I am not 100% about that. BT started transmitting on August 2010 and I would guess that the licence would be agreed on a 12 months basis. Therefore would expire in August 2015?
Pure speculation on my part.
When is the contract up for BT Sports spaces on freeview?
Only BT and Arqiva know the answer to that. As I stated earlier:
It does seem to be an unusual date to close the service, which appeared as BT 1 and BT 2 on the 5th July 2010, carrying Sky Sports 1 & 2 from the 1st August 2010. Closing in October suggests unusual contract lengths with the mux operator.
Assuming a contract term expired at the end of July, it's quite possibly that, under the circumstances, BT and Arqiva agreed to, say, renew the contract on a rolling monthly basis. If BT has told Arqiva the date on which it plans to exit the platform, they could have agreed a fixed term extension until that date.
So that particular customer is being switched from DTT to IP delivery on October 20th.
BT could be doing this as each local exchange is converted to 21CN. Because it is subscription based they know exactly which customers are affected.
Unless we can see a pattern of these letters appearing right across the country, this doesn't confirm the immediate end of BT delivering Sky Sports via DTT - just that they are working towards some future ending of it.
edit: and Tomee you do realise that a516 uses these very forums as an information source for stories? So linking a516's story in this thread can on some occasions be a case of circular reporting .
Thanks for the link to the scanned letter, it's very useful to see how it is actually worded. It does actually appear to be phrased in a way that suggests that the method of delivery is changing for specific customers rather than suggesting that the DTT service is to be closed.
BT will still be keeping 1 channel on DTT and that will be BT Sport 1.
Any customer who has a broadband speed that cannot support the copper multicast channels will be given a free google chromecast so they can still watch the channels on their TV.
I am not 100% about that. BT started transmitting on August 2010 and I would guess that the licence would be agreed on a 12 months basis. Therefore would expire in August 2015?
Pure speculation on my part.
BT will still be keeping 1 channel on DTT and that will be BT Sport 1.
Any customer who has a broadband speed that cannot support the copper multicast channels will be given a free google chromecast so they can still watch the channels on their TV.
Thanks for that information can i please ask where you get the information from?
So that particular customer is being switched from DTT to IP delivery on October 20th.
BT could be doing this as each local exchange is converted to 21CN. Because it is subscription based they know exactly which customers are affected.
Unless we can see a pattern of these letters appearing right across the country, this doesn't confirm the immediate end of BT delivering Sky Sports via DTT - just that they are working towards some future ending of it.
edit: and Tomee you do realise that a516 uses these very forums as an information source for stories? So linking a516's story in this thread can on some occasions be a case of circular reporting .
Indeed a516's webpage is often taken as the word of God by forum members when it is in fact quite often just speculation!
Canis media were advertising a freeview slot from 1 Jan 2015 back in May, with the exclusion of two weekday evenings every other week. At the time it was thought this was to accomodate BT Sport's champions league coverage starting later in 2015. So the Freeview slots which were advertised in August available from mid November might not necessarily be vacated BT slots.
BT will still be keeping 1 channel on DTT and that will be BT Sport 1.
Any customer who has a broadband speed that cannot support the copper multicast channels will be given a free google chromecast so they can still watch the channels on their TV.
That sounds almost half way to a good idea. It would make sense for BT Sport to use its partnership with Chromecast to provide another method of delivery for the channel, thus avoiding the cost of carriage on DTT. Strange though that they would provide an alternative method of delivery and still keep one of the channels.
Indeed a516's webpage is often taken as the word of God by forum members when it is in fact quite often just speculation!
A little unfair when you consider that some articles in the trade press also turn out to be no more than speculation. The site brings together valuable information which would otherwise take a lot of hunting down on other websites and Twitter feeds.
Canis media were advertising a freeview slot from 1 Jan 2015 back in May, with the exclusion of two weekday evenings every other week. At the time it was thought this was to accomodate BT Sport's champions league coverage starting later in 2015. So the Freeview slots which were advertised in August available from mid November might not necessarily be vacated BT slots.
