Skysports News Changing on August 23rd

RobTheLad

http://www.skysports.com/tv_show/story/0,20144,12975_6286710,00.html

do you reckon upc will be affected by this??

Ranicand

RobTheLad wrote: »

http://www.skysports.com/tv_show/story/0,20144,12975_6286710,00.html

do you reckon upc will be affected by this??

No Freeview is a British platform this does not affect UPC.

Minstrel27

The only change you will see is the change to widescreen.

icdg

Well, more than that, they are getting a new look and some new programmes, chief among which is Ed Chamberlain's new show Sports Sunday, which will do for Sundays what Jeff Stelling does for Saturdays.

Soccer Saturday will no longer air on Sky Sports 1. And SSN moves to widescreen, just like this thread is moving to Broadcasting.

Minstrel27

icdg wrote: »

Well, more than that, they are getting a new look and some new programmes, chief among which is Ed Chamberlain's new show Sports Sunday, which will do for Sundays what Jeff Stelling does for Saturdays.

What I meant was Sky Sports News will still be available to him/her.

Digifriendly

This is not good news for UK Freeview as this channel was a good free alternative for those who could not afford Sky Sports and enjoyed watching brief highlights of events that were exclusively live on Sky.

byte

Sky TV customers with either the Sports Pack or the News & Events Pack will be unaffected by the switch, while all other Sky TV customers will receive Sky Sports News as a six-month bonus channel until February 2011.

Hm, it's good to see that SSN will remain on the News & Events Pack, as I thought it was going to be moved to the Sky Sports Pack exclusively (or maybe that's just for the HD variant?)

About time it went to widescreen, and I'd imagine the HD version would be a good improvement, as graphics seem to work well on Sky News HD.

icdg

byte wrote: »

Hm, it's good to see that SSN will remain on the News & Events Pack, as I thought it was going to be moved to the Sky Sports Pack exclusively (or maybe that's just for the HD variant?)

This is a myth that has being going about and even some of my own friends came up to me absolutely convinced that Sky Sports News was becoming a premium channel.

The origin of the myth is that Sky Sports News is leaving digital terrestrial television in the UK, which is branded Freeview. Many Irish people, not knowing what Freeview is, saw this announcement and assumed that it was leaving the basic digital package on UPC and becoming a premium channel.

To clarify:
1) Sky Sports News **remains** a basic tier channel on both Sky (News and Events Pack) and UPC (Digital Value).
2) It is NOT becoming a premium channel on either platform.
3) It IS leaving Freeview, however. This should only affect a small minority of viewers in the Republic who can pick up UK DTT.

popebenny16

SSN is basicly a rolling 24 hour advert for the other sky sports channels anyway, with the exception on the world cup, any sport that sky do not cover gets sod all coverage and those they do gets an unreal amount - have a look at the volumes given to Rugby League and Darts every hour. as such i would have imagined it would stay as a free channel.

Cantona's Collars

Sky Sports News is staying in News+Events Pack.It was also included in the Sports Pack due to complaints by Sports subscribers that they should also have it without needing to pay for another pack to get it.Panic over folks.

Elmo

What will Sky do with their SSN freeview slot?

Minstrel27

Sky 3+1 would be the ultimate slap in the face.

Elmo

Minstrel27 wrote: »

Sky 3+1 would be the ultimate slap in the face.

According to Wiki that seems to be the case. ATW.

deanh

This is a risky strategy. Freeview make up a large share of SSN's viewers. This is bound to affect advertising revenue. Don't have figures but have read that Sky News's ratings can be as low as 10,000 (probably off-peak) SSN would, likely, be lower than this. Rupert must have some reason for doing this.

Elmo

deanh wrote: »

This is a risky strategy. Freeview make up a large share of SSN's viewers. This is bound to affect advertising revenue. Don't have figures but have read that Sky News's ratings can be as low as 10,000 (probably off-peak) SSN would, likely, be lower than this. Rupert must have some reason for doing this.

They aren't interested in Viewers they are interested in increase ARUP (Average Revenue Per User) and increasing their subscription base.

