 2006-12-06.
- ^ Freeview FAQ: I have no coverage, what can I do now?. Retrieved on 2006-12-06.
- ^ "First digital TV switch date set", BBC News, 15 March 2007. Retrieved on 2007-03-15.
- ^ ITV1 is the brand name for twelve of the fifteen regional ITV Network franchises and is used in England, Wales, southern Scotland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. Each of these twelve franchises has a separate brand name used prior to local programming (see ITV1). STV is the brand name for the franchises for central and northern Scotland. All fifteen franchises broadcast their services between 09:25 and 06:00. GMTV operates the franchise for national breakfast television and operates between 06:00 and 09:25.
- ^ a b c Channels whose name is the same as another channel with "+1" appended transmit the same content as the named channel delayed by one hour.
[edit] External links
- Freeview
- The industry association for digital TV in the UK
- Extended Freeview reception prediction
- Digital Spy Forums - Freeview Latest News
- Entertainment-iuk.com - Latest Freeview, Virgin Media and Top Up TV News
cy:Freeview fr:Freeview simple:Freeview sv:Freeview