It is speculation but there is some logic to it. Say BT are still in contract with Arqiva but no longer need a fulltime slot. It would make sense to use a reseller such as Canis Media to rent out any capacity they don't need and to retain certain timeslots to meet their FTA obligations.
Indeed a516's webpage is often taken as the word of God by forum members when it is in fact quite often just speculation!
Just to clarify, I have a lot of respect for the reporting that a516 does, he/she clearly has many sources, but when a story has started with someone posting here it is possible to end up with circular reporting unless we can be sure a516 has second sourced their info.
If the BT channels do go - and it's plausible, BT have been moving viewers towards watching online and via YouView - then the slots on ARQB could prove useful. Scripps *may* be interested for extended Travel Channel, though they've not taken any of the prior opportunities that have come up; POP could move onto ARQB, giving it bigger coverage and putting Tiny Pop, just licenced by Ofcom for DTT, into POP's place on Comux; alternatively one of the other Sony/CSC channels (True Movies?) or one of the other major FTA channels not yet on DTT (CBS Drama?) So there's scope for something to come along if BT shifts off the terrestrial band...
Just to clarify, I have a lot of respect for the reporting that a516 does, he/she clearly has many sources, but when a story has started with someone posting here it is possible to end up with circular reporting unless we can be sure a516 has second sourced their info.
circular reporting.
Please give me a example of where this has happen.
There is an issue with all of this speculation. When I did a scan of the mux earlier today with Transedit, it listed the 2 BT channels as broadcasting in H264 and the datarate of each of the channels was hovering around the 1MBs mark. Most of the other low bit rate channels were a fair bit higher, so their might not be the bandwidth to fit 2 channels in when BT Sports goes.
There is an issue with all of this speculation. When I did a scan of the mux earlier today with Transedit, it listed the 2 BT channels as broadcasting in H264 and the datarate of each of the channels was hovering around the 1MBs mark. Most of the other low bit rate channels were a fair bit higher, so their might not be the bandwidth to fit 2 channels in when BT Sports goes.
SDN and Arq A carry 14 channels each without using H264. Please explain why you think Arq B is different and why it wouldn't be possible to fit 14 channels on Arq B without using H264.
And I'm not saying it has happened, just pointing out that because we know a516 uses these forums as a source it is very possible it can happen if we reference an a516 story that doesn't clearly have another source.
Apologies for the sidetrack. Someone please get us back to the topic now?
SDN and Arq A carry 14 channels each without using H264. Please explain why you think Arq B is different and why it wouldn't be possible to fit 14 channels on Arq B without using H264.
Sorry, I wasn't saying that they wouldn't be able to fit 14 channels in, just that there might be less bandwidth available from the closure of the BT channels than we think since at the moment, the 2 BT channels are using H264 not MPEG 2. However, that doesn't mean that they wouldn't be able to squeeze 14 channels in, just that the timings might be different.
Sorry, I wasn't saying that they wouldn't be able to fit 14 channels in, just that there might be less bandwidth available from the closure of the BT channels than we think since at the moment, the 2 BT channels are using H264 not MPEG 2. However, that doesn't mean that they wouldn't be able to squeeze 14 channels in, just that the timings might be different.
Ok, I was just trying to figure out your reasoning as it is not the first time this has been suggested. The obvious point is that Arq B has the same overall bitrate as SDN and Arq A, so there wouldn't be any problems in bringing 14 MPEG 2 channels to Arq B.
It doesn't really matter that BT are currently using H264. All of the channels are stat-muxed and individual bitrates are determined, largely, by the needs of the channels with the most video activity at any point in time. H264 gives BT Sports the opportunity to handle bandwidth demanding, fast motion, scenes without causing too much bandwidth starvation for the other channels.
This is bizarre. Why get rid of the silver boxes and not the black ones? I assume functionally they are identical? So if the BT Sport streams need to continue for the black boxes, this move doesn't seem to be benefitting anyone.
Let alone anything else BT need a stable PVR that doesn't spontaneously re-boot all the time.
Comments
http://www.a516digital.com/2014/10/bt-sport-dtt-closure-reports.html#more
Stew
When is the contract up for BT Sports spaces on freeview?
Pure speculation on my part.
