[Adrian_Baggott]

Free TV is the best it's ever been and certainly it must be the best in the World? With the advent of Youview which has more than enough on demand programs to keep anyone busy (I'm with TalkTalk), the promise of much more free on demand content coming soon, a good selection of different channels on Freeview, many of which you pay for on other platforms. free plus recording, free HD on main channels and more promised in the near future, what more could you ask for? I also have Free Sky so I get the extra channels that offers. Also Pick TV have recently started showing many of the programs I wanted to watch on Sky, Stargate SG1, Terra Nova, Warehouse 13 and next week Game of Thrones starts. My problem with Sky is that you pay for hundreds of channels many of which show utter rubbish on a loop, you have to pay for the use of plus recording and HDTV and still be bombarded with adverts. I remember when Sky first started and the whole idea was that the channels you paid for, e.g movies, there were no adverts at all just wall to wall films and the likes of MTV and Sky channel (as it was then) were free with adverts. $ky got greedy and knew at the time they had a monopoly and took over.

With more UKTV channels moving to Freeview and Youview's growth here's hoping for a sharp decline in Sky subscribers over the next couple of years!

[SteveMcK]

Originally Posted by Adrian_Baggott

Also Pick TV have recently started showing many of the programs I wanted to watch on Sky, Stargate SG1, Terra Nova, Warehouse 13 and next week Game of Thrones starts.
...

With more UKTV channels moving to Freeview and Youview's growth here's hoping for a sharp decline in Sky subscribers over the next couple of years!

You do realize that it's because of the money that stations like HBO get from Sky that they can afford to make series like Game of Thrones in the first place? Those Sky subscribers are paying for your "free" TV, be careful what you wish for.

[peterjc]

Series record has stopped for terra nova and warehouse13

[Luis Essex]

Originally Posted by Adrian_Baggott

Also Pick TV have recently started showing many of the programs I wanted to watch on Sky ...and next week Game of Thrones starts.

Only the first three episodes will be broadcast. It forms part of Sky's current advertising campaigns for its subscription service.
See http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1784971

[Caxton]

Originally Posted by Adrian_Baggott

Free TV is the best it's ever been and certainly it must be the best in the World? With the advent of Youview which has more than enough on demand programs to keep anyone busy (I'm with TalkTalk), the promise of much more free on demand content coming soon, a good selection of different channels on Freeview, many of which you pay for on other platforms. free plus recording, free HD on main channels and more promised in the near future, what more could you ask for? I also have Free Sky so I get the extra channels that offers. Also Pick TV have recently started showing many of the programs I wanted to watch on Sky, Stargate SG1, Terra Nova, Warehouse 13 and next week Game of Thrones starts. My problem with Sky is that you pay for hundreds of channels many of which show utter rubbish on a loop, you have to pay for the use of plus recording and HDTV and still be bombarded with adverts. I remember when Sky first started and the whole idea was that the channels you paid for, e.g movies, there were no adverts at all just wall to wall films and the likes of MTV and Sky channel (as it was then) were free with adverts. $ky got greedy and knew at the time they had a monopoly and took over.

With more UKTV channels moving to Freeview and Youview's growth here's hoping for a sharp decline in Sky subscribers over the next couple of years!

Why do you want a sharp decline in Sky's subscribers? You have got what you want — Freeview TV, be happy with it, it's free.

But you are very disillusioned if you believe Sky TV, whether they have a decline in subscriber numbers or not, will be providing you and other Freeview viewers complete series of these programmes for free. What next, would you like to see, Sky Sports on Freeview for free

That is why Sky are still in business and still increasing subscriber numbers.

Anyway you also no doubt have plenty to watch with some of the crap channels occupying valuable Freeview space.

[jj20x]

Originally Posted by SteveMcK

You do realize that it's because of the money that stations like HBO get from Sky that they can afford to make series like Game of Thrones in the first place? Those Sky subscribers are paying for your "free" TV, be careful what you wish for.