Their current strategy is against FreeView: -

1. Buying VMTV channels
2. Buying rights to Premium HBO shows for £30million per year
3. Reducing their availability on FreeView and FTA Satellite
4. Increasing the number of Original UK dramas on Sky
5. ITV HD channels on Sky Platform

I wonder how much Advertising is worth to Sky in comparison to their Subscriptions.

Minstrel27

deanh wrote: »

Rupert must have some reason for doing this.

He wants more people to pay for it.

Peter Henderson

Minstrel27 wrote: »

Sky 3+1 would be the ultimate slap in the face.

Yep, it's going to become Sky 3+1 on Freeview.

Personally, I think +1 channels on Freeview are a waste of space, in my opinion. I'd rather they were used for RTE services in NI.

Elmo

Peter Henderson wrote: »

Personally, I think +1 channels on Freeview are a waste of space, in my opinion. I'd rather they were used for RTE services in NI.

I thought RTÉ 1, 2 and TG4 were going to be on FreeView in NI after DSO?

Peter Henderson

Elmo wrote: »

I thought RTÉ 1, 2 and TG4 were going to be on FreeView in NI after DSO?

There's speculation they are Elmo, though nothing definite yet. I did read somewhere that discussions are currently ongoing (re. the MOU) and that there may be some announcement around December. There's also some uncertainty as to which multiplex they'll use and what's available.

There's an interesting discussion over on UK Free about it :

http://www.ukfree.tv/txdetail.php?a=IJ287750

ftakeith

Minstrel27 wrote: »

He wants more people to pay for it.

skysports news is just a 24hours information channel to get persons to subscribe to skysports

sky's hbo deal means nothing to me as I have most of the decent content on dvd box sets, if most of it is shown on sky1 its ads every 10 minutes or its on sky premier like the pacific, its on dvd in november along with others

I predict those itv2-4hd subscription channels will be fta after uk's digital switchover around 2012-2013

david23

deanh wrote: »

This is a risky strategy. Freeview make up a large share of SSN's viewers. This is bound to affect advertising revenue. Don't have figures but have read that Sky News's ratings can be as low as 10,000 (probably off-peak) SSN would, likely, be lower than this. Rupert must have some reason for doing this.

Rupert only owns 39% of BSkyB, the company has rejected his bid for the remaining 61% of the shares.

If BSkyB had kept Sky Sports News on Freeview it would have allowed BT Vision & Top-Up TV (two UK DTT pay-TV operators) to include it as a bonus channel in their advertising for Sky Sports 1 & Sky Sports 2.

The advertising revenue from Sky Sports News is very small, the main funding for the channel comes from Sky subscribers. The only question is how many people watched the channel on DTT and then decided to subscribe to Sky as a result of the promotion of events on SSN. In reality it's probably very few and BSkyB obviously believe this is a gamble worth taking to restrict the other pay-TV operators.

icdg

I wouldn't call it a gamble to restrict the other pay-TV operators, as Sky Sports News is remaining on cable. Boosting subscriber numbers is almost certainly the reason.

Why would one subscriber to Sky solely on the basis of Sky Sports News (or allow it sway your decision?) Three words for you: Gilette Soccer Saturday. When you try to explain the idea of it to people unfamilar with it, most people shake their heads in disbelief. Effectively it is radio on television - four blokes sit around a table watching television, describing the events happening, without the viewing public being able to actually see one moment of the events they are describing. It shouldn't work, but it does. This is due paritally to the fact that Saturday 3pm football games can't be broadcast in the UK, but also due to Jeff Stelling's presentation style (and creative use of the English langauge - no wonder he doubles as presenter of Countdown). Also people tune in to see what gaff Chris Kamara will make next ("There's been a sending off Chris Kamara"..."Has there Jeff??? ... I thought it was a substitution!").

It has become quite compelling television and if it being on pay-TV even sways a handful of people to subscribe to Sky, then Sky will feel their decision to take Sky Sports News off DTT justified.

deanh

david23 wrote: »

Rupert only owns 39% of BSkyB, the company has rejected his bid for the remaining 61% of the shares.

