Bring back Film4+1?

[flobadob]

Do you think there would be any chance of getting Film4+1 back onto Freeview. They took it off last year and now I miss most films as 10.00 starts suit more than 9.00 which they start at each night. Does anyone know why they took it off?

[looobylooo]

at least you can stll get film 4 flob lol, i lost mine and a few others along with it when we had to do that flippin retune! grrrrrr

[ABerrant]

Film4+1 was dropped from Freeview in favour of Channel4+1 way back in 2007.

http://www.freeview.c...annel-4-1-on-Freeview

[Buenchico]

Freeview is a commercial operation, which charges broadcasters for access to the transmitters. Television companies (with the obvious exception of the BBC) hope to offset those costs, and to make a profit, by selling advertising. If a channel doesn't get enough advertising revenue to meet the costs of accessing the transmitters (together with the payments they have to make to secure the broadcasting rights to programmes) it won't last for long on the Freeview platform.

Many advertisers are now switching from TV commercials to other ways of advertising (such as the internet). That, together with the current economic climate, means that all commercial stations are struggling to pay their bills. (The whole of the ITV network is dangerously close to 'going under'). So there are likely to be fewer commercial channels, rather than more, across all platforms (Freeview, satellite, cable and internet).

Film4 used to be unavailable on Freeview. That was partly because of a contractual commitment to Sky but also because they deemed that they wouldn't get enough additional advertising to offset the costs of broadcasting on the terrestrial system. The company decided to 'bite the bullet' and to see what happened if they 'gave it a go'. They then decided to add Film+1 to the trial. It seems that there's enough advertising money to fund Film4 on Freeview, but not Film4+1 as well.

I doubt that Film4+1 will return to Freeview in the near future. It's far more likely that several channels (possibly including Film4) will disappear from Freeview.

Chris

[Tizzi24]

looby - did you ring the digital helpline? I lost 3 BBC channels and rang them and they told me what to do to get them back - they were very helpful.

Buenchico - you certainly are fount of knowledge! I hope we don't lose any channels!

[flobadob]

Why doesn't someone start a facebook campaign to this effect. Saying that maybe I'm the only one who gives a hoot. Lobbyloo, you should do another retune, sometimes I have to retune 3 or 4 times to get all the available channels. Usually they all come back if I keep at it for a few goes.