4HD and All4 Leaving Freesat

This is the full text:

We’re sorry to announce that All 4 and 4HD will be leaving Freesat on Thursday 22nd February, 2018.

Channel 4 is still available in standard definition, but any recordings you have scheduled for 4HD will need to be re-set in SD (via channel 104).

E4, More 4, 4seven and Film4 remain unaffected and can be accessed via the TV guide as usual, but the rollback guide and catch-up TV for all of the Channel 4 channels will no longer be available via your Freesat box.

If you have any questions about these changes please read our Q&A here, and to find out where else you can watch All 4 please visit all4.com/how-to-watch

Thanks,
The Freesat Team

Link to freesat news article for whoever didn't get the email. Linky

Very odd decision.

All Channel 4's sister channels in HD are encrypted on Sky, C4HD may be following this trend due to a deal struck with Sky.

Just saw the email. I hope this isn't a sign of things to come.
It is a shame but there is nothing big on that channel anyway.

The All4 app may still work with chromecast.

A row over carriage fees it seems.

http://www.seenit.co.uk/channel-4-pulls-hd-and-catch-up-app-from-freesat/

stephend2000 wrote: »

Channel 4's sister channels (The Box, Box Hits etc.) have also been removed from freesat listings but remain unencrypted on 28.2e. I'm wondering if C4HD will remain FTA after Thursday.

Alun wrote: »

Me too, I guess we'll find out.

On my Mediaportal setup I've no 4HD EPG entries past this Saturday 24th at the moment. Channel 4 and 4+1 are still populated for the coming 7 days.

I have the full 7 days EPG on my FTA setup ..... but now wondering if it is just pulling the same EPG for HD & SD and that is why it is showing here.

Hopefully it will remain FTA and not go behind Sky's paywall.

I have never tried All4 ...... is that geo-locked or freely available in Ireland?

If it's just the channel disappearing from the Freesat EPG, but remaining FTA on Astra 28.2E I can cope with that technically, but I don't fancy going back to SD if I can help it.

Any news on what the cause of all this is? I can't find anything on the Freesat website.

Alun wrote: »

I hope so too.


Freely available, at the moment at least.

Thanks ..... signed up but my first try did not go well

So after Thursday, there is no way to record and series link CH4 HD in Ireland unless you have Virgin TV or live in a Freeview spillover area. There is no 4HD on any of Sky, eir or Vodafone.

Got to get the priorities right...

(July 2017)

The broadcaster made record revenues of £995m and experienced a growth of more than 20% in viewing and revenues from on-demand service All4 to more than £100m

Channel 4’s outgoing chief executive was paid a record £1m in his final full year in charge of the broadcaster.

Channel 4’s chairman, Charles Gurassa, defended Abraham’s pay: “We just had our best ever year on [delivering] our remit. We have knocked the lights out on that and we should be pleased that we are paying David as much as we are for what he and the team have achieved.”

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/jul/12/channel-4-chief-david-abraham-receives-record-pay-package

Paying 75m for Bake Off wouldn't have helped the balance sheet either...
https://www.standard.co.uk/stayingin/tvfilm/the-great-british-bake-off-channel-4-paid-75-million-to-take-show-from-bbc-a3343801.html

Then.....

(February 2018)

A Channel 4 spokesperson told SEENIT: “We’re disappointed Freesat is changing its charging structure, leading to a very significant cost increase for Channel 4, which ultimately takes funding away from our content investment budget. To reduce the overall burden of our Freesat costs and make internal savings we have regrettably given notice to withdraw All 4 and C4 HD while we consider our long term relationship with Freesat.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2017/06/05/channel-4-appoint-foundry-boss-alex-mahon-chief-executive/

So Channel 4 has record revenues, the chairman celebrates the success of their remit & the team in bonuses, then in 8 Months a new CEO comes in and the same chairman then paints a slightly less rosy picture of the broadcasting landscape, commenting on the new CEO being "brilliantly placed to help steer Channel 4 through the competitive challenges and opportunities ahead.

How making Channel 4 less attractive to watch for viewers by removing HD from Freesat is going to help Channel 4 stave off "the competitive challenges" would be anyone's guess, but ultimately the losers are PSB viewers...again.

I hope viewers rightly give both parties a load of grief over this.

My guess is it's a bit of a Mexican stand-off to see how much flak Channel 4 get from the public, whilst also putting the heebie jeebies up Freesat to negotiate "a better deal".

https://www.channel4.com/4viewers/contact-us

Is C4HD still not on Sky UK?

The worry is that ITVHD would be pulled which would be a bigger blow given that they carry a lot of sports.