If BSkyB had kept Sky Sports News on Freeview it would have allowed BT Vision & Top-Up TV (two UK DTT pay-TV operators) to include it as a bonus channel in their advertising for Sky Sports 1 & Sky Sports 2.

The advertising revenue from Sky Sports News is very small, the main funding for the channel comes from Sky subscribers. The only question is how many people watched the channel on DTT and then decided to subscribe to Sky as a result of the promotion of events on SSN. In reality it's probably very few and BSkyB obviously believe this is a gamble worth taking to restrict the other pay-TV operators.

Nobody would dispute that Sky is a Murdock company (One of his son's is Chief Executive). He is determined to take full control of the company which is why he will try to drive up subscription revenue to pay the cost of the remaining 61%.

david23

deanh wrote: »

Nobody would dispute that Sky is a Murdock company (One of his son's is Chief Executive). He is determined to take full control of the company which is why he will try to drive up subscription revenue to pay the cost of the remaining 61%.

James Murdoch stepped down as Chief Executive of BSkyB on 7 December 2007, he is now the non-executive chairman of the company. Jeremy Darroch replaced him as CEO.

If Sky is a Murdoch company the obvious question is why Rupert is finding it so difficult to acquire the remaining 61% of share capital. If he had control of the company surely the deal would have been rubber-stamped by now (his latest offer has been rejected).

Elmo

ftakeith wrote: »

sky's hbo deal means nothing to me as I have most of the decent content on dvd box sets, if most of it is shown on sky1 its ads every 10 minutes or its on sky premier like the pacific, its on dvd in november along with others

If they go down the road of a premium channel I assume that ads will be removed from such programmes, and you will get them via Sky Player. I know I will prob just go with DVD boxsets.

Minstrel27

ftakeith wrote: »

skysports news is just a 24hours information channel to get persons to subscribe to skysports

Your point is?

Elmo

Minstrel27 wrote: »

Your point is?

That it isn't much a TV channel to begin with, but FTA Keith is right the channel like Sky 3 was an ad for the rest of the Sky Sports channels.

david23

Elmo wrote: »

That it isn't much a TV channel to begin with, but FTA Keith is right the channel like Sky 3 was an ad for the rest of the Sky Sports channels.

They claim that they will invest more money into it when it becomes a pay-TV channel.

When they were giving it away for free there was a reluctance to invest too much because it would make the Freeview platform more attractive, and harm their pay-TV business. Now that it's joined the Sky Sports package it should get the same kind of money thrown at it as the others have - will be interesting to see what it looks like in a few months time.

Eventually the free channels on UK DTT will just consist of the three PSB multiplexes, with the three commercial multiplexes being full of pay-TV channels, that's the way things are going.

mike65

I'm hoping that the BBC spot a gap in the market as Freeviewers lose this channel and more to the point Soccer Saturday and get busy behind the red button from 2 pm onwards...

icdg

deanh wrote: »

Nobody would dispute that Sky is a Murdock company (One of his son's is Chief Executive). He is determined to take full control of the company which is why he will try to drive up subscription revenue to pay the cost of the remaining 61%.

That makes no sense. An increase in subscription revenue would in fact likely lead to an INCREASE in the BSkyB share price and thus an increase in the price News Corporation would have to pay for the 61% of BSkyB it does not already own. In fact in this situation it would be more beneficial for Murdoch for the BSkyB share price to fall!

mike65 wrote:

I'm hoping that the BBC spot a gap in the market as Freeviewers lose this channel and more to the point Soccer Saturday and get busy behind the red button from 2 pm onwards...

Final Score already starts at 2:30pm on the Red Button, but it doesn't have Jeff...

mike65

They need their own Stelling, not sure who though cos Auntie are a bit boring, Danny Baker would be my choice. :pac:

Elmo

icdg wrote: »

Final Score already starts at 2:30pm on the Red Button, but it doesn't have Jeff...

Doesn't Jeff have to get ready for countdown? (We are talking about the same person? otherwise that joke isn't good, and it wasn't that good in any case)

It will be interesting to see what BSkyB do with their set of channels over the next year. They can only improve

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Can't they?

adox

This is now on the EPG on channel 455. Just a countdown promo.

