ITV/CH4 Message on BBC Card "This Channel will no longer be available soon"

Irish Bazza

I received a message on both the ITV/CH4 channels last night on my BBC card type 1 stating:

"This Channel will no longer be available soon"

I was viewing ITV at the time and I then switched to Ch4 and within 2 minutes the same message appeared. This message did not appear on any BBC Channel It was requesting me to contact the Sky telephone number. I telephone the number, which was Sky's UK helpdesk.

However the same message has not appeared on my BBC type 2 card as yet.

Can I assume that Sky are pressing ahead to remove ITV/Ch4 from the BBC Cards?

jez

http://www.bbc.co.uk/reception/dsat_card_index.shtml


Study this . Would suggest Type 2 cards will continue as normal,but that maybe still a matter of interpretation as I haven't heard anything 100% definate yet...

TVDX

There was a thread started on this yesterday, use that one.
But i have just recently heard that FTV P2 cards are rumoured to be switched off as well, from someone who called Skys helpdesk twice yesterday.

arkles

ACCESS OF FREE TO AIR SATELLITE HOMES TO PUBLIC SERVICE CHANNELS

"That this House notes that the agreement between the BBC and BSkyB to provide owners of satellite equipment with free access to the encrypted public service channels expires on 10th July;
notes that as a consequence free-to-air satellite viewers may shortly be denied access on their satellite equipment to ITV, Channel 4, Channel Five and S4C; recognises that while the great majority of these viewers will still be able to receive these services by switching to analogue terrestrial,

many thousands of viewers will be deprived of some free-to-air public service channels they currently watch; and calls
upon the Secretary of State to hold urgent discussions with BSkyB, the BBC and the other public service broadcaster to see how continuing access to public service channels for free-to-air satellite viewers can be facilitated."

watty

In fact though what Sky, C4, ITV and Five do or don't do is no concern of BBC.

BBC was effectively subsiding FTV scheme for ITV who paid ZERO
Five and C4 with a Channel each paid 18%.

The BBC has used savings from encryption to fullfil its charter by adding the missing English regions to Satellite. The extra cost to do this with paying Sky would have nearly doubled the 85 Million fee.

The fact that ITV, C4 and Five are not looking after their viewers is not a BBC issue but an ITC/ Gov/ Sky /ITV/C4 /Five issue.

TVDX

Watty and any other takers,
heres a question i asked on DS, and although i have lots of views, there have been no replies as of yet.

How long will it be between getting the "Viewing of this channel will soon cease" message and the card switching off.

Is it possible that it will be a case of for example when we all got our replacement subscription card?, our own card was put on a timer of 2 weeks, after which it was useless.

Or will there be a set day when all FTV cards will be shut off?, surely they have to give you at least 2 weeks to call the SKY number on screen to ensure they get you onboard as a new subscriber, after all thats why they are shutting these cards off, so they can get our money as usual.

ShaneOC

Originally posted by TVDX
How long will it be between getting the "Viewing of this channel will soon cease" message and the card switching off.

How long is a piece of string? :rolleyes:

Nobody knows how long any FTV card will remain active. As the messages are now being seen for Series 1 FTV cards it looks like they are being switched off soon, but there is no definitive date.

Series two cards are not showing any messages so it looks like they will be OK for the foreseeable future.

byte

I know someone who also uses a P1 Solus card but has never had the above message on any of his channels yet.

I actually have a series one ftv card and ain't getting that message yet - touch wood.
Although as I originally got the box and card on a web auction, I have no way of knowing whether it is an ex contract version one card which could be the difference??
Ie; the message is only being sent to cards that were actually issued BBC cards as opposed to default FTV cards , which became that when a UK sub was ended.
But if thats the case, even though, I'd be getting no onscreen message, my card will still be useless at the same time , the old encryption cards are all turned off.
mm

robert muldoon

I have 1 P1 FTV card in Spain. ( I could'nt get down there in time to change it, also BBC being FTA ,I am not too concerned about losing ITV & Channel 4, as we dont look at that much TV out there). All my cards in Ireland are P2 cards, so lets hope they stay turned on.

carrolls

Any P2 FTV card will work in any Digibox, so why not take the card over to Spain with you?

jez

Just an update to say a friend of mine in Limerick has got the dreaded time up message on his ex Sky uk sub series 1 card. Luckily (well hopefully luckily) I have both an ftv series 2 card , and an ex Sky sub series 2 card. My task now is to source any UK Series 2 card for this guy.

ShaneOC

I setup my original Series 1 FTV card on my old Grundig box last night for a friend of mine. It had never been married to that box. I was expecting to see the "This Channel will no longer be available soon" message on ITV/Ch4/five but having watched it for over an hour I saw no such message.

I wonder if FTV cards used in boxes that they are not married to will be OK for a bit longer?

markyboy

Message was on yesterday during the day but wasn't there last night.

watty

Nope.

