The Big Question: Is multi-channel TV damaging the quality of Christmas programmes?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/the-big-question-is-multichannel-tv-damaging-the-quality-of-christmas-programmes-766453.html

This is a very interesting article, the most interesting one i have found during this research. the is that the multitude of channels and services has seen a depreciation of viewing satisfaction, using the Christmas period as a prime historical example of a time when family TV viewing was a huge occasion and many shows were shown, it has become less of a big deal, as instead of a concentration of viewings of a particular channel, multi media has dispersed this, hindered by the fact that there are in excess of 30% - 40% repeats being shown on TV compared to the quality original hyped programming particular to the Christmas period of yesteryear. The bottom line is money. Making original and memorable programming is a very expensive business, and commercial TV is dependent on advertising, so a more dispersed viewership across a multitude of channels and mediums means individual channels lose out on revenue from it, meaning they lack the funds necessary to fund new and original programming.

The basic take home message is that more is less.

So is Christmas TV a shadow of its former self?
Yes...
* Quite literally, nearly half of all the programmes on offer have been shown before
* Television is an industry in crisis, it's nave to expect the bold programming of the past
* With plenty of diverting content online, the TV set no longer dominates Christmas entertainment
No...
* We will still be watching shows in tens of millions, just not in the same room, and not just on TV sets
* Only a generation ago we were stuck with three channels, now many homes have hundreds to choose from
* What's not to like about being offered classic shows and more of them than ever before?

DSG is first to ditch analogue televisions

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/dsg-is-first-to-ditch-analogue-televisions-772385.html

• DSG International, owner of the Currys, PC World and Dixons chains, said it would no longer sell digital TVs in preparation for switch-over in 2012
• Only 10 per cent of the 2 million televisions the company has sold over the past year have been analogue sets.
• DSG said however that a third of all televisions sold in the UK are analogue, a statistic the retailer described as "inappropriate" given the impending analogue switch-off.
• Currys MD said: "We are concerned at the high volumes of analogue TVs still on sale in the UK and we favour early transition to a digital-only range. Digital provides a better deal for customers and reduces waste by removing the requirement for soon-to-be-obsolete analogue tuners in our television range and the unnecessary purchase of extra digital set-top boxes."
• The price of digital television sets has fallen dramatically over recent years, with a standard set costing as little as £150.

BBC iplayer risks overloading the internet

http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article3716781.ece

• BBC iPlayer is estimated to be worth approx £831 million
• Viewers are now watching more than one million BBC programmes online each week.
• iPlayer accounts for between 3 and 5 per cent of all internet traffic in Britain, with the first episode of The Apprentice watched more than 100,000 times via a computer, according to the BBC
• There were 17.2 million requests to watch programmes last month, an increase of 25 per cent on February.
• The BBC is trying to increase the scope of the service by making its iPlayer service available via the Nintendo Wii, allowing owners who are unable to stop playing in time for their favourite programmes to catch up with them later (approx 2.5 million homes own a Wii)
  

4OD Ad-funded shows

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/digitalcontent/2007/10/channel_4_to_make_us_shows_adf.html

• Channel 4 makes money through the advertising on its 4OD version of on demand telvesion.QUOTE: "The shows will be supported by pre-roll advertising and sponsorship packages.The first advertisers include Dulux, sponsor of Ugly Betty, L'Oreal, Tourism Australia and Bodyform."We want Channel 4 viewers to be able to see our shows in a format, time and platform to suit them and to make the process as simple as possible," said Jeff Ford, director of acquisitions and Film4."

BBc 'opens floodgates' to iplayer hackers

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/mar/13/digitalvideo.television·

• Anti-piracy breach allows unrestricted downloads· Corporation says it is working to close loophole
• hackers are able to get through the BBCs anti-piracy systems to gain access to programmes on iPlayer. This causes problems with copyright protection.
• "One of the hackers responsible said it took him only 12 minutes to find the loophole and make it work - but that such a simple hack potentially opened up every programme on iPlayer for unlimited downloading."The BBC accidentally opened the floodgates and gave the world DRM-free downloads," said one hacker with knowledge of the breach. "If only it were down to something other than poor design, decisions and ineptitude."Also, the decision to incorporate anti-piracy protections has angered some campaigners, who believe that British citizens should have unprotected access to shows for which they have already paid with their TV licence fee.

Survey shows darker picture for the TV channel

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/apr/15/television.digitalmedia

• Television remains people's favourite mass communications format but viewers are more loyal to a programme than a channel, according a survey of TV viewing around the world that will make worrying reading for traditional broadcasters.
• The vast majority of people watching more than three programmes a week watch them on more than three TV channels, according to a poll of 7,000 people across eight countries, including Britain and the United States. this "channel-hopping" trend showed that "consumers are more loyal to the content they want to watch rather than the branded distribution channel to which they may be accustomed".
• The survey showed 97% of respondents watched at least some TV in a typical week and a third watched eight or more programmes a week. But four in five respondents expressed "discontent" with watching broadcast and cable TV, citing annoyance at various features of traditional TV, including commercial breaks, not being able to rewind and not being able to watch programmes at their convenience, etc.
• At the same time, there was fresh evidence that discontented viewers were finding new ways to receive the programmes they like. One in three adults surveyed accessed programmes in a typical week via a device other than a traditional TV. That trend is more pronounced among younger viewers. In the US, for example, 46% of 18-24-year-olds watched shows on mobile devices.
• The under-35 group is also more likely to be familiar with on-demand services and is more willing to pay to download content
• television is rapidly shifting from its origins as a "clearly identifiable stand-alone medium".
• "People are experiencing new consumption opportunities and moving away from traditional, linear programming," he said. "Today's youth are more dissatisfied with the traditional television experience and increasingly excited by the availability of new choices."

Channel 4 and Global considering DAB link-up

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/apr/16/channel4.globalradio

• Channel 4 and Global Radio exploring how to combine their digital radio transmission services
• Global will inherit the first digital audio broadcasting - DAB - multiplex of digital stations with its takeover of GCap Media, Channel 4 leads the consortium that won the Ofcom licence to launch a second multiplex.
• However, Channel 4 is not expected to launch its DAB multiplex for a year and needs to organise the transmission infrastructure, while Global Radio may be looking to fill gaps in its digital radio broadcasting spectrum.
• Global Radio is also preoccupied with the acquisition of GCap Media, which includes taking on the Digital One DAB multiplex.
• Channel 4 and Global are looking at ways of combining the two DAB multiplexes, however, no formal talks have yet taken place and the BBC, also a major DAB player, may be involved in any eventual deal, the FT reported.
• Any deal to combine the two DAB multiplexes would be subject to Ofcom approval.