Elmo

adox wrote: »

This is now on the EPG on channel 455. Just a countdown promo.

5 4 3 2 1 Now Pay Up!

Cantona's Collars

What do you think of the new format and layout of the channel now-I think the ticker on the bottom of the screen is a bit too small,will be hard to read for people with bad eyesight or trying to catch up on scores while in the pub.(The lady's presenting are still hot though.)

threein99

New look but they are still spouting the same old rubbish, its the worst channel on tv its like a televised tabloid, that guy Bryan Swanson with his stupid touch screen moniter trying to stir up transfer stories does my head in.

Zardoz

zerks wrote: »

What do you think of the new format and layout of the channel now-I think the ticker on the bottom of the screen is a bit too small,will be hard to read for people with bad eyesight or trying to catch up on scores while in the pub.(The lady's presenting are still hot though.)

The SD picture quality on my tv is vastly sharper ,looks very clean now.

Cantona's Collars

threein99 wrote: »

New look but they are still spouting the same old rubbish, its the worst channel on tv its like a televised tabloid, that guy Bryan Swanson with his stupid touch screen moniter trying to stir up transfer stories does my head in.

It's a good channel to dip into for a quick catch-up on sports headlines-wait til the last day of the transfer window for fancy graphics and presenters ready to explode with excitement over the slightest bit of transfer news.Back to serious bit.The SD picture does look sharper though.

hitman79

What the hell has happened to skysports news? I know it changed to HD which i dont have but on the normal Skysports 405 channel the text at the bottom is now much smaller and half the screen is missing on either side and im watching on a 42" widescreen. Anything i can do?

pricewise987

same issue

have 42" widescreen

writing is tiny at the bottom and left hand side of screen is chopped off

am viewing in normal 16:9 settings

not sure why they have been shouting about these changes...:rolleyes:

hitman79

pricewise987 wrote: »

same issue

have 42" widescreen

writing is tiny at the bottom and left hand side of screen is chopped off

am viewing in normal 16:9 settings

not sure why they have been shouting about these changes...:rolleyes:

Go to system settings on your sky box, select picture settings and then change the picture format to 16:9..save at the bottom of the screen and your back in business.(i hope)

pricewise987

but i am viewing in 16:9.....:confused:

hitman79

Is that 16:9 on your tv settings or your sky box settings? I've changed to 16:9 on my sky box but left my tv setting as widescreen and worked for me.

pricewise987

16:9 on my sky box

have panasonic 42"

options are

• AUTO
• 16:9
• 14:9
• 4:3
• Just

Changing any of these does not make any difference.....

Still cannot see left hand side of screen..

Any ideas???

hitman79

Afraid not. Im no tv expert to be honest but i know i was freaked when i noticed skysports news had half the screen missing..Try various combinations on your tv and sky settings and hope you get lucky

pricewise987

Thanks Hitman....

Seems to be a common issue judging by posts on other forums as well.....

icdg

hitman79 wrote: »

What the hell has happened to skysports news? I know it changed to HD which i dont have but on the normal Skysports 405 channel the text at the bottom is now much smaller and half the screen is missing on either side and im watching on a 42" widescreen. Anything i can do?

Whatever about the missing screen settings (check your STB settings) the text IS much smaller, there's nothing really you can do about that other than complain to Sky. The sidebar in particular is really tiny (although it is a bit bigger during Gilette Soccer Special at the moment).

pricewise987

STB settings are 16:9...

Other options are 4:3 and 4:3L...

This is defo a Sky issue.....

Think they fecked up this time.....

Minstrel27

pricewise987 wrote: »

STB settings are 16:9...

Other options are 4:3 and 4:3L...

This is defo a Sky issue.....

Think they fecked up this time.....

Is it really a Sky issue? I have seen it displayed correctly on three separate boxes.

pricewise987

TV is 42" Panasonic

TV Picture Setting = 16:9

Sky Box Picture setting = 16:9

Can you explain why this does not display correctly....?

I know it seems to work for some people but surely it should work for all.....

Minstrel27

As it is working for other people I would suggest a possible television problem.