Not exactly true, HBO was making programmes long before any deal with Sky. The UK market is relatively small for them, most of their income will be from their home market.

[MiresiaVerteta]

I think it does need a bit of revamp as in ONE of the freesat music channels to come onto the system. I mean how much will it cost to have a music channel 6am to 3am that JUST PLAYS MUSIC?

As mentioned, it's what brings money in - hence shopping and babe channels Profit before people.

[a516]

Originally Posted by MiresiaVerteta

I think it does need a bit of revamp as in ONE of the freesat music channels to come onto the system. I mean how much will it cost to have a music channel 6am to 3am that JUST PLAYS MUSIC?

As mentioned, it's what brings money in - hence shopping and babe channels Profit before people.

The lucky few that receive the Manchester multiplex can get Capital TV. An all music channel.

[jj20x]

Originally Posted by MiresiaVerteta

As mentioned, it's what brings money in - hence shopping and babe channels Profit before people.

First you'll need to find a music channel willing and able to fund the relatively high cost of carriage on DTT. I would doubt that any of those channels can generate sufficient cash through advertising to pay royalties to the music industry and the cost of carriage required by the multiplex operator.

The "babe" channels only pay for carriage for a few hours and probably get reduced rates from the multiplex operators because there is little demand at those hours. They fund it by charging ridiculously high call rates to deluded members of the public wishing to chat with these "babes".

[jj20x]

Originally Posted by a516

The lucky few that receive the Manchester multiplex can get Capital TV. An all music channel.

Capital TV and Heart TV are also streamed online, so available to anyone with a decent broadband connection.

[indeedicus]

If they know about the proposals, I wonder if the OP of this thread considers the proposed new DVB-T2 multiplexes on the 600Mhz band to be "something exiciting happening to this service"?

[David Waine]

I was with Sky from 2000 to 2006 when my digibox upped and died. I had been considering switching to Freeview anyway as I was becoming tired of paying to watch the same old repeats of things I had already seen for free on the mainstream channels. When the box died, I switched to Freeview and haven't regretted it. Now I have YouView and I thought I might experiment by paying the extra tenner a month to have some of my old Sky channels back. I am on the point of cancelling the Entertainment Boost and keeping my tenner for on demand stuff because Sky are still showing many of the same programmes now as they were when I was a subscriber. They recycle them endlessly and people are still paying for it. That is a brilliant business plan from their point of view: require people to pay year-in, year-out for the same old programming plus a sprinkling of new stuff from time to time - and you can't deny that they have been successful. I know that Freeview is full of repeats as well, but we are not being charged a subscription to watch them.

Honourable exception for Sky Sports. If you are a serious sports fan (I am not) obviously it is a must.

[lstar337]

Originally Posted by David Waine

I was with Sky from 2000 to 2006 when my digibox upped and died. I had been considering switching to Freeview anyway as I was becoming tired of paying to watch the same old repeats of things I had already seen for free on the mainstream channels. When the box died, I switched to Freeview and haven't regretted it. Now I have YouView and I thought I might experiment by paying the extra tenner a month to have some of my old Sky channels back. I am on the point of cancelling the Entertainment Boost and keeping my tenner for on demand stuff because Sky are still showing many of the same programmes now as they were when I was a subscriber. They recycle them endlessly and people are still paying for it. That is a brilliant business plan from their point of view: require people to pay year-in, year-out for the same old programming plus a sprinkling of new stuff from time to time - and you can't deny that they have been successful. I know that Freeview is full of repeats as well, but we are not being charged a subscription to watch them.

Honourable exception for Sky Sports. If you are a serious sports fan (I am not) obviously it is a must.

Sky would have a killer product if the service with no adds. As it is, it is just Freeview with more channels and a hefty price tag.

[Jordan_Neish]

You can watch Mythbusters on the channel Quest

[David (2)]

Originally Posted by Jordan_Neish

You can watch Mythbusters on the channel Quest

Not everyone can...using freeview, Quest is not a nationwide channel.