...is a new arts, craft and hobby channel.

Previously announced as launching in September (http://www.craftbusiness.com/news/vi...h-in-september), the channel has now confirmed it's launching on Freeview on Thursday 27th August 2015.

It will be broadcast on channel 39.

According to Hochanda, the channel will broadcast live from 9am - 9pm, but its Freeview slot will run from 6am to 1am....

Hmm. Ties in with a lot of the ITV changes - especially given LCN 39 is currently The Store, one of the channels we know may be getting displaced.


[Eladkse's crazy speculation] of the Week:
As of 28 Aug retune, there will be the following free space:
* 24hr slot on SDN/COM4 (from encoding efficiencies)
* 24hr slot on ARQB/COM6 (ex-ITV4)
* 00:00 - 08:00 slot on ARQB/COM6 (timeshared with Jewellery Maker and BT Showcase)
* 11:00 - 09:00 slot on ARQC/COM7 (timeshared with Viva)
* COM8

The location of the following channels post-retune is unknown:
* ITV4 +1 (space taken by ITV3+1)
* The Store (space taken by ITV3+1, may be removed)
* Hochanda (06:00 - 01:00)

These three could co-exist on either of the two 24 hour slots easily - more likely SDN as the former already resides there. If we get really speculative and add rumored channel CBS Drama into the mix, this would then take the 24 hours slot on ARQB as previously theorised.
/[Eladkse's crazy speculation] of the Week

Back on topic, anyone know why there's suddenly a demand for not one, but two new craft & hobby channels on Freeview?

At 4:31 this afternoon, Hochanda tweeted that they will now be on air from 6am until 4am on Freeview channel 39. Originally they had said 6am-1am.

I wonder if we'll see Hochanda appear on channel 39 while it's still labelled "The Store"? Otherwise I don't see how Hochanda could be allocated channel 39 under Digital UK EPG rules. It might well be "doing a MovieMix", to get a better channel number.

Home of Crafts, Hobbies And Arts. Get it? Awful name though IMHO.

Facebook an hour ago

Even then, I would have thought section 7 of the policy (regarding evolution of a channel) would force a new LCN? Part 7.4 lists the specific criteria, and imo it's failed on at least two points there. Further, 7.7 forbids the trading of LCNs between providers, which would essentially be what this is in one shape or another. This really is a puzzle.

At least with MovieMix, it was still a movies channel.

Those who wish to can buy a stake in this Channel:

http://www.theguardian.com/media/gre...wdfunding-site

Don't forget the Community Channel slot on ArqA/COM5, currently only used 1100-0100.

Hochanda doesn't have a DPTS (yet?), which all goes to suggest that it is merely a programme on The Store. And ITV may change the channel name when they can. All a bit crafty! Ideal World will not be happy about it.

With MovieMix, they operated the channel on behalf of Sony; it was technically a different channel to the satellite one (and still is, hence the different name).

For Hochanda to be on Ch 39, ITV would have to be running it for them. I'd suggest the name would probably not be able to be changed either (yet). It's still a shopping channel so that would side-step the rules.

I have attempted to update my old timeshares grid with what I think is the current situation, the black blocks representing free slots – https://goo.gl/DDG0ZC. It will certainly be interesting to see how this all pans out over the next week or so.

Thanks, but you have Dave twice on ARQA. and you are missing Al Jazeera Eng and RT on ARQB, and Drama on SDN.

Have a look through digitalbitrate.com to check. (Times on there are European time)

Thank you. I was updating an old list rather than starting from scratch, so I had also re-instated Smile TV!

Most of those slots aren't "free" but are carrying teleshopping segments associated with the main channel. 5 USA, Drama and Horror Channel occupy their streams 24/7. Really operates from 8am to 4am.

There is 1 hour of free space on COM5 from 6am to 7am, recently vacated by Create & Craft.

There is loads of space on com7, so suspect that it's going there.

There's even more space on COM8 but, based on the fact that it is taking LCN 39, it will possibly taking up space on ITV's "The Store", possibly rebranded.

With ITV3+1 taking extended hours 6pm to 6am, a share with CITV would fit on SDN. That would eject "The Store" and ITV4+1 from the current SDN shared capacity.

"The Store"/Hochanda and ITV4+1 could then move to the capacity vacated by ITV4 on ARQB -OR- move to newly created capacity on SDN.

CBS Drama could then take either the new capacity on SDN or the capacity vacated on ARQB - whichever one isn't taken by "The Store"/Hochanda and ITV4+1.

We'll find out the actual arrangements on Tuesday.

Well suspect ITV will always take SDN space where possible given they own them. That would be the cheapest option I suspect.

Of course, but if it is on SDN, ITV would only get an income from Hochanda. If they stay on ARQB, income from Hochanda could largely pay for the slot and still give them extra capacity to EPG squat with ITV4+1 -PLUS- they get income for carrying CBS Drama on SDN. I suppose it depends on how much income they get from each company.

Another complication would be whether or not ITVs contract with Arqiva is over or is mid term... who knows?

Hochanda is listed as a programme on The Store EPG from noon Thursday.

One more change has happen to Freeview channel 49 it hours are now 6am to 1am. So what channel now has 1am to 6am. Don't go by the off air screen as that is not up to date

It timeshares with Television X, but the hours do seem to have changed slightly at first glance. I'll look into it, thanks.

Well, it's on air.

The studio sound is very echoey.

There is a long narrow barcode-type-thing in the top left overscan area, not visible in normal scan.

Edit: the barcode-type-thing is no longer there, I think they shifted the captions up a bit.

Is that a direct observation or are you just picking up a change to the EPG listings?

The current EPG listings for TJC appear to be skewed by 1 hour, listing the midnight to 6am off-air segment as 1am to 7am.

direct observation as i put it on the channel around 5:30am today. when i switch over jest after 6am the channel was on air.

Well it won't have been on at 5.30am, because it's always started at 6, as far as I'm aware. Television X broadcasts until 5.45 then there is a 15 minute "buffer" before unencrypted broadcasts start up again.

What times does the slide say?