They are sending out the message to "blocks" of cards so as to not overload the phonelines with people ringing in and ordering subscriptions ;o)

If the cards are turned off, this too will happen in blocks to aviod phone congestion.

It is certianly Sky's plan to turn off ALL type 1 FTV and elapsed subscription cards. Only external money from ITV or UK Government intervention will stop it.

UK Gov. intervention is unlikely before Jan 2004, by which time the type1 cards will be off. It is likely that the very small number of type 2 FTV cards issued since Feb 2002 (None were automatic replacements of Type1) may also be turned off at a later date perhaps Dec 2003.

ITV is more likely to go FTA than pay Sky more. In fact it is more a question of if ITV will go FTA before type 1 cards off if nothing is happening to stop it. or Dec 2003 or Aug2004 when Sky contract expires.

The current contract for encryption would have to be payed for till Aug 2004, but Sky can't force ITV to use it.

Sky might stop carrying ITV2 free for ITV as part of family pack, or not if ITV goes FTA.

To make a FTA or FTV platform as unattractive as possible Sky has been working to make other FTA channels part of package (as seen with Boomerang). Sky News may leave FTA and join package.

Any channel not actually unwatchable or shopping that is FTA now is under pressure to join Sky package (Discounts on EPG, free encryption and even revenue to "good" channels).

A *Terrestrial* Five transmitted channel in Anglia was reported having a card "Contact Sky" instead of "Five" programs.

The way is also being paved for a complete takeover of Five by Sky (Sky partially owns it).

C4 *might* be FTV or FTA eventually, but it looks like "Five" is definately set to become a pay TV channel, and may lose terrestrial franchise (Terrestrial reception is patchy as the network is designed for only 4 channels).

So on balance it seems likely that type1 cards (any flavour) won't last the summer and type2 cards are likely to be subscription only by 2004, i.e. only FTA, no FTV when you cancel a sub. Logically Type2 FTV cards are only going to last a few months longer than Type1.

Theory as to why Sky wants to turn off all Type1 cards.
It isn't cheap to replace all the Sky Cards. Estimates vary from £7,000,000 to £60 Million. (There are costs apart from actual card).

There are NO reports of a videoguard hack at all. So why change? The card does not have the RAM or CPU to add "features" despite thouse rumours. Sky may add new Digibox features anyway when the old cards are gone to create the illusion the new cards do.

There *ARE* persistant reports of a Videoguard CAM. This is variously SW in a Digital Receievr with embedded CAM, an actual CAM and Software for PC Digital Reception. None of these are illegal or piracy, *AS THE REAL VIEWING CARD* is required. All reports suggest the CAM (mostly likely Flash software for a Digital Receiver or for DVBProg on PC only) only works with a type1 card.

Sky arn't just interested in subscribers (or they would sell a videoguard cam for PCs and non-Digiboxes). The Digibox and Sky+ are about TIGHT marketing control, e.g. the Program Guide always lists the pay channels you DON'T get!

Paying 7M to 60M is a small price for Sky to keep that marketing control. Thats why even the subscription cards are being changed.

The BBC/C4/Five (82%/18% costs of FTV) as far as is known NEVER paid for a single automatic replacement of existing FTV cards. So obviously the FTA BBC changeover was definate before February.
Only type1 FTV card holders who claimed dog ate it etc got sent new type2 FTV cards, which I predict will be dead by December.

ShaneOC

Originally posted by watty
Nope.

So on balance it seems likely that type1 cards (any flavour) won't last the summer and type2 cards are likely to be subscription only by 2004, i.e. only FTA, no FTV when you cancel a sub. Logically Type2 FTV cards are only going to last a few months longer than Type1.

Only type1 FTV card holders who claimed dog ate it etc got sent new type2 FTV cards, which I predict will be dead by December.

Somebody give that man an optimism pill.

watty

Chocolate is appreciated....

The positive side:

22 BBC Tv
18 BBC Radio
16? ITV regions

All free, perfect reception anywhere ion Ireland.

By Christmas 2004 you will be able to get an Inexpensive FTA Digital Satellite receiver with hard disk (Like Sky+) and with DVD playback and DVD recording.

Probabily by then Sky will drop the "recording rental" altogether on Sky+ and it (like a Digibox subsized to first time buyer) will be a better deal than a Full price FTA / PVR satellite. Even if you have to subscribe for a year.

Like Digibox they may even give a year or two "no price rises " or discount to early adopters of Sky+

daveg

Originally posted by watty


The positive side:

22 BBC Tv
18 BBC Radio
16? ITV regions

All free, perfect reception anywhere ion Ireland.

Watty how can you say 16 ITV regions FTA. Do you know this for certain? I presume you mean ITV may go FTA next year? Have I missed something?

watty

ITV *WILL* be FTA.

The only question is when (any time between *NOW* and Aug 2004)

C4 maybe someday don't hold breath

Five is likely to be a pay TV only channel.