[Analysis] An exodus of smaller channels this year has left the bottom of Freeview’s channel list full of gaps.
Quest Red+1 is the latest Freeview channel to close this year, in a 12 month period that has seen broadcast capacity closed to make way for 5G and the decision by some channel operators to withdraw from the platform.
The result is a massive increase in the number of gaps at the bottom of the entertainment section of the channel list. Some are a result of broadcasters securing higher ranking slots, including Drama+1 and That’s TV, filling in gaps further up the list, but helping to create holes at the bottom.
As of 12th December, Freeview channels 71, 76, 77, 80, 86, 87, 93 to 99 are either vacant or closed down nationally. Channels 90 and 91 are used in the Manchester area only.
This follows the closure of services including Now 80s, More4+1, Forces TV and the takeover of Create & Craft by The Craft Store (Hochanda), turning two services into one.
Freeview’s platform operator Digital UK does have the power to fill in gaps by ordering a shuffle up. This would trigger a retune event, where some viewers would have to rescan to continue watching all services on their correct channel number. Newer devices automatically adjust.
Freeview channel changes are normally coordinated, with the TV platform preferring to conduct a monthly update covering most changes.
Before a shuffle-up happens, Digital UK will discuss possible reallocations with broadcasters under the terms of Freeview channel listing rules. For example, sister channels of existing broadcasters may be able to leapfrog others in order to sit closer to their sibling.
Channel hoarding
Digital UK once anticipated that the number of entertainment channels could exceed 99, and allocated channel numbers above 120 as an overflow area. Children’s and news channels were thus moved to the 200s.
Broadcasters began to hoard channel numbers by launching part-time services, usually on air for just a couple of hours each night. This secured a sub-100 channel slot for whenever they wanted to expand their service in the future.
A+E Networks UK have two such channels: Blaze+1 and TCC. ITV operates ITV Be+1 and ITV4+1 on the same basis. ITV3+1 at least operates between 9pm and 4am. Meanwhile, the CBS AMC UK channel partnership has created RealityXtra 2 to hold channel 69 warm.
But spare capacity to actually launch new services is now increasingly rare, and now mostly comes as a result of other services closing down. And the positions ever closer to the bottom of a shrinking channel list means opportunities to trade the slots are disappearing.
If all channels were shuffled up, the last current channel, Together+1, would end up on channel 86 instead of 92.
The Manchester anomaly
That’s Media, who have recently taken over the running of the special Manchester multiplex that was originally created for Channel M, has recently secured Ofcom licences for a variety of decades stations to rival that of NOW Music. This coincided with NOW pulling its music channels from the multiplex.
Any new Manchester only channels would lock down Freeview channel numbers that then can’t be used elsewhere in the UK. The Manchester multiplex already accounts for some Freeview channel numbers that have to remain empty everywhere else in the UK.
by Iain Hatton