Stew
Only BT and Arqiva know the answer to that. As I stated earlier:
Assuming a contract term expired at the end of July, it's quite possibly that, under the circumstances, BT and Arqiva agreed to, say, renew the contract on a rolling monthly basis. If BT has told Arqiva the date on which it plans to exit the platform, they could have agreed a fixed term extension until that date.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/jxd55uc6vxstg09/bt%20letter.jpg?dl=0
So that particular customer is being switched from DTT to IP delivery on October 20th.
BT could be doing this as each local exchange is converted to 21CN. Because it is subscription based they know exactly which customers are affected.
Unless we can see a pattern of these letters appearing right across the country, this doesn't confirm the immediate end of BT delivering Sky Sports via DTT - just that they are working towards some future ending of it.
edit: and Tomee you do realise that a516 uses these very forums as an information source for stories? So linking a516's story in this thread can on some occasions be a case of circular reporting .
Thanks for the link to the scanned letter, it's very useful to see how it is actually worded. It does actually appear to be phrased in a way that suggests that the method of delivery is changing for specific customers rather than suggesting that the DTT service is to be closed.
Any customer who has a broadband speed that cannot support the copper multicast channels will be given a free google chromecast so they can still watch the channels on their TV.
Thank you Stew.
Thanks for that information can i please ask where you get the information from?
Indeed a516's webpage is often taken as the word of God by forum members when it is in fact quite often just speculation!
Im sure he will check things out, but its obviously not first hand information just like a news report often isnt!
Canis media were advertising a freeview slot from 1 Jan 2015 back in May, with the exclusion of two weekday evenings every other week. At the time it was thought this was to accomodate BT Sport's champions league coverage starting later in 2015. So the Freeview slots which were advertised in August available from mid November might not necessarily be vacated BT slots.
That sounds almost half way to a good idea. It would make sense for BT Sport to use its partnership with Chromecast to provide another method of delivery for the channel, thus avoiding the cost of carriage on DTT. Strange though that they would provide an alternative method of delivery and still keep one of the channels.
What is your source for this information?
A little unfair when you consider that some articles in the trade press also turn out to be no more than speculation. The site brings together valuable information which would otherwise take a lot of hunting down on other websites and Twitter feeds.
It is speculation but there is some logic to it. Say BT are still in contract with Arqiva but no longer need a fulltime slot. It would make sense to use a reseller such as Canis Media to rent out any capacity they don't need and to retain certain timeslots to meet their FTA obligations.
Just to clarify, I have a lot of respect for the reporting that a516 does, he/she clearly has many sources, but when a story has started with someone posting here it is possible to end up with circular reporting unless we can be sure a516 has second sourced their info.
circular reporting.
Please give me a example of where this has happen.
SDN and Arq A carry 14 channels each without using H264. Please explain why you think Arq B is different and why it wouldn't be possible to fit 14 channels on Arq B without using H264.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circular_reporting is the first google hit for me on the expression.
And I'm not saying it has happened, just pointing out that because we know a516 uses these forums as a source it is very possible it can happen if we reference an a516 story that doesn't clearly have another source.
Apologies for the sidetrack. Someone please get us back to the topic now?
Sorry, I wasn't saying that they wouldn't be able to fit 14 channels in, just that there might be less bandwidth available from the closure of the BT channels than we think since at the moment, the 2 BT channels are using H264 not MPEG 2. However, that doesn't mean that they wouldn't be able to squeeze 14 channels in, just that the timings might be different.
Ok, I was just trying to figure out your reasoning as it is not the first time this has been suggested. The obvious point is that Arq B has the same overall bitrate as SDN and Arq A, so there wouldn't be any problems in bringing 14 MPEG 2 channels to Arq B.
It doesn't really matter that BT are currently using H264. All of the channels are stat-muxed and individual bitrates are determined, largely, by the needs of the channels with the most video activity at any point in time. H264 gives BT Sports the opportunity to handle bandwidth demanding, fast motion, scenes without causing too much bandwidth starvation for the other channels.
Let alone anything else BT need a stable PVR that doesn't spontaneously re-boot all the time.