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What is ? TV channel?

zeebre12zeebre12 Posts: 1,167
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in Broadcasting #1
What is channel ? TV..its on channel 252 on sky..it says its owned by AMC Networks International Zone but on their website there's nothing about it, or anywhere on the internet..what programmed does it show or what really is it does anyone know?

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  • mike65mike65 Posts: 11,386
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    #2
    Its a placeholder as far as I know. Glorified squatting.
  • Zeropoint1Zeropoint1 Posts: 10,917
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    #3
    I've often wondered about ?tv. I know it's a place holder but how has it been allowed to be there for so many years? I'm pretty sure it's been there for over 4 years now. 252 isn't exactly a prime channel position but somebody could surely move down and put this on 299.
  • zeebre12zeebre12 Posts: 1,167
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    #4
    What a placeholder really?
  • epsomepsom Posts: 4,684
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    #5
    AMC channel is likely to launch on it sometime this year.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4
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    #6
    what I don't understand is when did closedown become 'THIS IS BBC3' or what ever channel it is
  • SonOfPurpleSonOfPurple Posts: 2,650
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    #7
    If I recall correctly, the current ?TV was previously Wedding TV Asia, a sibling to the adjacent and now-itself-removed Wedding TV service. After WTVA closed as a full channel, rather than withdraw the service outright - which would have led to the demise of the SD channel slot entirely - it went into placeholder mode, taking a couple hours a night from another channel's stream to keep the slot alive until it could be sold on, initially with leftover WTVA programmes and more recently with other assorted stuff.

    The stream it was piggybacking with for much of the placeholder era is or was, if I'm not mistaken, that of PopGirl, which had led me to believe CSC had taken over the slot, possibly for another channel in the True tree, so the suggestion that it's actually AMC-Chellozone holding the perch changes this; in the pre-AMC era, Chello did I believe plan at one point to bring their now-axed lifestyle format Zone Club channel to these shores, and could've bought the ? slot with that in mind, but later dumped the Club plan and carried on squatting in the grid awaiting further instruction after the CBS and then AMC deals changed the strategy...
  • PhilH36PhilH36 Posts: 26,278
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    #8
    zeebre12 wrote: »
    What a placeholder really?

    A placeholder is a channel which broadcasts the minimum amount of content required to allow them to keep their entitlement to the epg slot. It will continue in this manner until such time as the broadcaster either has a full service ready to launch, or decides to sell the slot on to someone else.
  • spiney2spiney2 Posts: 27,058
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    #9
    a channel is moving picture plus sound plus - maybe - digital text, unless the broadcaster is broke, then you get blank screen and silence .......
  • zeebre12zeebre12 Posts: 1,167
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    #10
    Does ? TV show programmes at all?, or what programmes does it show?
  • PhilH36PhilH36 Posts: 26,278
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    #11
    EPG info shows it broadcasts between 4.00am and 6.00am daily, currently showing two episodes per day of an Australian drama, "East Of Everything".
  • fugitivefugitive Posts: 4,174
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    #12
    PhilH36 wrote: »
    EPG info shows it broadcasts between 4.00am and 6.00am daily, currently showing two episodes per day of an Australian drama, "East Of Everything".

    ?tv on Sky 252 , now broadcasting in the evening from 7pm to 10pm including 2 eps a day of Aussie drama East of Everything at 7pm
  • mightymilliemightymillie Posts: 5,063
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    #13
    I think they have to broadcast 20 hours a week to avoid losing the EPG slot.
  • NiemirovskyNiemirovsky Posts: 181
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    #14
    Are you talking about "? TV"? I also wonder what channel is there. Could somebody upload some picture with them?

    And how do you know that channel is owned by AMCNI?
  • omnidirectionalomnidirectional Posts: 18,815
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    #15
    mightymillie wrote: »
    I think they have to broadcast 20 hours a week to avoid losing the EPG slot.

    The new Sky EPG listing rules require them to broadcast from 7pm-10pm at a minimum, which is why they've moved to that time.

    https://corporate.sky.com/documents/about-sky/regulatory-information/method_for_allocating_listing_s_in_sky_s_epg_140515__effective_280515.pdf
  • RichardcoulterRichardcoulter Posts: 30,305
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    #16
    omnidirectional wrote: »
    The new Sky EPG listing rules require them to broadcast from 7pm-10pm at a minimum, which is why they've moved to that time.

    https://corporate.sky.com/documents/about-sky/regulatory-information/method_for_allocating_listing_s_in_sky_s_epg_140515__effective_280515.pdf

    Isn't there a condition that says that that peak time programmes have to be new material?

    I wonder how placeholder channels will get round that...
  • omnidirectionalomnidirectional Posts: 18,815
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    #17
    Richardcoulter wrote: »
    Isn't there a condition that says that that peak time programmes have to be new material?

    The condition is it has to be non repeating material, so for example they can't show something at 7pm then repeat it at 9pm.
  • solarflaresolarflare Posts: 22,377
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    #18
    Stupid question, but are they envisaging people saying "I'm going to watch "Question Mark TV", or is it more (like it is in my mind) something like "Uh TV"...with an inflection at the end, obviously.
  • omnidirectionalomnidirectional Posts: 18,815
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    #19
    I don't think they mind, or even expect people to watch. The channel has no logo, idents or any kind of branding whatsoever.
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